This masterful martial arts epic is no ordinary thrill ride, it's a hallmark of the martial genre

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2016)

In the mysterious world of foreign cinema, there are many films that glamorize not only jaw-dropping taste of the Hollywood industry, but also the incredible cinematic feats directors in international countries have brought all around the globe. This masterful martial arts epic directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee stands out as not only one of the most thrilling cinematic projects of its genre, but also one of the most unique ever brought to American Hollywood from overseas. In short words, it's a masterpiece of epic proportions. Exploring the extravagant historical period of Ancient China while driving a mix of electrifying martial arts action sequences and sweeping drama, this is a rare film that shatters the boundaries of the martial arts genre. Set in China somewhere in the 1800s during the Qing Dynasty, this film follows the story of two martial arts warriors, one of them is Li Mu Bai (played by Chow-Yun Fat); a young man aching to retire of fighting but continues on in pursuit of vengeance against Jade Fox (played by Cheng Pei-pei), the woman responsible for the death of his master. The other Yu Shi Lien (played by Michelle Yeoh), a woman struggling to establish her feeling for Mu Bai as well as being the bodyguard for young teenager girl Jen Yu (played by Zhang Ziyi) who is desperate to escape from the confinement of her home to independence. When a precious sword known as the "Green Destiny" is stolen, this places Shi Lien and Mu Bai on a heart-racing showdown against the person responsible for the priceless weapon.
If director Ang Lee proves anything crucial, it is that he has an incredible gift of balancing pulse-pounding martial arts action sequences and a compelling epic story; a task even some of the most ambitious struggle to pull off nowadays. In shocking efforts, Ang Lee manages to pull this off in ways that is truly phenomenal. Unsurprisingly, the biggest attention grabber here is of course, the martial arts action sequences where audiences sit back and watch our characters engage an exhilarating martial arts fist fighting and frenetic swordplay. What makes these action scenes really stand out aside from the hefty cinematography by Peter Pau is the eye-popping choreography the boost the ferocity of the sword-to-sword (and hand-to-hand) combat. If these sequences feel reminiscent to the martial arts combat in the sci-thriller 'The Matrix', that is because the choreography is orchestrated by Yuen Wo Ping who collaborated with The Wachowksis to conduct the fight choreography in The Matrix as well. Only in this film, the fight sequences are even more impressive and poetic than we saw Neo engaging in the brutal hand-to-hand brawl against Mr. Smith, especially when considering the lengthy takedown sequence into the restaurant.
For a filmmaker like Ang Lee, it is only expected that he expands the film's stylish grandeur with not only the nifty production design to present an authentic setting of 19th century China, but also a solidly written story to drive the film's substance. Fortunately, this film blesses filmgoers with an astounding narrative heft that not only feels original but spawns plenty of emotional arrest. The masterminds by this feat is writers Wang Hui-Long, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo Jong who have the blissful taste of powerful characterization and vibrant storytelling. The writers tap into to themes of relationships, love, and betrayal; and use them as coherent building blocks to form an awe-inspiring story along with some stellar characters. Yu Shi Lien and Li Mu Bai who are portrayed gracefully by Michelle Yeoh and Chow-Yun Fat respectively make for some intriguing, heroic characters with both humanity and adrenaline-fueled testosterone (mostly in the action sequences). But by far the biggest show stealer in the bunch is the indulgent Jen Yu who is empowered with a riveting performance by Zhang Ziyi. Jen spawns to life as a mysterious character wired with powerful emotional complexity that drives the emotional atmosphere of each scene until the very end of the film. Whenever this characters come on screen, she immediately grabs a hold of our eyes and never lets go.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a masterful martial arts epic empowered by a sweeping narrative heft and exhilarating martial arts action, and blossoms into a explosively entertaining experience. At best, it is an electrifying piece of foreign cinema that places Ang Lee in the high ranks of Hollywood filmmakers. To say the least, the film is a an eye-dazzling masterpiece.