Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Anyone who goes to see CTHD purely for the action will come away disappointed. Personally I had never scenes like this before, but what I was most impressed with was the storyline. The relationships between the two principle couples.

The relationships were contrasting. The elder couple had sacrificed the expression of their love because of loyalty towards their dead friend. It is obvious that both share a great deal of affection towards its each other but loyalty must come before passion. The death of Chow Yun Fat is made sadder by the fact that Yeoh and he were never able to express their feelings until it was too late.

The other relationship between the younger couple is given depth by a beautiful flashback. The desert scene, especially, the flirting chase between them is my favourite scene of the movie. Their relationship is far more passionate than the elder couple but its clear that the younger relationship is also the weaker.

Ang Lee is one of, if not my favourite director. The Ice Storm and Sense & Sensibility were fantastic. The fact that he could set such a beautiful love story with the martial arts scenes confirms his brilliance as a director.

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I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

If anyone wants this movie on DVD right now I can get it for you for 50.00 Let me know.

I was not thrilled with the ending, but I think it was much better than the norm. People who thrive on happy endings are not real film fans.

In this case, I think an incomplete ending--like this one--was the only true way to end it. It kind of summed up the whole film in a nutshell. The more I have thought about this movie in retrospect, the more I like it. Definitely my favourite of the year so far.

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Rhonda

I don't know that anyone was -- remember, Li Mu Bai said that the underworld was full of "tigers and dragons" -- I think it's supposed to convey something to the effect of this: Li Mu Bai cannot escape his past as a warrior. He cannot simply retire -- even if he could bring himself to give it up, things would come back to haunt him.

As long as he is the best, there will be those who want to challenge him, kill him, etc.

I stand corrected. Here are some tidbits from IMDB:

I think the reference to Li Mu Bai not being able to escape his past is still entwined somewhere, given his comment about the underworld. It's obvious he cannot escape it.

As for who is what, and why: Lo is the crouching Tiger -- he attacks his prey in the wild and everything. Jen hides her idenity from many others -- so she is the hidden Dragon.

Why are you trying to rip people off! You can easily get it 20 bucks less off ebay, and I'm sure people could wait

Yeah, I will wait for a very long time before I buy it for 50 dollars!!

I have been reading many reviews of this film and I must say that I am confused. People seem to complain about the majority of the film, but then conclude their review by saying this is one of the better films they have ever seen. Personally I believe this is one of the finest movie going experiences I have ever been fortunate enough to have. I am not a huge fan of subtitles, but in this movie it's almost as if they are not there. The story works splendidly on all levels, though I did think that Jen's flashback was a bit drawn out. Now that I think about it, that is my only complaint with the entire film, and it's a small one at that. The action sequences in this film were truly breathtaking. I heard many people complaining in the theater that things were too unrealistic for their likings, but to me the surreal abilities of the combatants was breathtaking. I have heard this film labeled as a love story, an action movie, and a comedy but one category seems to be lacking; fantasy. The action sequences in this film are second to none. The only computer effects were those used to remove the wires from sight. The scene of Jen and Li flying through the trees was simply amazing. The grace and abilities of these actors was phenomenal. I recently rewatched "The Matrix" and compared its wire work to that done in this film. I have always thought the wire effects in "The Matrix" were spectacular, but after seeing this movie they pale in comparision. I can't recall one scene where it looked as if the actors were using their hands to brace themselves on the wire as they do in "The Matrix". This film is quite simply put, beautiful. The movements of the characters, the scenery, and the story combine to form one of the most breathtaking and awe inspiring cinematic experiences of my life.

10/10