I went to see this 5 times, I was living in Toms River NJ at the time and the closest theater was at the other end of the state in Princeton, 50 miles away. So I went back once a week to see it 4 more times, that is how much I loved it. This film has so many meanings on so many levels only the most astute viewer would be able to capture them all on one viewing. Two things stand out for me here:The camera dances. I saw this film before I saw "Ride With the Devil" and the camera dances there, as well. Lee makes his camera an extra, unseen character, who can go where we can't. Compare this camera to the boring, stationary camera George Lucas liked to use over and over in his prequel trilogies. Now imagine a Star Wars lightsaber fight in the hands of Ang Lee.The other thing is how Lee will let the scenes breathe with nature in the background. A couple of instances come to mind but consider the first main fight scene. Right before the battle starts, Lee cuts to a shot of a tree with the moon behind, and hundreds of bats take flight. That's the eye of a master film maker at work.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonThe action sequences can be inedible for some viewers but one cannot deny the fact about the way they are projected, as they express rage, fury and vulnerability more than the performance can; this is a masterstroke by the makers and the primary reason of its definite impression that it leaves the audience with. The script doesn't bar any specific format and has a newer and smarter structure to offer, that is completely adaptive and enthralling in its own way of storytelling. Ang Lee; the director, has done a tremendous work on executing such an eerie and humane vision of its "meta-human" characters. It is rich on technical aspects like editing, sound department and choreography. The performance unfortunately is not something where the feature scores and the actors, too weren't given enough range and room to flaunt in or factor in except for the lead actress. Despite of brilliant execution, it fails to draw out the essential emotions from the screen which at a certain point, is what it completely relies upon and in the end leaves this hollow space floating in the air. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is actually hidden beneath its self-created legacy that is layered and installed subtly which is plausible but it also never goes loud even when it becomes essential.

Hollywood seems to be an emotionless company. They simply don't care if a film is good only if it rake's in the cash. This is why there are so many Transformers movies or Pirates of the Caribbean movies because they are economically profitable. That's why whenever Hollywood produces a film like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it's so satisfying. This was film that took real risks, It's completely spoken in chinese features no famous hollywood actors and is very artistically filmed. Yet it nearly quadrupled its budget and became a massive hit in the united states, and was nominated for 10 academy awards including best picture. Ang Lee has crafted a film that appeases both those looking for an entertaining experience and those looking for a truly artistic and poetic film. The film takes place in the beautiful chinese countryside and has one of the most pleasing color gradings in recent film history. Even though the film features many brilliant, tense action scenes the whole film feels nuanced and laid back simply letting audience sit back and truly appreciate the beauty of what you're experiencing. The performances also feel natural just embracing the human spirit. The stand out performance Zhang Ziyi playing Jen the rebellious martial arts master. Ziyi gives us one of the most memorable characters in recent memory embracing the teenage spirit of just doing whatever the heck she wants to do. In the greatest scene in the movie Jen battles seemingly hundreds of adversaries boasting her name as the "Sword Goddess" and "The Woman who kicked down the mountain where Kung Fu was founded". Can we talk about the action scenes? Because they are some of the tightest, intensely choreographed, and brilliantly directed I've ever seen. The scene where Jen battles Yu Shu Lien in sword combat is arguably the greatest sword fight ever put to film (take that Princess Bride!). The use of all the different weapons is quite simply breathtaking. The story is simple with Shu Lien and Mu Bien trying to tame and teach Jen in the ways of martial arts all while Jen continuously betraying them and causing more and more trouble. After Mu Bien eventually sacrificing his life to save Jen she finally accepts her ways are wrong and in the final shot of the film giving up her selfish desires and becoming one with herself giving her life to everyone but herself. The film isn't perfect I thought the relationship between the two masters felt underdeveloped but other than that this is a movie that pushes boundaries and take risks that pay off almost innumerably. What impressed me most about the film is how graceful the editing, directing and acting were. Add some breathtaking action scenes, thought provoking drama and gorgeous cinematography and you have one of the most exciting and satisfying films made. I'd give Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a 9.5/10.

This is a typical Ang Lee movie, complete with slow pacing, melodrama, a random, rambling plot, and good visuals and fight scenes. Also very Ang Lee, the characters act in strange and illogical ways. For example, in the scene when the bandits attack Jen Yu's caravan, they kill a few unfortunate guards and run away for no apparent reason. After chasing the bandit leader for days (I guess?) in order to retrieve her comb, Jen Yu then jumps in the sack with him way, way too quickly. And the melodramatic ending when Jen presumably commits suicide-- why is she even doing this? Is she so regretful of Li Mu Bai's death? Does she miss her assassin governess? 我受不了。