Intelligence and action rarely mix!

Rating: Null/10 (30 December 2000)

Director Ang Lee has made this film so unique in several ways. First, the mysterious culture of the East is depicted by showing a grand form of martial arts which is the film's main strength. The flying and maneuvering that defy the laws of physics seem almost real. This is a sweeping story of theft and recovery, romance, a young woman coming of age, death, and the vengeance of the righteous all coming together in a terrific and lethal mix of no-nonsense entertainment. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', could be the second foreign language film in three years, along with 1998's 'Life Is Beautiful' to be nominated for a best picture Academy Award. Yun-Fat Chow and Michelle Yeoh have truly found their breakthrough roles in crossing over to Western cinema. They have the ball. Now let's see how far they choose to run with it.