14 July 2020
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
20 years since its release, this adventure movie set in the Far East hasn’t aged. Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang drive home the journey as master swordsman Li Mu Bai, his true love Yu Shu Lien, and secret Wudang martial artist Jen Yu. They’re brought together when Jen tries to steal a sacred 400-year-old sword named Green Destiny.
It’s subtitled, so you’ll need to speed read to keep up with the most important part: the cinematography. It’s superb. Ang Lee has created a magical world where warriors can float through air, or punch an enemy across the forest with the flick of their wrists. The costumes are a feast for the eyes. And the action is perfect! There are no CGI effects; the stunts are all real, done with safety wires.
Famed film critic Roger Ebert was a fan. “Martial art films aren’t my thing,” he said. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon transcends its origins and becomes one of a kind. It’s glorious, unashamed escapism and touching at the same time.”
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