Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

PG-13

10/9/20002h 0m

Premiere Release (US)

~ A timeless story of strength, secrets and two warriors who would never surrender. ~

Overview:

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Director:

Ang Lee

Status:

Released

Language:

Mandarin

Buget:

$17,000,000.00

Revenue:

$213,978,518.00

Key words:

martial arts
kung fu
based on novel or book
flying
taskmaster
sword
tiger
villainess
mountain
comb
fistfight
sword fight
thief
revenge
theft
historical
female martial artist
18th century
wuxia
warrior
aggressive
bamboo
tavern fight
action hero
qing dynasty
vibrant

Cast

Chow Yun-Fat

~ as ~

Li Mu Bai

Michelle Yeoh

~ as ~

Yu Shu Lien

Zhang Ziyi

~ as ~

Jen

Chang Chen

~ as ~

Lung Sihung

~ as ~

Sir Te

Cheng Pei-Pei

~ as ~

Jade Fox

Li Fazeng

~ as ~

Governor Yu

Gao Xian

~ as ~

Hai Yan

~ as ~

Madame Yu

Wang Deming

~ as ~

Tsai

View full cast & crew

Reviews (2)

t
talisencrw
Written 9 year(s) ago
10
Easily my favourite of Lee's films, plus this was a no-brainer for me to watch, since I love martial arts films and the three stars. Peter Pau's cinematography and Dun Tan's soundtrack deservedly won two of the four Oscars, amidst its ten nominations, but even though the production values and story were the reason that this, rather than more significant martial arts classics, such as 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin' and other Shaw Brothers' masterpieces of the genre is that it stepped outside the box and became mandatory viewing for both genders and all cultures with its love story, in the same way that 'Rocky' isn't simply a boxing movie. Still fascinating watching today, and the scene in which the restaurant is destroyed is one of the most fascinating set-pieces I have yet seen.
CinemaSerf
Written 2 year(s) ago
7
"Master Li" (Chow Yun-Fat) asks his lifelong friend "Yu Shu Lien" (Michelle Yeoh) to take his legendary sword "Green Destiny" and deliver it to "Sir Te" (Sihung Lung) at the Imperial court. Turns out, though, that security there isn't so hot and the sword is stolen by a very able and nimble thief who only just escapes the pursuit of "Shu Lien" - who reckons she really knows whom the thief is. A visit to "Jen" (Ziyi Zhang) and the swift return of the sword seem to confirm her suspicions but then the sword is stolen again and aside from narking "Sir Te" this sets up a series of adventures for "Li", "Shu Lien" and "Jen" as we discover there may be a connection to the former man's nemesis "Jade Fox" (Pei-Pei Cheng). There is room, gradually, for a little romance but for the most part this is a quickly paced adventure that builds well on some beautiful cinematography with a solid story underpinned by some magical mythology and plenty of swordplay. Unlike many of the genre, the combat scenes are naturally choreographed and do not drag on interminably and repetitively. This has a more characterful narrative that involves us in the mystery, the vendetta - even the slowly simmering love story. For my money, this is easily the best film as yet made by Ang Lee and is well worth seeing on a big screen if you can find one.