Hidden between the fighting

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2001)

Let me begin by stating that I take almost childish delight in watching martial arts movies. I love the acrobatic movements and perfectly synched fighting while the story is often just a vague framework linking the eyecandy fights.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as it refers to the hiding of yourself to someone else, is much more than just another Hong Kong martial arts movie. Quite the opposite to why one is used to watch Hong Kong movies, the fighting scenes are more like interludes between the different parts and acting out of the story, rather than being its main purpose.

This movie was not quite what I expected, it came out way ahead of that. The twin story of love makes up the main plot, circled by the subplot of a stolen sword. However, anyone who plan to see this movie for its fighting scenes will perhaps get a bit disappointed since it make up only a tiny fraction of the total time. (But do not fear, the quality and choreography when it happens makes it well worth waiting for! It is breathtaking!).
Perhaps it should not even count as a Hong Kong movie at all? Many scenes rely on subtle glances and facial movements, making the movie slow and perhaps unbearably boring to anyone who expects action and fighting throughout, but nevertheless is most important to the story and the "crouching and hiding" of the characters to each other.
My advice is instead to concentrate on the main story and how it comes to a full circle in the end as what was hidden finally is brought to light. The story is beautiful but not always obvious. Watch for what is hidden and crouching, what happens when it is brought into clear vision, and the ache of understanding why it had to be.
I loved it, not for being a Hong Kong movie, but for not being it.
See it. Just see it.