Beautiful

Rating: 9/10 (19 March 2001)

I had heard so much praise about "Crouching Tiger" that I was afraid that I was expecting too much when I finally found a theater which was showing it.
But I was not disappointed: The film is a masterpiece in its celebration of everything that's beautiful and it cherishes high ideals like honor, love and honesty. I really liked the story which was starting very slowly and suddenly exploded when the first flying around martial arts sequence came along - what a surprise to see these superhero-like fighters battle in the air, walking up the walls and hovering over the rooftops!
From this moment on, the film never fails to get the viewers interest, be it in soft, well orchestrated emotional moments or in fierce, extremely quick fighting sequences.
What really got me though was the grand finale: It was heart-wrenching and still so very calm and true, and having a secret love myself I really could feel the emotions of Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien. But while this was already wonderful, the very final scene was even more fantastic - a splendid climax to a splendid movie which made me sit there during the credits totally stunned just thinking: "What a beautiful ending..."