Ang Lee makes a departure from his genteel English dramas to segue into a Mandarin movie.

Plot: Seasoned warriors Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) have issues to tackle, like their feelings for each other and the former' s wish to avenge his master's death. But everything must wait when the Green Destiny sword is stolen and they set forth to retrieve it. How the other major characters in the film -- Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), a nobleman's daughter facing an undesirable arranged marriage, and an arch-villain nicknamed Jade Fox -- fit into this plot is for the audience to discover.

'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is unfairly being promoted as a martial arts film. Sure, the stunts are breathtaking, but the term 'martial arts film' seems to make you think of a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan film, while this is something much, much more than action for merely action's sake or even entertainment's sake. It's a solemn, mystical epic dealing with issues of identity, courage, nobility, and that these issues are brought forth along with the stunning fight sequences is just icing on the cake. The underlying themes are so strong and so universal that you'll soon stop sniggering at the seemingly-campy monikers like 'Jade Fox' and 'Green Destiny', and subtitles that occasionally inform you of dialogues like "You stole the Wudan manuals".

Let's get done with the eye candy first. After a sluggish exposition, some twenty minutes into the film comes the sequence where the Green Destiny is stolen. A superb chase ensues to the accompaniment of escalating drums, over rooftops, over streets.... action choreography doesn't get much better. Then there's the fight sequence in a tavern that actually belongs in a martial arts movie, thrillingly and precisely executed. Finally, there's the climactic battle, only this time people fly over forests and treetops with birdlike agility. That all of this seems to defy the laws of gravity and common sense soon ceases to matter as your jaw keeps dropping steadily admiring the marvellous bouts of action.

That said, the rest of the film is relatively sombre in tone. How the good guys win over the bad guys is less relevant than what makes them some of them good and the others bad. What could have been dry character development is beautifully wrapped up in unique sequences, the taming and romantic blossoming of Jen Yu by a desert warrior to name just one. All the leads are good and admirably balance the physical and emotional subtexts of their roles. Most impressive is the karmic philosophy that each of these characters pay for their doings, whether not acting on an emotional impulse or immaturely appropriating a possession of another. The stunning, and somewhat unexpected, end will surely do a number on your heartstrings.

Rating: Ultimately, the triumph of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is how the unlikely marriage of two unlike genres, the martial arts film and romantic drama, has resulted in a film that transcends both.

This review was written by Baradwaj Rangan. What did you think of this review? Post a message on our message boards, write to editor @sitagita.com

Post Comment

Name : Email : Password : Comments :