CU Film Critic takes on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 2001)

The original plan was as follows: Go see Robert Zemeckis' `Cast Away,' and finally be able to write a positive review for the Campus Press.
After actually seeing Tom Hanks waste his energy on a movie so incredibly devoid of plot, emotion, and appeal, however, I decided to direct my efforts elsewhere. I figure I owe you folks something good. Well, I'm just going to come right out with it. Drop whatever you're doing this very instant, and go see `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' by Chinese director Ang Lee. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi, `Crouching Tiger' is everything a film should be, and then some.
Wuxia is a form of Asian pulp fiction novel, similar in style and story to the American western, mixing action, history, and often a fairytale-like love story. The story of `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is told in this style. Set against the backdrop of Western China in the early 19th century, the film tells two intertwining stories. The first is of the warrior Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) who is secretly in love with the undefeated, but internally conflicted Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat). The second story acquaints us with Jen (Zhang Ziyi), the daughter of a high-ranking government official. Jen has been taught the mystical martial art of Wudan by the nefarious criminal Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei), who at one time, murdered Li's friend and mentor. Both paths cross in a story involving the theft of Li's 400 year-old sword, the Green Destiny. I'm not going to be able to do this film justice by describing what makes it a masterpiece; however, it's my job, so I'll do my best, and hope you heed my ords when I tell you to go see it at all costs. First off, the film looked majestic. The sprawling shots of unspoiled Chinese landscapes, the period costumes, the cities- in short, the entire world of the film made me wonder where Ang had found such a place to film his movie. The cinematography involved is on par with the best works of John Woo in his Hong Kong days. While I wouldn't necessarily classify `Crouching Tiger' as merely a martial arts film, it has more than its share of fight scenes. To call them fight scenes, however, is as severe an understatement as they come. The battles are fought in a surreal fantasy world where gravity has no meaning, and the martial art employed is painted onto the screen rather than thrust into the audience's lap. What's more, when the characters skip across a lake like so many stones, we as viewers aren't constantly reminded that these effects were generated by computers. The only thing that concerns me is that many viewers may be intimidated by the use of subtitles translating the film's Chinese dialogue. On the contrary, the use of the pure Chinese language of the script adds volumes to the mood of `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.' After twenty minutes, I forgot I was reading subtitles and enjoyed watching a swordfighting scene with more philosophical aphorisms than swinging blades. So far, this is my pick for Best Picture. Once I check out the Coen Brothers' `Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?' I'll let you know for sure. `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' gets an A+. Let's just say this: if anyone ever tries to use `The Matrix' or a Jackie Chan film as example of great fighting again, I'll shake my head sadly and hand them my copy of the `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' DVD I plan to buy as soon as is humanly possible.