Visually stunning and a story that is enjoyably different from American movies in terms of pace, arc and ending. Believable characters in a fantastic setting is something that is not often achieved nowadays. A great movie which opened up a door for me as was not interested in martial arts movies before and am now going to look into it.
You want to know who I am? I am... I am the Invincible Sword Goddess, armed with the Green Destiny that knows no equal! Be you Li or Southern Crane, bow your head and ask for mercy! I am the dragon from the desert! Who comes from nowhere and leaves no trace! Today I fly over Eu-Mei. Tomorrow... I topple Mount Wudan!
Directed by: Ang Lee Starring: Chow-Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Sihung Lung
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Fantasy
Running time: 119 minutes
My review:
The art direction was superb. It is similar to Memoirs Of A Geisha and House Of The Flying Daggers because of the temples and the artefacts that are in the setting of the film. It has lots of bright colours in it, colours like gold, yellow, cream and different sorts of orange aswell. The art isnt just excellent in the temples, it is brilliant in the deserts aswell. The action is similar to House Of The Flying Daggers (as far as the swordfights are concerned) but with the skills is like The Matrix. Best scene has to be when Shu Lien and Jen were sword fighting in the temple for the sword. I thought when Shu Lien was unarmed, why cant Jen just kill her? But it was cool that she didnt kill an unarmed person. The acting was good. This film should have won Best Picture instead of Gladiator. The first ten minutes or so offer dense exposition, introducing the legendary and righteous swordsman Li Mu Bai, his esteemed partner Yu Shu Lien and the wilful young aristocrat Jen, who enjoys a double life as a thief under the malign tutelage of her governess. They clash over the Green Destiny, a priceless sword which Jen steals as a mark of defiance. Ang Lee has always been a director finesse and fine feeling, but his touch is just as deft even as he extends his grasp to reveal the breathtaking vistas of mystic China, the relaxes enough to stage the demolition of a tavern with slapstick aplomb. This film should have won Best Picture and Best Director but should have been nominated Best Actor for Chow Yun-Fat, Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh and Best Supporting Actress for Ziyi Zhang. The cinematography and the music was absolutely awesome aswell. The costumes in this film totally matched the art direction of this film. This visual effects were brilliant during the sword fighting scenes. It is a definite fantasy film but is a film that is a different sort of film to be nominated Best Picture. I think this film and Gladiator were the favourites for Best Picture 2000.
Any time I want to see a cheap-looking kung-fu movie with obvious, undisguised wire work, I can just dive into the bargain bin at any old department store and pick up something like "The Devil's Seven Mysteries of Silver Snake Shaolin" for three bucks. I don't need to get it on recommendation from the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes.
Strong women... Flying martial artists... Complicated destiny... All the cliches of Kung Fu movies are there, yet how could the digital effect not save the movie?
Oi....Ane lee trying to put us to sleep. The whole desert scene wasn't really needed. i understand and respect his need for artistic filming of movies but this one was too long. You could take out an hour and be just fine. It really started the love of eastern films for a more wide spread audience here in the west. Remember seeing it in theaters and not knowing it was going to change our venues for years to come.
I understand that this was supposed to some awesome movie that won all these awards so I was really excited when I got to see it but I didn't take very long to see what a bad movie this was. Was the movie origanly in Chinese? I don't know but I think that the movie would have sounded better in Chinese, the voices sounded British. I heard the action was great don't get me wrong it had beautiful martial arts, but the people were freakin' flying and it looked as though they didn't put any effort into jumping they just let the harness carry them and they just moved their legs, it was just awful. I loved the weapons that they fought with very nice. It looked as though the people would preform the martial arts and then it was sped up for the screen. The movie was confusing and the govenors daughter was an idiot. She went out in the desert just for a stupid comb!? And what was up with the way people kissed in the film, it was unromantic and looked like they were sucking each other's face off. The setting, costumes and architecture was beautiful I just loved it drew me in greatly (it was probably what kept me awake the whole two hours).
Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Yun-Fat Chow: Master Li Mu Bai
If I had to sum up Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in just three simple words, they would be Enthralling, Mystical and Mesmerizing. The story is so well thought out and it goes excellently with some of Asia's biggest movie stars namely Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat.
The scenery and the photography was beyond belief. The majestic landscapes of China match imagination when I read all the beautiful Chinese poems of the respective Tang and Sung dynasties. No wonder poets in these eras could come up with masterpieces. They sure had the best inspiration.
Peter Pau not only captured the landscapes and the settings, he also managed to capture the fast-as-lightening action/choreography wonderfully. The shot of Jen gliding over water just lodged in my mind. The soundtrack also is beyond excellence. Tan Dun used different instruments to match the different locales. He mixed in Central Asian music in the desert sequence and Chinese flute in the Southern China scenes. Yo-yo Ma's cello in the main theme makes me want to shed a tear everytime heard.
