Movie Minx

Starring: Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, Chen Chang, Ziyi Zhang
Directed by: Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Hulk)

Plot: It’s 19th century China. Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are lead to the stubborn, beautiful, skilled daughter of a nobleman, who is at a crossroads in her life. Amazing fight scenes ensue.

But is it any good?

I can still remember the awe I felt when I first saw Crouching Tiger. While I’m not big on martial arts movies, this one was so accessible and beautiful that it won me over. In fact, it was so good that its Chinese script and English subtitles did not even deter mainstream western audiences (you can watch a cheesy dubbed version now, but please don’t).

However, when I saw it again a few years later, I still liked it but that sense of wonder had disappeared. It wasn’t the film’s fault - it was just that other movies had already copied it so many times that it wasn’t as special any more.

The specific genre is known as Wu Xia in China, apparently, meaning a blend of martial arts and magic. Director Ang Lee said he had always wanted to make a Wu Xia film, and he did, resulting in a commercial and critical hit. (Then he made the dud Hulk - but you can’t win ‘em all.) I have been a fan of Lee’s since his extraordinarily underrated film The Ice Storm (so much better and more original than American Beauty), and he’s got a new film due out quite soon.

Crouching Tiger’s fight scenes are the most memorable bits. Stunningly choreographed, and the “flying”, which has been mocked ever since, at the time was almost unheard of. Characters weave in and out of swaying bamboo trees, or climb walls, or skim over lakes, but in the context of the film it all seems perfectly normal. The same dude who choreographed the Matrix fight scenes was responsible for all this, and it shows.

But it’s not all about the fighting, otherwise it would have lost me within the first half hour. The acting is convincing, everything is made to appear painstakingly authentic, and there is romance without cheesiness (George Lucas has a lot to learn from this). The themes of the film - passion, revenge, honor - keep you hooked between the action. And the word “breathtaking” is an awful cliche, but the ending was.

So. A very good film. Some might give it a 10/10 and fair enough. But, while winning me over initially, the memory of it hasn’t really lasted. And it’s not my favorite genre.

My rating: 7.5/10

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