Saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Sunday night.
When I see a Hong Kong action film (while CTHD isn't really a Hong Kong film, since a good share of the film's talent and sensibilities come from there, it works for comparison's sake), there are a handful of things I come to expect as downsides: 1) the action is generally random, occurring more as an excuse for an action scene than driven by story and character; 2) Characters fall into very narrow archetypal categories where even a great actor has little room to manuever; 3) Stories are usually weak, with very trite themes; and 4) there will always be some sexually repressed central romance, where it is a rare thing if the hero and his girlfriend ever even kiss.
Now, I still am a big fan of these movies, as the action and stunts are unequalled in American movies, they are usually quite funny and imaginative, and I like the fact that they have generally avoided the cynicism of western action films of the past 30 years. I have compared them to MGM musicals or Marx Brothers comedies with their combination of anarchic charm and physical talent, but I have often wished that they would aspire to be something greater than that. The closest I had seen from Hong Kong was "Once Upon a Time in China", which used its Boxer Rebellion setting to generate a much better story than can usually be expected, but the story eventually took a back seat to the kung fu. My affection for The Matrix is partly driven by its use of HK action techniques inside a very tightly structured story.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was therefore a dream come true, where incredible action choreography is put in the service of complex characters, relationships, and themes. For example, the "sexually repressed couple" in this film isn't the cliche it is in other films. Instead, Chow's and Yeoh's quiet yearning serve as a mournful contrast to the sexual and passionate relationship of the young lovers in the film.
I think many of the criticisms of the film in this thread come from a central misunderstanding of it. Chow and Yeoh are not the central characters, and the attempts to recover the stolen sword and the revenge story are *subplots*. The central character, as well as the Maguffin, is Jen (Ziyi Zhang), and she is more than worthy of the focus.
Frankly, I loved it. The fight choreography (particularly between Yeoh and Zhang) is some of the best I have ever seen. The photography (particularly of the bamboo forest and the Gobi desert) is gorgeous. I never would have thought Ang Lee had this film in him.
Best film of 2000.
