Fight film with a heart: pure poetry

Rating: Null/10 (16 October 2003)

As an American and having grown up in a society that I don't particularly care for, I've always been fascinated with other cultures, belief systems, and ways of life. I find it a lot more easy to suspend my belief when the subject matter addresses things I don't live with every day, things that I can really appreciate.
CTHD does possess a high level of absurdity, it does have less of an excuse to have the characters participate in physics-defying battles than say the Matrix, and it does take me awhile to get used to the English-dub not quite matching up with the lip movement . . . but frankly, I don't care.

The thing I appreciate most about this film is the fact that the plot is not a flimsy excuse to make characters enter combat every chance they get; it takes the time to develop their characters and setting and fully embrace the world it creates for us. We have wonderful character and plot arcs, and an interesting unspoken understanding exists between the three main characters played by Yeoh, Yun-fat, and Zhang . . . then it goes even further by extending it to lesser characters. Now we don't have cardboard clichés battling it out on screen . . . now we have characters that can and do communicate on multiple levels, and now we have some depth and reason to care.
Their interactions aren't played out to be 100% realistic, rather, it's surreal and poetic which provides a perfect foundation for the glorious fight scenes. Fight scenes that carry more meaning than simply to kill or beat the other guy. In Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, fights are used as tools to advance the plot and develop the characters, and more than mere blows are exchanged . . . a lot more seems to transpire in the combat photographed here. My personal favorite would be as Li Mu Bai uses a twig to give lessons in swordplay; all the movements and all of his back story lead up to paint the portrait of an eternally calm master warrior, fighting to teach and not to kill.
And I have to bring up Tan Dun's wonderful score, which provides one of the best utilizations of the cello I've heard in film (compliments, of the extremely talented Yo-yo Ma). It's a very moving instrumental and like the film, itself, carries an array of seemingly contradicting emotions. It doesn't strive to sound sad here--upbeat there--happy here--like a number of lesser scores. Tan Dun surpasses that primitive impulse in every way imaginable by writing music that requires true emotional exploration. I just hope more directors turn to Tan Dun to provide their films with his music . . . .
I love Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and I applaud Ang Lee for this film as well am very glad to see the Oscars recognized it for 4 awards and several nominations. It definitely deserved it.