I read rave reviews of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and saw marvelous trailers of Chow Yun-Fat showing off great martial arts skills. And because I am a martial arts buff, especially one set in ancient China, I was impatient to see the film. But what a shock — I did not like it! First of all my neck felt like a crouching tiger from reading English subtitles. The film is in Chinese and instead of dubbing it, some wise guy chose to use subtitles so I read more than I saw. Just imagine there were few exchanges of words, even during fights and that was a real distraction.
The film has a melodramatic plot. After all, it is based on a pre-World War II novel with the addition of supernatural, unbelievable, out-of-this-world fights. I have to concede no matter how far fetched, the fights are a treat to the eye, especially if you enjoy martial arts. The fighters are supposedly trained in wudan technique which allows them to fly! (I don’t blame them. The time setting in the movie is ancient before airplanes were invented, so there was no other way to go flying!)
What surprised me was how in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” most fights were performed by women. They also have the central focus. The villain too is a strong built, fast fighting and, of course, high-flying woman.
The story revolves around warrior Li Mu Bai’s (Chow Yun-Fat) sword. It is stolen by a veiled person we are not supposed to know but can guess immediately from her beautiful eye makeup! Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) who is Mu Bai’s fellow warrior and love interest helps him locate the thief and the sword.
There is also Jade Fox (Cheg Pei Pei) the ruthless villain who killed Li Mu Bai’s master in the past and is out to kill everyone she can!
There are other characters and also romance and some steamy scenes which do not go with the kind of softness and innocence the film projects in other parts.
The good points of the movie are its humor and pretty faces. Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi look very good. Chow Yun-Fat looked better in “Anna and the King,” but he is a great actor.
Ang Lee, the director of the film, has done a great job. He attributed the film to his love of martial arts and romantic novels which he read instead of doing his homework.
I did not like the ending but you may, so I’m not telling you anymore. Except this — you should see “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to see how movies are made in other cultures. Also I am sure you would like to know what drove film critics and filmmakers wild.
The film is rated PG-13. I would say the romantic scenes should still be fast forwarded if 13- or 14-year-olds are watching. The running time is 120 minutes, but it seemed longer. Probably because of having to read all those subtitles!