REVIEW: ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000)

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is a masterpiece of world cinema combining the technical precision of Hollywood, the character pathos of British acting, the noble tradition of a mythical China, and the kinetic grace of Hong Kongs action choreography. Transcending borders, Taiwanese director Ang Lee has created a film set in China yet with a universal theme that transcends cultural identity.

Based upon a serialized novel by Wang Du Lu, the film is a beautifully rendered tale of love denied and the acceptance of responsibility. Chow Yun-fat plays Li Mu Bai, a celebrated warrior of Wudan Mountain who dreams of a peaceful retirement with his comrade in arms, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Both dreams are hindered by an incident involving the theft of Mu Bai’s sword, The Green Destiny, which was to be a gift for his father’s friend, Sir Te. Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), daughter of the local magistrate is suspected.

Finding her to be adept in kung fu, Shu Lien and Mu Bai are both drawn towards this headstrong young woman, hoping to cool her reckless passions. Yet the Jade Fox, a notorious thief and nemesis of Wudan hopes to have Jen Yu follow in her footsteps.

Frustrated by an arranged marriage her father has set up, pining for an unquenchable thirst for freedom and confused by Mu Bai’s intentions towards her, Jen Yu sets out on a destructive rampage that has serious consequences for all.

The story is based upon a long running Chinese novel. It’s a piece of wuxia fiction, a genre of storytelling in China akin to American tall tales of the Old West or Greek legends of gods and monsters. Popular in Chinese stories, heroes could develop the ability to fly or perform superhuman feats through training in martial arts, particularity internal kung fu. In this case, the style of “Wudan” kung fu deals with the development of internal strength rather than external. This is what accounts for the ability to climb walls and balance from the tips of bamboo trees. In one humbling scene, Mu Bai confronts Jen Yu, who believes having the indestructible Green Destiny signifies true power. She is defeated by Mu Bai who wields only a thin tree branch.

Dozens of locations throughout China were used to shoot the film. The cinematography, led by Peter Pau, effectively captures the beauty of the scenery which adds tremendous depth. A memorable scene comes to mind where Mu Bai and Shu Lien sit in a well-lit building in front of a large window. This is the one moment the two seasoned knights have to truly contemplate a life together living in peace. Outside, a forest of green bamboo trees sway serenely with the breeze. One cannot help but feel the same sense of quiet comfort that both characters desperately seek.

An old form of Mandarin, perhaps best compared with Old English is used by the characters. This proved a difficult task for the Cantonese speaking Chow Yun-fat and the predominately English-speaking Michelle Yeoh. The acting may have suffered from the awkwardness of using such a difficult language, yet from an English-speaking viewer it didn’t seem to have a visible effect. Both performancez appear intentionally understated, highlighting the fact that both characters must suppress their true feelings.

Zhang Ziyi as the troubled youth with devastating skills gives a standout performance. Only her second role at the age of 19, Ziyi imbues her character with a combination of arrogance and naiveté that creates a paradox of emotion where one feels both distain and compassion for her which seems to have been Ang Lee’s intention. Veteran actress, Cheng Pei-pei offers a memorable role as lead villain, Jade Fox. In a tale this emotionally complex, even Jade Fox can be empathized with as Cheng effectively conveys the bitterness that fosters her anger towards the noble path of Wudan.

Action director Yuen Wo-ping has taken his now trademark choreography to new levels of polish and grace with truly remarkable wirework. Still operating the way Hong Kong action directors have for decades, Yuen came up with most of the stunts shortly before filming. Actors would practice their maneuvers with crews setting up cranes to guide them over rooftops or to alight upon the flexible neck of a bamboo shoot. The actual fighting is a showcase for kung fu weapons with tai chi swords, the Sun & Moon sword, steel fan, tigerhead hooks, and others, many handled with skill by experienced martial arts stars Michelle Yeoh and Cheng Pei-pei.

One of the often overlooked features of the film is the intentional humor that, at its best lampoons the traditional kung fu film which Ang Lee sought to emulate. The highlight is without a doubt the tea house scene. Here we find Jen Yu having run from a prearranged marriage to seek a life of adventure. She arrives at the tea house looking for a fight and as if straight out of a scene from a classic wuxia film from the ’60s, she ends up in essentially a barroom brawl. What proceeds is a series of introductions from a local group of the usual suspects who seeing her obvious arrogance, offer a challenge. So the likes of “Iron Eagle Sung,” “Flying Cougar Li Yun,” “Iron Arm Mi,” and “Shining Phoenix Mountain Gou” end up enduring the wrath of Jen Yu while she taunts them in typical kung fu film fashion.

If there is any fault in this film it is the same characteristic which makes it so unique and that is its non-Chinese appeal. What many mainland Chinese apparently don’t like about the film is its Western-style storytelling with an emphasis on story development, something rare in the realm of kung fu films. Also, they see Chinese being portrayed in a stereotypical and outdated manner. What this comes down to is the fact that most everything in the film has been done in Chinese cinema before, often many times. It’s a film that is out of touch with contemporary Chinese audiences. While this may be a fault in Asia, it’s a boon in Western countries where film ideas have run dry, both in Europe and Hollywood. Ang Lee’s homage to his youth, filled with tales of mythic heroes, offers a fresh face on Chinese culture that is more palatable to Western audiences than many of the previous Hong Kong films that lack the production values of Western cinema.

The true strength of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON lies in director Ang Lee’s ability to blend two cultures into a rare breed of film. He may come to be remembered as a visionary auteur who saw film as a method of telling a story whose themes are drawn from the uniqueness of individual cultures into a cross-cultural phenomenon that is quality entertainment.

Related Topics: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), Wuxia, Yuen Woo-ping