An Epic

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2002)

This is the stuff Legends are made of.
Easily one of my favorite stories ever, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon simply has no flaws. It's an adventure, a story of love, betrayal, duty, war, and life. The plot is simple and yet possessed of dazzling depths.
The characters are all ones you care about deeply, even the Jade Fox, who you know deserves to die but she's a cool character anyway. Jen is very grey throughout the film, making her an interesting and unpredictable character. Li Mu Bai is a strong character, and Shu Lein every bit as strong, not to mention skilled in the social arena as well. It's Shu Lein who really shines, through the incredible acting talents of Michelle Yeoh (who is an /excellent/ martial artist in real life), who couldn't even speak the language she was acting in! Nor could Zheng Ziyi, who plays Jen, and both did a wonderful job of convincing me otherwise. All of the characters were wonderfully played, and the storyline is incredible. The Jade Fox is a worthy adversary too, and a /real/ antagonist, doing things for a reason. It's hard to find a good villain whose motivation isn't, "I'm evil! Now I'm going to run around and cut people's heads off for /no/ reason!"
Oh yes, the film also features a 45-minute flashback. Give me back my comb!