Ang Lee’s magnificent ‘wuxia’ sword-play adventure proved to be a breakthrough production as the biggest international success for Chinese language cinema. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) established a mainstream presence for Asian costume-drama martial arts, with its great popularity reflecting that of The Water Margin series on British TV in the late 1970s. Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh lead a varied cast, and CTHD helped to make Zhang Ziyi a star. Certainly, this fantasy is an improvement on the director’s western Ride With The Devil (1999). It offers a wonderfully seamless blend of kung fu thrills, romantic dramas with engaging characters, and plenty of exhilarating action, even if there’s about 15 minutes of set-ups, establishing dialogues and introductions, before the first battle sequence.
The main stars are both great, and they easily dominate proceedings with a hypnotic presence not always shared by the supporting cast, although Zhang is exceptional as Jen, a young rebel against several Chinese traditions. The story is basically familiar hokum, simply but honestly revising many of this genre’s Asian elements - about honourable warriors with idealistic passions, and the minutiae of a closed society still alien to westerners - but also inverting (and re-inventing) other diverse themes, including decisive feminism, optimistic nostalgia, and the tragedy of heroes burdened by repressive social mores.
Best known for his stylised gangster roles, Chow swaps handguns for a Green Destiny sword, and sunglasses for a Manchu ponytail. Yet, even with a newfound mastery of a blade, instead of his trademark automatic pistols, the two heroines eclipse Chow’s reluctant champion, and the longest combat scenes involve women. There’s one vigorous duel that’s equal to any of the spectacular fighting displays in The Matrix (1999), although unsurprisingly, because extremely capable stunts master Yuen Woo-ping was action choreographer on both films.
Unlike typical Hong Kong movies, such as New Dragon Gate Inn (1992), this lacks an almost relentless pacing, with black comedy, and general weirdness, but CTHD offers a distinctive energy, with high levels of visual polish and artistic style that only major projects can hope to achieve. I really can’t recommend this enough, especially to any wuxia fans who ever felt disappointed by the often low-grade finishing roughness applied to many similar movies.
