![]() ![]() The film won over 40 awards, including several Oscars. Thanks especially to the popularity of Disney's animated film Mulan (1998) around the same time, excitement for a film about female Chinese warriors was bolstered in the West. Critic Roger Ebert lavished praise for the film upon its release 23 years ago, calling it the "most exhilarating martial arts movie" he had ever seen. It notably received a five-minute standing ovation at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. It is considered one of Ang Lee's greatest films ever made, if not at the very top of the list, adored for its still-stunning cinematography and an endearing story full of action, adventure, and romance. Incorporating some digital know-how from Cine Asia and Manex Visual Effects, Lee has his warriors taking their gravity-defying battles along walls, across rooftops or from treetop to treetop, making like Ninja Peter Pans.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which stars Michelle Yeoh and several other high-profile Chinese stars, centers around two warriors in 19th-century Qing dynasty China searching for a missing sword. The scenario allows for some astoundingly choreographed (courtesy of Matrix man Yuen Wo Ping) face-offs between the two women that simply have to be seen to be believed. When Green Destiny is stolen, Yu’s detective work leads her to none other than the young girl, who proves to be an enormously skilled fighter trained in the ways of combat by the notorious but evasive Jade Fox. It is agreed that she’ll deliver the sword as a gift to Sir Te, a revered Beijing elder, and it is there she encounters the strong willed, a young woman who is about to be married off but envies Yu’s independence. They also share a undeclared love for each other. Screened out of competition (luckily for the others), this impressive effort from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s fledgling Asian production division is set in the early 19th century, during the last great years of the mighty Qing dynasty.ĭeciding to hang up his trusty sword - the mythical Green Destiny - legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) entrusts the ancient weapon to Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), his equally skilled female partner in crime-fighting. ![]() With a cast headed by genre superstars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film is poised to conquer virtually every territory it plays in, although it could probably stand a slight trimming for North American consumption. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl': THR's 2003 Review The Hollywood Reporter’s original review, from its Cannes debut, is below.įor his first Chinese-language assignment since 1994’s Eat Drink Man Woman, Ang Lee tries a little martial arts on for size - with jaw-droppingly exhilarating results.Ī sweeping romantic epic with a strong feminist backbone, the thoroughly entertaining Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also happens to boast a generous offering of seriously kick-ass action sequences that make The Matrix seem downright quaint by comparison. ![]() It went on to be nominated for 10 Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards, picking up four honors including best foreign language film. 8, 2000, Sony Pictures Classics unveiled Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in theaters, where it would eventually gross $213 million globally. ![]()
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