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This
is Ang Lee's first Chinese-language film since 1994's Eat Drink
Man Woman, and also his first foray into martial arts films. Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an adaptation from a four-volume novel by
Wang Du Lu, and like all adaptations, it is no easy task to compress
into one film. The novels of Jin Yong, arguably the most famous
of martial arts novelists, are not at all easy to adapt to film,
but Ang Lee has done a marvellous job here in creating a romantic
martial arts epic out of Wang's novel.
Legendary
swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chow) is tired of the martial arts world: he
craves peace and tranquillity, so he entrusts his friend Yu Shu
Lien (Yeoh) with his ancient mystical sword, the Green Destiny,
to be delivered to Lord Te in Beijing for safekeeping. The sword
is stolen the very night it was delivered, and Yu tracks down the
thief to be Jen (Zhang), the daughter of a powerful noble. Li comes
to Beijing in search of his master's killer, Fox (Cheng Pei Pei),
and discovers that the killer is also the teacher of Jen.
Although
a supremely talented martial artist, Jen is unhappy with her life;
when forced to marry a dimwit member of the Imperial Family, she
flees the Capital, taking the Green Destiny with her. Li and Yu,
meanwhile, encounters a desertman (Chang Chen) who has come to Beijing
in search of Jen. He tells them of the time he and Jen spent together
in the desert; Li tells him to go to Wudong Mountain while he and
Yu travel south to find Jen.
Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon is unlike any other martial art films I have
seen. The beginning is slow, tedious perhaps. But when the action
picks up, it hits you right between the eyes. This is no Sense and
Sensibility. There is nothing remotely realistic about the film
- it is purely fantastical to the point of being surreal. One highlight
of the film is Yu and Jen fighting each other above the rooftops
- jumping and flying all over the place, as if gravity doesn't apply
to them. It is fast and furious with the music closely matching
the action. Certainly, the action doesn't disappoint. Nor does the
story or plotting. It is a tale about honour, love, and righteousness.
Zhang
is the most impressive in this assemble of stars; the young actress
gives a powerful performance as the beautiful Lady Jen, who wants
to be free from her social restraints. Yeoh should be in familiar
ground as the female swordswoman Yu, and shows that she can fight
just as well as Jen.
Chow
seems a bit out of his place in a martial arts film, but otherwise
gives an impressive performance as Li: his cool calm demeanour is
the water to Jen's fiery impulsivemess. Ang Lee, who has never directed
a martial arts film before, has created one of the best martial
arts films of all time. Other directors take note: there is a new
kid on the block.
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