Sunday, January 14, 2001

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

This amazing film by Taiwanese director Ang Lee is now in wide release in the United States. It is certainly one of the best films of 2000. Filled with incredible scenes of martial arts fighting, Crouching Tiger is more than just an action film. It is, instead, a film for anyone who enjoys good cinema. Crouching Tiger contains lush photography that transports you to ancient Chinese deserts and forests, a storyline that is packed with emotion and pathos, and surreal scenes of supernatural feats in which the characters float in the air, run blithely across surfaces of water, and flit between the branches of trees above forests. These scenes struck me as a beautiful sort of etherial ballet. The principle actors, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen all shine in their individual roles. The film's dialog is in Mandarin, and I was surprised by the fact that the subtitles did not detract from my enjoying the movie.

Do not hesitate to see this film. If you are not a fan of the martial arts, don't let its presence in this movie stop you from seeing it, since the fighting is not the focus of the picture. Crouching Tiger is great fun for everyone, and a touching, graceful story of love and devotion that anyone can enjoy. Before January 12th, Crouching Tiger was in limited American release. Now that the film is in wider release, it's popularity is expected to skyrocket, based upon its unique success in limited release. The film is already figuring into Oscar contention in several catagories.

For more information on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, check the film's website.

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