Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |  | Directors: Ang Lee, Guy Ritchie, J.B. Rogers, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott
Actors: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
Category: DVD
This item is no longer available
Rating:  1028 reviews
Format: PAL
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 2
EAN: 5035822111813
ASIN: B0000AKU7Q
Theatrical Release Date: December 22, 2000
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Amazon.com essential video
Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other. The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 1028
 Breathtaking beauty meets poignant material in this spellbinding masterpiece... March 15, 2010
Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of the first `foreign language films' I'd ever seen, and while it didn't strike me immediately, it wore on me to the point where I now an enamored by it. It's a truly universal and commercial film. Everyone that I know likes it, even if they refuse to watch films with subtitles as a rule. This seems to be everyone's exception. I haven't seen this much universal appeal for a foreign film since, the only one coming close would have to be `Pan's Labyrinth'.
Personally, `Wo Hu Cang Long' is a film that gets better with time and certainly lives up to its rich reputation.
The film is really a richly detailed amalgam of cinematic influences, each strand of the films fibers coming together effortlessly to weave an unforgettable experience. Part epic love story, part mystery, part Asian kung-fu movie, part dramatic social commentary; Ang Lee marvelously shifts the film `ever so slightly' so as to capture everything needed to convey every thought and emotion without coming across awkward, choppy or forced. The film has a needed `breezy' appeal that carries you from scene to scene, but it never makes light of the films weighty subject matter.
While catering towards the emotional resonance of the film (the film may be about the pursuit of a legendary sword, but the focus is not on the sword at all) Ang never forgets the films he is paying homage to, and so he beautifully renders each scene with an edge and intensity that establishes this film as one of the best martial arts pictures ever made.
Certainly the best of this past decade.
With a powerfully effective cast (both Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi are Oscar worthy here), these fight sequences are elevated from brainless fun to startling emotion driven works of art. You can understand why these battles are taking place and you can see the personalities of these characters taking shape throughout. Ziyi is marvelous here, and her character development some of the best of the year (that character was a goldmine). Her arrogant tonal shifts are just mesmerizing and unbelievably focused.
And let's just take a moment of silence to bask in our awe of that brilliantly choreographed bamboo tree battle (one of many breathtaking fight sequences in this film).
Yes, `Wo Hu Cang Long' is a stunning film that totally lives up to the hype and delivers more and more with every viewing. It is one of those films that I grow more and more in love with every time I watch it. For all the edge and attitude it possesses, this film is one of the most graceful and elegant films I've ever seen.
Still the greatest Chinese epic movie February 27, 2010
D. J. Nardi (Washington, DC)
It's been a decade since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon first came out, and there have been dozens of copycat and other Chinese epic movies in the meantime, but this one is still the best. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is chock full of strong characters, beautiful music, and exciting fight scenes. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh make an excellent pair as warriors who try to suppress their feelings. Moreover, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a lot of heart. The movie doesn't have a lot of violence or special effects, but rather really focuses on the four main characters and their development. I'd go so far as to say that this is he best Chinese-language film so far.
Awesome!!! February 3, 2010
K. Hee (Spokane, WA)
This is a great movie!!! The fight choreography is so fluid and looks so amazing. I especially liked that a lot of the fight scenes involved women characters. Most kung fu movies have men doing the fighting. The young girl in this movie sure knows how to handle a sword.
But the storylines are what also makes this such an enjoyable movie. A bit of romance, some funny scenes, honor and goodness all come together to make this much more than a "regular" revenge-type kung-fu movie.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon January 2, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
Legendary martial artist Li Mu Bai is tracking the murderer of his master. The poised and self-assured Li can handle anything -- except his feelings for lithe, pantherish Yu Shu Lien. Jen Yu, the tremulous and spoiled daughter of the Province's governor, is also fascinated by Shu Lien's glamorous life: that a woman can have so many adventures and such freedom is marvelous to her. Though the refined Jen is soon to be married off into respectability, she harbors a sinister plan. By night she transforms into a masked and cunning thief, out to steal the Green Destiny, an invincible blade once wielded by Li. At the same time, Li embarks on his own quest to recover the missing sword, possibly the key to his master's murder. This movie is a bona fide masterpiece, as beautiful as it is dangerous.
Yurt Night Entertainment September 13, 2009
Ojala (Michigan)
I hosted four middle school students for a night in a Mongolian style yurt that we built last spring. This movie was a big part of our evening's entertainment. The kids loved the movie. . . that is the parts they could truly hear. The colors are very dark through many sequences of the film, and the sound is low. But the movement is beautiful, and for the most part, it kept students entertained. It is a bit long, and the plot has a number of complex layers. For perhaps anyone who is less familiar with Asian culture, I would recommend it for ages 16+.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1028
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