Movie Description
Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, CROUCHING TIGER starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a feminist twist. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary martial artist who has decided to pass on his sword, the Green Destiny, to a friend. Soon afterward, the sword is stolen by a masked female, setting in motion events that test the bonds of family, love, duty, and sisterhood. Chow appears with three generations of female stars: Cheng Pei Pei, a 1960s action heroine; Michelle Yeoh, the beauty queen turned 1980s action goddess; and newcomer Zhang Ziyi, who smolders as the princess who wants more than domestic tranquillity. Famed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (THE MATRIX) stages jaw-dropping zero-G fights across rooftops, rivers, and bamboo trees, while Yo-Yo Ma punctuates the fisticuffs with dramatic cello solos. Described by Lee as "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with martial arts," CROUCHING TIGER recalls the best wuxia films of the 1960s and pushes the genre in new directions.
| Credits | | Producer: | Ang Lee, Bill Kong, Li Kong Hsu | | Cast: | Chow Yun Fat, Li Li, Pei Pei Cheng, Xian Gao |
Editorial Reviews
"...The picture is more fun than it has a right to be....Mr. Lee puts things together artfully and stages this movie like a comedy of manners; it could be SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with a body count....It's an epic that breaks the laws of gravity."
New York Times - Elvis Mitchell (04/30/2009)
"...This Cannes/New York Film Festival favorite has it all, starting with three towering central characters....[Ang Lee's film] offers melodically choreographed action scenes by THE MATRIX's Yuen Wo-Ping, Oscar-caliber photography by Peter Pau and the pleasure of seeing [Chow Yun Fat] in his most appealing performance yet..." -- 4 out of 4 stars
USA Today - Mike Clark (04/30/2009)
"...A triumph....CROUCHING TIGER envelops you in its exotic universe..."
Movieline - Stephen Farber (04/30/2009)
"....Always entertaining and exhilarating....CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is most notable for going beyond genre norms..."
Sight And Sound - Tony Rayns (04/30/2009)
"...CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON defies pigeon-holing by succeeding as a love story, an action movie and a fantasy....The best acted, best shot and most exciting film of the year..." -- 5 out of 5 stars
Total Film - Cam Winstanley (04/30/2009)
"...A delightful one-of-a-kind martial arts romance where astounding fight sequences alternate with passionate yet idealistic love duets..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (12/15/2000)
"...Exhilarating....Ang Lee stages magnificent action sequences..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (02/04/2001)
Awards
2000Academy AwardsBest CinematographyPeter Pau, 2000Academy AwardsBest Foreign Language Film, 2000Academy AwardsBest Original ScoreTan Dun
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