What a Surprise!

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2001)

I was tricked into seeing this movie.
My best friend talked me into going to see it. I asked her what it was about and she said she'd heard from "everyone" that it was "the best" or "one of the best" movies they have ever seen. As you can imagine I was expecting something revolutionary. When the first fight/chase scene started I was enraged. I turned to her and said "This is a Kung Fu film!!!" She told me to stop being such an art-house snob. So I did, and what I discovered was a truly beautiful piece of film.
Wo hu zang long is a lush, fantastic thing to behold. Ang Lee has truly outdone himself, and Peter Pau has created such a rich visual texture for the story to unfold within. This is one of the few movies I'd like to see without subtitles just so I can concentrate on the visuals.
When I finally cast all prejudices aside, the fight scenes were mesmerizing. The scenes of the cast flying across the rooftops and in the trees were so subtle and light. In fact all of the special effects were so light handed you almost missed them. I've heard some comparisons to The Matrix for some reason and I do not agree. I think The Matrix was too thick with effects. This movie, like Asian culture, strikes a balance between the subtle and the sublime.
The story was broad in scope, shifting between a love story and a battle between good and evil. It was well articulated and very original. A movie that can have such brilliant violence but essentially be a human interest story is a rare find these days!
Cheers for Ang Lee, Peter Pau, and the cast!