sucked in by Sino cinema hype

Rating: 6/10 (15 March 2001)

Yes this is a beautifully photographed film. So what! I didn't pay my hard earns to watch a promo for tourism in mainland China. Call me crazy but when I go to the cinema I like to se a solid plot in conjunction with characters I can emphasize with. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon provided neither for me.
At one stage I thought I was watching a Chinese version of Peter Pan as actors miraculously walked up walls and zoomed across tree tops. I don't have a problem with fantasy but hey guys it would nice to have the ground rules set up before evaporating any historical realism.
I admit martial arts set pieces leave me cold and this film did nothing to change my opinion in this respect. Maybe it's cultural I don't know but those staged fights left me cold. After a while we knew the ball busting chic was unstoppable so it came as no surprise she wasted all the guys in the Chinese version of the old west bar. I got to tell you I had no sympathy for this character. To me she was a privileged spoiled brat who deserved a bit of pay back. The way she treated that barbarian suitor. Why did he put up with her s**t? I would have been interested in the back story to that.
Instead we're treated to cliché city. Just because this film is Chinese and beautifully shot doesn't make it a masterpiece. I'm gratified to see that other user comments are also critical. So they should be. If eye candy and clichés is what you're after go for it. For me there are much better films around this year. Unfortunately the external critics and the voters of the academy tend to hunt in packs so this film will probably scoop the poll. So be it. I'm glad to see I'm not the only heretic here.