Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wu hu zang long, 2000)
It's easy to see why CTHD was the critic's darling last year. The catchphrase description that's floated around--"the film that brings martial arts cinema to the art house"--certainly is an apt description. In many ways, CTHD plays like a loving homage to the wuxia pan films of old, with many references and similarities to their plots, characters, and epic feel. In other ways, director Ang Lee seems to have made what could be called "the anti-martial arts movie." The fight scenes are very good but far from the core of the storyline, which seems at heart to be a love story (or two of them--the beautifully played, restrained relationship between heroes Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), and the passionate relationship between the governor's daughter Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi) and her barbarian lover, Lo (Chen Chang).) Many reviewers have called CTHD a "feminist" take on a martial arts film, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that label--it makes me wonder how many of these reviewers have watched much kung fu cinema at all, and if they have seen the many strong female fighters who have taken center stage in the past (shoot, just take a look at the way Michelle Yeoh stole "Supercop" away from Jackie Chan, or watch some classic Shaw Brothers films like "My Young Auntie".)
The plot is fairly simple, though it is a wee bit confusing at first trying to sort out who is who and what all is going on. Li Mu Bai wishes to retire from his life as a heroic swordman, and entrusts his longtime "friend" Shu Lien to carry his sword to safe custody. The sword is stolen by a mysterious assassin--believed at first to be the Jade Fox, who Li Mu Bai has sworn to kill after she murdered his master. Shu Lien discovers the true identity of the thief, while developing a friendship with Jen, who is soon to be wed but longing for the freedom of the life she sees Shu Lien leading. To reveal more of the plot would be to reveal too many secrets--it's best to go in to the film knowing as little as possible and allowing these characters to reveal their complex interactions on-screen.
The cinematography in CTHD is gorgeous, recapturing the colorful sets and stages of old martial arts films but in a much more technically adept way. Indeed, there is a lot in here for a wuxia pan fan to chuckle at, and to bring back warm memories of classic scenarios--in particular, a tea house you know is doomed from the moment Jen walks in (disguised as a man, of course). That scene stands out as without a doubt my favorite in the film, along with a breathtaking confrontation between Li Mu Bai and Jen in the treetops.
As far as the martial arts scenes go...it is difficult for me to make a solid judgement on how I feel about them. They fit perfectly in with the fantasy feeling of the story, heavy on wirework flight and running up the walls. The performers are all solid--CYF surprised me with his ability to look damn good indeed weilding a sword (but then, Yuen Wo Ping, the action choreographer, even made Keanu Reeves look like he had some skill and grace in The Matrix.) Michelle Yeoh proved once again to be an absolute goddess, and Zhang Ziyi wasn't far behind her. But, the cinematography of the fights annoyed me at times, the way it does in many Western action movies--too many closeup shots of faces, hands, and flying feet that make it difficult to follow who's doing what. Several scenes were at night as well, obscuring much of the action.
In summary? Certainly, do go see this film--if you are a fan of the talent involved and/or the martial arts genre, you will find much to admire, and it is a thrill to see such a story on the large screen. Do I think it's the greatest martial arts movie ever made? Definitely not, though it might make my Top Ten list once I've had the chance to watch it a few more times.
SUMMARY:
Overall rating: A. Make no mistake, this is a damn good film, deserving of much of the praise it has received.
Droolworthiness: A. I personally spent most of my time in mad lust for Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. We're talking some deadly female eye candy here.Chen Chang makes a cute, scruffy barbarian, and Chow, well, is Chow. Fans will find plenty of reason to lust for him here, though the drab grey robe he wears most of the time does very little for me!
Slashiness:B+ for some of the Shu Lien/Jen scenes, which definitely have
some slashy undertones to them. But as Shu Lien's heart so fully belongs to Li Mu Bai--and Jen's seems to belong to no one--it's not a relationship I could see developing very far (and certainly not at all by the end of the film...)
Action: A- It's right for the feel of the film, and fairly plentiful, but not the style of fighting that makes me sit up and go "ooh!" and rush right back to the theater to see it again and again (compared with, say, "Drunken Master 2", which I went to see 5 times during its recent release because I couldn't get enough of the insane rush of those fight scenes).
back