Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang,
Director: Ang Lee
Country: China
Genre: Foreign, Drama, Action

I was very late to the Tiger train. I believe my first time seeing it was a year after its theatrical release in the living room with a couple of friends. Not the ideal setting for a young lad who hadn’t quite found the necessity of subtitles over English-dub.  The second time I watch it was after I purchased it for $5.00 during some sale at Target or Best Buy. And, once again, didn’t fully appreciate the beauty of the photography or ballet-like choreography. Instead I licked my greasy-pizza stained fingers and fell asleep half-way through.

Cut to eight years after my first viewing, and it for some reason clicks. The dreamlike imagery, the mystical storytelling, the classical romance, all of the aspects came together quite like a symphony before my eyes. Plus, um, does the sword fighting in this film kick-ass or what? The weapon-room fight scene was the thing that captured my attention on the first viewing, and with good reason. It’s possibly one of the best hand-to-hand combat sequences I’ve ever seen in film.

Whenever I see one of Ang Lee’s films, I always get anxious over the fact that he hasn’t done but twelve films in his almost twenty year career, but then I remember how damn good (most) are.

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1. 82nd Academy Awards Blogathon: Best Foreign Film | The Best Films of 2000s: This Guy Over Here — February 10, 2010 @ 2:17 am

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