"Crouching Performances, Hidden Screenplay" Would Be More Accurate

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2001)

Perhaps one of the most deceiving and over-rated films of the past decade would have to be the somewhat obscure "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The film is a part-fantasy and part-adventure about two warriors in feudal Asia (Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh) who must try to recover a magical sword that has been stolen and attempt to stop a dangerous female fugitive who has been a thorn in their sides for years. While the two definitely have feelings for each other, they are bound by several factors that they cannot overcome. Relative new-comer Ziyi Zhang is the thief of the sword and also a daughter of a well-to-do aristocrat. She is a young lady who does not know what she wants in life, but knows that she does not want to be married, something she is being forced to do. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", much like the equally over-rated "Gladiator" was a smash-hit in 2000. It became one of, if the not the most, successful foreign-language films in the history of films. It captured four Oscars after a whopping 10 nominations and was a real threat the whole way to win the Best Picture Oscar. Critics hailed this film from every direction and most of the mainstream audience has been enthralled by it. However, the film has so many shortcomings that it is destined to be little more than a curiosity in the future. The performances are all weak except for the young Ziyi Zhang. She is the only intriguing character and although she has a very large part, she probably should have had even more time on the screen. Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh are basically stunt actors that are physically impressive, but are below-average performers and it shows even more in an ambitious film like this. The small details are impressive and Ang Lee does a good job with the direction, but his job with this film is over-rated as well. Many were blown away with the fight scenes and special effects, but many Asian films from the 1950s and 1960s did the same thing with much more limited resources. In fact some of those films are more realistic looking than this film in that regard. These problems hurt "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", but what I really disliked about the film was the blundering screenplay that never did know where it wanted to go. So many side-stories and ridiculous situations make the script seem like it was just thrown together in an opium-induced state by the original novelist. Many camps developed in 2000. Some cheered for "Gladiator" some for "Traffic" and some for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". While "Gladitor" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" are not bad films, their enormous success does not compare with the cinematic brilliance of "Traffic". "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a truly deceptive film. 4 stars out of 5.