Now onto the plot, often accused of being far too simple and "high-concept" for such a critically acclaimed film. I would disagree. Certainly, this isn't an exercise in senseless "the-plot-rules-all" film making promoted by many a summer movie. The plot not only serves the characters, but IS the characters, their interactions and relationships. The restrained dynamic between Yun Fat and Yeoh is played against the sparky, lusty affair and her lowly bit of criminal scruff (the latter being standard escapist, fairy tale material, executed perfectly). The final scene between Yeoh and Yun Fat's characters is infinitely more interesting than lesser film makers would achieve, as there is no tragic final kiss but merely tears and regret. Perhaps the most interesting character dynamic is between the aging female outlaw Jade Fox, and her supposed muse, Zi.
The storytelling was done so expertly. As a romantic love story, loving the desert romance between Jen and Lo. It's one of the most charming and believable bonds that I can recollect. Most people gave credit of the fighting to Yuen Wo Ping. I'd give respect also to Ang Lee. I've seen Yuen's martial art films before, but they're never done in such a diverse, an imaginative and artistic way.
The artistic mastery has to come from visionary Ang Lee who has crafted on his canvas of film a beautiful artistic masterpiece.
I thing I love this movie. I caught it at the end, but my Sissy assures me that this is the movie I saw. I need to get it and watch it from beginning to end.
Love this movie.The fight scenes and action was fantastic.Its surprising but the main characters are females when most movies like this have men in the lead.
A Mudan warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sacred, yet blood-tainted sword to his love (Michelle Yeoh) in an attempt to ease his mind after experiencing a vision. He tells her to take it to a friend of his.
She, however, decides to keep it for him, and it gets stolen by a ninja. The warrior sets off to get it back, fearing it was stolen by the one who murdered his master. So he sets off to find his sword, and to avenge the death of his master.
The movie is beautifully shot, with fast-paced fight scenes. The fight scenes are simply amazing, despite it is quite obvious that the ones doing these gravity-defying stunts are in a harness and propelled by wires. If you ask me, the harness makes much of the movements very awkward and limited.
The wardrobes look very authentic, as does the sets. There are mostly earth-tones, and not many bright colors in the sets or clothing.
I saw the movie dubbed into English earlier this morning on Starz. If you ask me, the English actors did a good job in conveying the lines nearly perfect. None of the voice-overs were over the top like the 1960's "Godzilla" movies. Also, the voice-overs appear to be in perfect sync with the movement of the lips of the on-screen actors. I didn't see any on-screen actors stop talking and the English translation of what they said continue as the camera angle changed.
From what I could tell, the on-screen cast were real good in their roles. They made the characters believable. From the looks of it, for the most part, none of the main cast used a stunt double. For those who had to do the high-speed fights, which did not look as if they were sped up, they must have been in amazing shape to not look like they were wearing out too quickly.
A nod has to go to the director and editor. Both did a good job at putting together this movie. The editor has to get a bigger nod due to having to put together the fast-paced fights with the multiple camera angles he had to pick from to get it the way the director wanted.
The movie moves fairly slow many times, and many scenes drag too long. The fight scenes, though impressive, seemed a little too short at times.
I wouldn't put this on a "Must See" list, but I would say this would be a pretty good second choice the next time you go to your local rental place.
Watch free full Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Wo hu cang long film online. http://openguys.org/films/2008/07/21/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-watch-free-film/
I love epic martial arts movies. Beautifully shot and acted. I loved the chemistry between the 3 leads. The sword fight at the dojo was the highlight for me.
This film is overrated, Ang Lee just brought a film which is not that different than any other film in Asia and passed it off as original to American audiences.
i liked the way ang lee directed it and the screenplay and totally the subject was realy eastern.the action scenes are outstanding and new and breaking through. but there was a problem watching it for the second time and that was the lenght of the movie that was not realy needed to be that long.it actualy exhausted me and i realy to watch it to the end.well i consider taht as a problem in such a perfect movie.
Although the story might be a basic concept, it is the amazing chorography and settings that is truly amazing on screen and is what keeps you watching.
so what exactly is it that people like in this one?
1. we have a lot of flying kung fu (and man do i hate flying kung fu):
- how exactly can you see who is in the better position when they all just fly arround? and why should it be interesting to watch everyone flying arround and kicking at each other without knowing who's winning?
2. really cheap script - there is nothing memorable in the story. and the acting is only a bit better.
3.a sorry attepmt for some poetism and a dislikable melodramatic ending ... yeah, "i love you" and so on ... why should one tell such things while still having a future...
i found it borring most of the time and was happy once the untouchable hero got killed ... but man, did he really have to survive that long?
MCT:September 4, 2008
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MCT:July 25, 2008
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