Good, but not great

Rating: 5/10 (18 February 2001)

This film is getting a lot more attention than I ever thought it would. I am amazed that a film of this genre has been so well received here in America. As a fan of Hong Kong cinema, I am glad to see such films getting more attention here. However, this movie is getting more attention than it deserves.
First of all, the flying warrior genre is not new. It has been done many, many times before. Personally, I have never cared for wire-assist stunts. Really, THE MATRIX is the film that has broken the ground for films like CROUCHING TIGER to get acceptance. But in THE MATRIX, the wire assist stuff was minimal. CROUCHING TIGER has people flying all over the place. The big problem I have with the flying warrior genre is the effect never really looks right. The people are sort of running through the air, and their feet don't ever seem to hit at the right time when they are supposed to be jumping off stuff. I just find it irritating!
Next, CROUCHING TIGER is not a lot different from IRON MONKEY. Same basic concept. Same basic plot, and yes, IRON MONKEY was ridiculous. The big difference, and saving grace, is the big epic love story in the middle of the movie. I am a huge fan of action movies, but really, the best part of this movie was the love story in the middle. The fight scenes were OK, but they have been done MUCH better. Not to mention, the fight scenes were largely unmotivated, and I hate that. Also, some of the fight scenes did not have enough light and it was difficult to see what was going on. I suspect this was due to the fact they had to use stand-ins extensively because Chow Yun Fat is no martial artist.
The acting was good, the love story was good, but overall the movie was long and the plot was typically over-complicated. I don't know why its getting all the attention that it is, but I think it is just a case of right place/right time. I hope we see more martial arts movies in the future where the stars are real athletes and do not require the assistance of wires!