Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Blends Action with Art

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2000)

Perhaps the best movie of 2000 so far, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" sees Chow Yun-fat (Li Mu Bai) and Michelle Yeoh (Yu Shu Lien) return to glory in this action-packed period piece based on Du Lu Wang's "Giang Hu" novels. With dazzling special effects and Yuen Wo Ping's (The Matrix) virtuoso martial arts choreography, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" leaves recent kung-fu flicks "Shanghai Noon" and "Romeo Must Die" in the dust. But the real star of the movie may be Zhang Ziyi (Jen), who starred in last year's "The Road Home" directed by Zhang Yimou (no relation). Not coincidentally, perhaps, Zhang looks very much like a youthful Gong Li. Matching Yeoh's athletic prowess with her balletic grace, Zhang plays Jen as an on-screen contradiction of innocence and sensuality. At one point in the film, Zhang asks Chow Yun-fat, "Is it the sword that you want, or is it me?" echoing the inner-thoughts of the males in the audience. With a balanced script, the breathless cinematography of China by Peter Pau (The Killer), the star-power of Zhang, Chow and Yeoh, and the perfect mix of action and drama by director Ang Lee, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" seamlessly combines the genres of action and "art", raising the ante of martial arts films for years to come.