An Awesome Movie!

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2001)

I just got "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on DVD, and I must admit that this is the first time I saw this movie. Anyway, this is an awesome movie & an awesome DVD! The DVD contains an audio commentary by Ang Lee & James Schamus, 16X9, AC-3, etc. Ang Lee has done another great job, especially for a person who has never directed a martial arts film before.
The thing that makes this movie great are the personalities and emotions of the characters. Like Ang Lee's previous work, not only is the story engaging, it's the characters that makes the movie work so well. Chow Yun-Fat plays such a cool & noble character; it makes him the perfect actor to play the role of Li Mu Bai. Ziyi Zhang plays the role of Jen Yu perfectly as a reckless and uncontrollable teen who thirsts for love, power & independence. For any parents who have her for a daughter, she would be their perfect nightmare. Michelle Yeoh also does a great job with her role as Yu Shu Lien. Chow Yun-Fat & Michelle Yeoh's accent does stand out, but their acting abilities and the story does not make it a distraction to the movie.
In Chinese folklore, the characters are known for making huge leaps over walls and water. Watching the fighting scenes and escapes, it takes a little getting use to accepting the idea that these characters can literally fly in mid-air, but as Michelle Yeoh said on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the story is fictional, but the emotions of the characters are real. So the martial arts scenes are beautifully done. They are eye candy that really makes you really appreciate the actors' abilities, the pre-production, the choreography, and even the editing involved in the martial art scenes.
So most of all, the characters are the best part of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." On IMDB, this movie is listed as a "Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance" movie. What a perfect description, because this movie has all of that!
I give it 9 out of 10. **** (A)