A cult and a classic

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2001)

`Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'
Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee has made some fine English-language films, such as `The Ice Storm' and `Sense And Sensibility', but bravely he has returned to the Chinese language and culture for his latest work in a totally different genre  and it is a triumph. The story is taken from the fourth volume of a series set in the early 19th century Qing dynasty and written by Wang Du Lu in a magical style known in Chinese as wu xia'.
At heart, this is a double love story. The first relationship  silent and simmering  is between veteran warrior Li Mu Bai (played by Chow Yun Fat of `Anna And The King') and his close friend Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh from `Tomorrow Never Dies'). The other relationship  a much more combustible and passionate affair  is between the young bandit Lo (Chang Chen) and the beautiful Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi).
Astonishingly, these very different relationships are played out in the context of a martial arts movie which contains some absolutely stunning fight scenes, choreographed by Yeun Wo-Ping who did similarly brilliant work on `The Matrix', and it is Lee's genius that combines personal passion and martial miracles to such dramatic effect. In this mysterious new world, there is even a sword called Green Destiny', a villainess known as Jade Fox, and a fight scene in the tops of bamboo trees.
Since I've only recently returned from a tour of China, I loved the wonderful sets and rich costumes. Shot in Beijing and the Gobi desert, the scenery is simply breath-taking, the photography glorious and the drum-beat music stirring. In short, this is set to be both a cult and a classic.