A good, intriguing film.

Rating: 7/10 (17 March 2002)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an interesting film...engrossing and entertaining, it has a style few other films have. I doubt most people went to see it because they heard the plot was good...but it is. In general, it's a very nicely written and acted film, with a sort of mythological or fairy tale feel to it that few films have managed to put on screen successfully. There's a sort of art to everything...even the fights, while brutal at times, are always fluid and dance-like. There are a few problems. First, the fact that the fights are dance-like, while making them beautiful in some ways, also removes some of the emotional impact of the battle in others. Some of the battles come off more as martial arts exhibitions than actual life-or-death struggles, which can take away from the enjoyment of the film and emotion of the plot. Some parts of the plot are a bit simplistic, as well, and just could've been more intricate, more involving. Still, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a very entertaining and powerful film, in a style that I've never really seen before, but would like to see more of.