Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonStill Flies High, 20 Years Later

Many mass think American audience wo n’t go to theaters to see a foreign film . Twenty long time ago today though , a motion-picture show give out that barrierin a most memorable elbow room .

That picture show was Ang Lee ’s Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , a death - defy , groundbreaking ceremony , martial arts romancethat wasunlike anything most peoplehad ever find out . It debut in U.S. theaters on December 8 , 2000 , and ended its domestic run grossing over $ 128 million . Ten Oscar nomination followed , ensue in four win . By every measure the celluloid was a immense winner and , at the clock time , it was my best-loved movie of the class . But in 2020 , I realized I had n’t experience Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon in well over a tenner . So , with it now streaming on Amazon , I thought a revisit of this groundbreaking ceremony classic was well worth two time of day of my time . I was correct .

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Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Zhang Ziyi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.Photo: Sony Classics

stoop Tiger is the story of three recede souls , all looking to observe love and felicity in the Earth . The film set off with Li Mu Bai ( Chow Yun - Fat ) , a legendary warrior who decides he need to retire . He informs Yu Shu Lien ( Michelle Yeoh ) , an as fierce warrior who never have to go the life sentence Li Mu Bai did because she ’s a charwoman . Eventually , she meets Jen Yu ( Zhang Ziyi ) , a young woman , before long to be married , who has cryptically been discipline as possibly the best warrior of them all . She yearns to live a life of adventure instead of being splice and goes to heavy length to make that bump , leaving destruction in her path .

When most mass remember crouch Tiger , however , they think of the unbelievable action sequences — ancient warrior flying across rooftop and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree arm with grace , “ how ’d they do that ” marvel , and gravity - defy wire employment that influenced a generation of cinema that keep an eye on . Upon rewatch , yes , the action scenes are singular . They were then and rest so now . The wirework is only a part of it though . Each scene has very specific , intense interest postulate , which makes them that much more dramatic . Plus , they ’re geminate so well with the Oscar - succeed score by Dun Tan , even without the theatrics , they ’d be fantabulous .

As shocking and beautiful as the action scene are though , and while they ’re sure as shooting what helped institute American audiences into theaters , they are n’t what ultimately makes Lee ’s photographic film such a classic . That honor goes to the film ’s human relationships . Relationships that are real , relatable , and completely heartbreaking . For object lesson , Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien have been on the QT in love for year , but never have the bravery to work on it . Jen Yu settle for a man who kidnapped her but knows she ca n’t be with him because he ’s not noble . Those are just two model of many .

Who can forget this scene?

Who can forget this scene?Photo: Sony Classics

Such account of forbidden love and hungriness are n’t new , but the fashion Lee ’s film handles them is simply magnificent . Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lie ’s scene take a hop with tensity , build certain the hearing feels their beloved without them overtly showing it . For Jen , we see her story unfold in an extensive flashback that begin as something like comic assuagement , and finally blossoms into an inspirational tale of lot and emotion . Both stories are standardized in cognitive content but radically different in implementation . Juxtapose those with the independent narrative campaign , as well as the natural action conniption , and you begin to see why Crouching Tiger is so damned good .

lot of things account for such beautiful alchemy . There ’s the lean and impactful screenplay written by Wang Hui - ling , James Schamus , and Kuo Jung Tsai , as well as Ang Lee ’s masterly direction . The way he spy scenes and compose guessing make a film that ’s really only a few positioning sense highfalutin . Most of all though , the plastic film ’s winner comes from the performances of the worker ; each somehow fills themselves with emotion and intention to the degree of almost abound , but they do n’t , they inhume it deep down . I kind of think of them as balloons that look normal , but one more petite breath of atmosphere would make them blow up . Those performances result in a pic that at multiplication can feel stifled and frustrative because everyone is so guard . But that ’s the point , and it make the present moment subsequently in the film that much more rewarding .

Upon rewatch , I also forgot that while the wirework warlike fine art succession are spread fairly equally throughout the film , the most memorable one — the one in the trees — takes berth at the end of the film . It ’s also much shorter than the motion-picture show ’s earlier legal action pieces . In fact , it ’s so quick and momentaneous , it almost feels like the effects team showing off rather than being an essential part of the film . Of naturally , it is essential — record Jen ’s mastery of the grade against Li Mu Bai ’s — it ’s just that I had such a potent store of it , I expect it to be more predominant .

Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh).

Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh).Photo: Sony Classics

Another matter that stand up out rewatching was how perfectly awful the fibre Jen Yu is . That she is n’t right up therewith Sarah Connor , Ripley , and Furiosain the pantheon of bad - rear woman is shocking . Not only is she effortlessly incredible as a fighter , but she also terminate up being both the film ’s hero and villain simultaneously . It ’s truly remarkable to determine this fiber do these incredible things ( like beat up like 40 guy wire at one time ) and cheer for her , but then also make all of the film ’s painfulness and suffering is her fault . One character even call her “ My only family line , my only enemy , ” which is so double-dyed it could make you cry . She is without a doubt one of the best , most complex , characters we ’ve seen in action movies and is reprehensively underrated . I digress .

Twenty years ago , Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon dazzled me , and today , it did that again . While in the past it was in all probability the propulsive , edge - of - your - seat action that won me over , now it ’s the attractively keep back relationships and downright depressing themes about regret and action I appreciate more . The emotion is what will keep the film in my heart and the action is just a incentive , which feels like precisely what Ang Lee intended .

Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon is currently streaming on Amazon Prime .

Jen Yu is an all-timer.