Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

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UK Release Date: 5 January 2001
Certification: 12
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Chang Chen, Pei-Pei Cheng, Xian Gao, Sihung Lung, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, Ziyi Zhang
Rating: 82%
A stunning martial arts movie.


Review:
Ang Lee is a terrific director. He's not perfect but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life of Pi are sensational movies. And with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon he makes a gorgeous film unlike anything I've ever seen before. 

I, of course, binged and loved the cultural phenomenon that was Squid Game but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is my first real foray into foreign language cinema and it was an eye-opening experience. I loved the culture the film exposed me to and it has opened the door to a whole new world of cinema for me and that's exciting. 

Every single bit of praise Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon receives belongs to Wo Ping Yuen. His filmography includes The Matrix and Kill Bill which are both lauded for their action choreography. But the way fight scenes are executed in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is unprecedented. It’s hard to put into words just how special the action really is. Fight scenes are presented more like dances. Whether it’s hand to hand or sword to sword combat I was enthralled by every single piece of choreography displayed on screen.

Peter Pau’s cinematography is delightful. It ranges from shrewd to utterly breathtaking. The bamboo set piece really stands out but every scene excellently conveys Chinese scenery and their lifestyle. Tan Dun’s swelling score is another standout of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. ‘The Eternal Vow’, ‘Desert Capriccio’ and most especially ‘Silk Road’ are all enchanting pieces of music that add to the allure of the movie.

The fact that I haven't even discussed the cast yet, truly highlights the beauty of the components surrounding Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang really shine in there respective roles. It must've took a lot of courage for Ang Lee to create a martial arts movie centred around two female leads and this film almost revitalised female led action movies such as Wonder Woman. All the best fights and emotions involve Yeoh and Zhang. 

My only complaint surrounding the film is that I didn’t really care about the love story between Jen and Lo. To me it felt as if the movie went off on a long tangent to detail the backstory of the relationship which just sucked me out of the enthralling story that had been created

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