Review: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
"In another time, in a distant place, an epic adventure is about to unfold."Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh
Rating: 10 / 10
I had been keeping an eye on the cinema guide for a while, waiting for this movie to start screening, after hearing about it in a few different places. It wasn't. Then today I happened to visit the official website and checked the international release dates, only to find that it had been released here 4 days ago. It took quite a bit of searching to eventually find a cinema that was screening it, but after seeing the movie the effort seems utterly miniscule.
So after a trek in to the city, to one of the three (that's right, three) cinemas screening the film in the whole of Sydney, I was near the front of a queue that stretched out the front door of the cinema and onto the footpath, just as the queue for the previous session had done.
The movie opens with the lead female, Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) getting a visit from the lead male, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat). This scene does a subtle but effective job of setting up the background for these two characters, as well as showing us quite clearly (but not overtly, of course) the relationship between them.
The movie then quickly progresses into the story, making quick work of a few more introductions and then moving right into the meat of it, with an awe-inspiring chase occuring no more than 5 minutes into it. Well, it WOULD have been awe inspiring if not for the fact that there were a couple of complete fucking idiots in the theatre with us who felt that it was appropriate to laugh at the idea that the characters could float gracefully from rooftop to rooftop, in wirework that makes The Matrix look an amateur endeavour (though the same people responsible for The Matrix' wirework and fighting were responsible for this movie). For this reason, if you can possibly avoid it, don't see the movie with morons. Maybe go during the day, or something. I dunno. Take a gun?
I've already mentioned the spectacular wirework, which features heavily in the film but is not at all tiring, but it pales in comparison to the actual fighting. In hindsight, I wonder how the hell they even learned the choreography to the point where they could perform it that quickly. let alone avoid killing each other in the process. Oh, and that's another thing - Almost every stunt in the film was done by the relevant actor, not a stuntman. While those used to Jackie Chan and even Bruce Lee movies will think this ordinary, fact is that it's highly uncommon for actors to be strung 40 feet in the air slashing at each other with swords, and looking like experts at the same time.
Now, in discussing the story I should mention that Marcin, my reviewer in arms, didn't go in for the story at all. He quite liked the fight bits of course (anybody who doesn't is obviously stupid), but felt the soppy love bits were a little dull. I, on the other hand, loved them. I thought they gave a better reason for the fighting than I've seen in almost any movie, and in fact were a decent reason for a movie in itself. Of course the non-fighting bits aren't all lovey dovey.. in fact with only the occasional digression they're not lovey dovey at all.. It's just that the lovey dovey bit is relevant for motive and progression and so on, though the flashback scene near the middle of the movie to explain the love life of the third most important character is seriously disorienting.
I really really enjoyed this movie, and can find no real fault with it at all. Well, the girl in it could've lost her kit. Actually she did lose the kit, but she didn't show anything, which is where I'm directing my complaint. Maybe if she and the policeman's daughter had gone for it at some point.. But anyhow, no, no faults in the movie, highly enjoyable, definitely worth seeing. I'll probably even go and see it again soon.
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