Flying People, Disappointing Film

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2001)

I was very impressed with Ang Lee's 1997 film, The Ice Storm, but I'd been avoiding Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon since I first saw previews for it weeks before it opened. Then, because of unexpected circumstances and a slightly aroused curiosity, I recently found myself in line for a ticket with a couple of friends. As I predicted, in spite of some accolades from various critics and others, the film just didn't work for me. One of the things that bugs me about this movie is the fact that it utilizes very natural, realistic settings, characters and events with two glaring exceptions: people flying through the air and a lack of displayed passion between two of the main characters. As far as the flying thing is concerned, the film just isn't whimsical or fantastic enough to have characters breaking into Peter Pan gymnastics at the drop of a hat. Here is a very real and beautiful environment with people leading essentially believable lives punctuated with kung fu histrionics; yet every once in a while they fly around. Granted, the flying sequences are stupendously handled and somewhat fascinating, but they're just a bit too over-the-top for the overall tone of the material. Another important aspect of the film that deflates its potential impact is the alleged passion between two of the main characters. Action man Yun-Fat Chow plays Li Mu Bai, a warrior ready to retire his prized sword. His love interest is an equally agile Yu Shu Lien, played by Michelle Yeoh. Supposedly they love each other and always have. You know the drill...one of those long-standing, unrealized love affairs that seethes under the surface for decades. Yet their mutual chemistry and passion is not obvious enough to be engaging or captivating to the viewer. It's not until the very end that we finally get a strong sense of their mutual love. Perhaps it's better late than never, but in this case, one isn't quite sure. As much as anything, their late burst of passion almost underscores how much more they could have displayed in previous scenes. Complicating matters, it appears this tendency is caused by a combination of factors: the material, the actors' abilities, the direction and possibly even differences in perception from a cultural (East/West) standpoint. Another debilitating element of the film stems from a somewhat convoluted plot. Li Mu Bai's decision to retire his sword is an important step in his character's development. Especially important is the location of his sword's resting place, or in other words, who has possession or control of it. The problem with this premise is that the sword floats around quite a bit. One minute it's in one person's hands and the next minute it seems to belong to someone else. An important character in the film is Jen Yu, played by the small but mighty Ziyi Zhang. As a troublesome young aristocrat engaged to be married, her motivations are foggy or confusing at times. She seems to flip-flop from demure and sweet to deadly and nefarious, then back again. Even the man she eventually seems to fall in love with is subjected to her schizophrenic mood changes. As with most contemporary films, the cinematography is stunning, enhanced even more by the beautiful backdrop of China. In fact, someone said China is the real star of this film, and I'm tempted to agree. To be honest, I wanted to like Crouching Tiger a lot more than I did, and I admit I'm unfamiliar with Chinese mythology and literary works.
It could be that in its translation and because of cultural differences, it's the kind of film with a potentially uneven appeal and impact-level.