A response to criticism of a great film

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2001)

There seems to be a real division among the reviews of this film. I think this is only natural when you're dealing with a film which extends it's reach in a few different directions. I believe this to be a case of exposure (or lack thereof) by factions of the global audience to a truly new kind of film.
Firstly, you have your hardcore Hong Kong action crowd who were weaned on Jackie Chan, John Woo, and Jet Li. This crowd is offended by what appears to be lack-luster action scenes and what would be considered slow, overly emotional narrative. Considering the action was choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping (one of HK's most revered martial arts directors), I'm a bit confused by the first criticism. I can only assume that there may be an issue with the cinematography of the action itself, which is given a less traditional treatment by Ang Lee (probably for the benefit of the Western audience) replete with slow-motion close-ups and unorthodox camera angles. I personally found this very refreshing, and felt it added some real drama to the fight scenes (especially the Zhang Ziyi/Michelle Yeoh showdown in the compound). As for the emotional timbre of the film, I can also understand how this may be less than palatable for a traditional HK crowd. Normally, there is simply no room in an action flick for real character development on this level. It could be construed as extraneous, detracting from what this audience wants - some serious ass-kicking!
Much of the criticism from the North American audience seems to stem from grievous ignorance of the Western martial arts genre. I find this most disturbing since, even if one had never seen people "fly" while running or fighting, it is this very aspect of the film that creates the sense of fantasy. This type of action is so organic, so rooted in our basic human fantasy for flight, to dismiss it as comedic or unrealistic is nonsensical and just shows how insular the average North American filmgoer is. It's a crime that a Western audience can laud a metallic, anesthetic action flick like THE MATRIX, and completely miss the boat on something totally refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I loved THE MATRIX, I just find the dichotomy ironic.
I was one of the lucky few that got to catch this back in September 2000 at the Toronto Film Festival, with Ang Lee and James Schamus in attendance. It is the first time I've ever seen a festival gala audience give a truly genuine standing ovation after the house lights came on. Ang Lee deserves similar accolades here (and on Oscar night) for bravely and successfully spanning several vastly disparate cinematic worlds.