Exciting stillness from director Ang Lee; a must for fans of Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh; a dazzling performance from newcomer Zhang Zi Yi

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2000)

I am thoroughly impressed. It was breathtaking. I came to see Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh -- I am satisfied. What a matching pair -- together they are simple stillness and "yun" (Chinese respected virtue of tolerance & restraint) personified. I also discovered the talented Zhang Zi Yi who portrayed Jen -- a pulsating performance! I felt the title "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is very much about her character: one who's seemingly tame (so young and green) on the surface, yet such skills and potential underneath. She is the center of the story being woven. Chow and Yeoh are essentially complementing Zhang -- the influence and outcome of her character Jen. There are revealing life lessons for the impetuous Jen, a cloistered talented one lacking guiding disciplines and worldly "Giang Wu" experience. ["Giang Wu" literally means (heroic warriors) roaming the rivers and lakes]
Director Ang Lee's last film "Ride With the Devil" 1999 (with Tobey Maguire in the lead role, also included Jewel, another young female talent discovery) was very much an epic film with sweeping civil war scenes and horseback ridings, integrated with the storyline of exceptional friendships and a bit of romance.
In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", there are multiple levels of friendship depicted and it's more involved on romance, be it subtle or exciting. First off is the mature, quietly understanding relationship between Mudan masters Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien (Chow is a pillar of steadfastness and Michelle gave us the demure dramatic side of her); then there's the fiercely energetic pair of young lovers Jen and Lo; also the conflicting bonding between the weary-beaten Jade Fox and her conceited protégée. Sure sounds awfully complex. Yet Ang Lee unfolds the story in such flowing and serenely exciting rhythms: there are well-designed martial art movements delivered; well-planned photo angles captured -- especially those wide and high aerial (location/scenery) shots that defined transitions; befitting choices of music, be it straight drumbeats, a lyrical piece, or the heart-strings a-pulling cello playing by Yo-Yo Ma, all complemented the exceptional performances from the cast.
Sony Picture Classics, once again, gave us a rewarding film to relish and enjoy. It's a definitively well-made film. Bravo to all involved in this productionthe three screenwriters and all!
While Jackie Chan's " The Legend of Drunken Master" 2000 USA, a martial arts film (about Wong Fei Hung) full of amusing moments and actions, is successful in pleasing the audience on a less cerebral level, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is successful in its artistic integration of dramatic storytelling and superb martial art movements on a just as entertaining level, with suspenseful moments and climatic scenes one after another. They are different yet both worth seeing -- both demonstrate appreciation of the martial arts.
Along the lines of worth seeing Chinese films (with depiction of Chinese women's status), "Genghis Khan" is not to be missed. It's an epic film about the glorious legendary figure in Chinese history, and it's very much a story about Khan's mother being the staple strength behind his successful career; plus the photography of the battle scenes are artistically rendered in painterly soft hues -- retaining the sensitive strength of the script. Another must see if you appreciate filmmaking.