Year 2001 - STILL Year of the Dragon

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2000)

Come Oscar night, Ang Lee's sword-fighting epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is almost certain to bring home the Best Foreign Language Film statuette, an honor unprecedented by any other Chinese film in history. Earlier this month, the film was bestowed upon six Golden Horse awards - Taiwan's and Asia's equivalent of the Academy Awards - including Best Picture. Lee did not win Best Director, which greatly undermines the calibre of the movie. Nevertheless, in America, "CTHD" has already been named Best (Foreign) Film of the Year by several notable members of the film critics circle, boosting its clout and prominence, thereby laying its path to Oscar glory with gold.
Here in Singapore, we are fortunate enough to have seen "CTHD" in July this year, a good six months ahead of the American audiences. Needless to say, the film performed very well in local theaters, sizzling up the box office. If you are only going to the theaters once this year, watch "CTHD". If you are going there twice, watch "CTHD" twice. It is worth all the hype. It is worth all the wait. There could not possibly be another film quite like this - ever.