Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)
Average Rating: 8.6/10
Reviews Counted: 148
Fresh: 144 | Rotten: 4
The movie that catapulted Ang Lee into the ranks of upper echelon Hollywood filmmakers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama.
Average Rating: 8.4/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 34 | Rotten: 1
The movie that catapulted Ang Lee into the ranks of upper echelon Hollywood filmmakers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 394,447
My Rating
Movie Info
Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee took a break from making Western period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly martial arts spectacular featuring special effects and action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of The Matrix (1999), Yuen Woo Ping. In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Yun-Fat Chow
Li Mu Bai -
Michelle Yeoh
Yui Hsui Lien -
Ziyi Zhang
Jen -
Chen Chang
Lo -
Sihung Lung
Sir Te -
Pei-pei Cheng
Jade Fox -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (163) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (150) | Rotten (4) | DVD (43)
The smartest and smartest-looking action movie of the year.
Top CriticIt's abundantly clear that Lee, in conjunction with fight choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping (famed for The Matrix), has brought to these standard tropes his own elevating, near-feline sensibilities.
Chow reveals astonishing depths. But the revelation is Yeoh.
It's rare to find a film that satisfies our craving for pop while giving us the transcendence of poetry.
High art meets high spirits in a rapturously romantic epic that really kicks butt.
You need a roadmap to find the hidden masterpiece.
Ang Lee's crowd-pleasing martial arts actioner is captivating and thrilling from beginning to end.
Amazing, magical martial arts fairy tale.
There's an ethereal dramatic effect here that transcends a primary function of imagination and storytelling.
Often imitated, never equaled, "Crouching Tiger" soars because it showcases culture as much as cutting-edge martial arts. Unfinished business, unspoken passions and unwanted prejudices stand beside fists (and feet) of fury in a lyrical film.
Lee brought a distinct elegance to the wuxia genre of mythic, lyrical martial arts pictures...a breathtaking visual and emotional experience for the viewer...[Blu-ray]
The movie is good, sometimes very good, but I suspect it's a masterpiece only for those who haven't seen all the earlier masterpieces that equal or surpass it.
With his latest film, Lee has created a lyrical fairy tale for adults, a sublime synthesis of martial arts action with dramatic sophistication.
The film has so many different elements that there's enough in it to appeal to almost everyone.
...my expectations were high, and I wasn't disappointed.
Lo and behold. An action movie that isn't about 'seize the day' or 'follow your heart' opportunism.
It's a feeling akin to seeing Peter Pan fly for the first time or watching the first light-saber duel in Star Wars.
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon mixes In the Mood for Love's unobtainable romance with Dancer in the Dark's selfless-to-the-end philosophy.
Audience Reviews for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
What brought CROUCHING TIGER out of its hole were the combat sequences. Unlike in other martial arts flicks, the slow-mo shots aren't put to an aggravating overuse, but rather used sparingly and just when we least expect. Not to mention Tan Dun's music, which works well just as well for dramatic scenes (ocarina music) as it does with such intense scenes (full orchestral music).
Super Reviewer
-
- Sir Te: When it comes to emotions, even great heroes can be idiots.
-
- Sir Te: When will this end? They take it, they put it back, they take it again. My home is turning into a warehouse.
-
- Yui Hsui Lien: Mr. Wong, I have lost my travelers checks.
-
- Li Mu Bai: A sword by itself rules nothing. It only comes alive in skilled hands.
-
- Li Mu Bai: I would rather be a ghost drifting by your side as a condemned soul than enter heaven without you... because of your love, I will never be a lonely spirit
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon yet.
Latest News on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
September 13, 2006:
Yeoh Joins "True North" and "Babylon A.D."When we last saw Michelle Yeoh on the big screen, she was teaching Zhang Ziyi the finer points of...
September 13, 2006:
TORONTO: Zhang Ziyi, Yuen Woo-Ping's Latest "Banquet" Not Very FulfillingZhang Ziyi and action director Yuen Woo-Ping last worked together in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden...
September 5, 2006:
Solid Cast for John Woo's New "Battle"John Woo is settling in on the early stages of his next moviie, "The Battle of Red Cliff,"...
What's Hot On RT
Gatsby Is Style Over Substance
Blockbuster news and reviews
Movies Directed by Tyler Perry
A gallery of classic books on film
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: The Great Gatsby is a Case of Style Over Substance 34
- Video Interview: Peeples cast Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, and more 0
- Total Recall: Movies Directed by Tyler Perry 74
- Parental Guidance: The Great Gatsby, Jack Reacher, and Safe Haven 9
- Video Interview: Aftershock Producer Eli Roth 4
- Ray Harryhausen: 1920-2013 33
- Digital Multiplex: Cloud Atlas, Pulp Fiction and more 5
Top Headlines
-
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto Star Trek Into Darkness Interview
0
-
Marvel President Kevin Feige Talks Avengers 2, Doctor Strange, and More
1
-
Disney Announces Animated Marvel Project Big Hero 6
0
-
Jurassic Park 4 on Hold
0
-
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Gets a Synopsis
0
-
Alicia Vikander Joins The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
0
-
Robert Redford Laces Up for A Walk in the Woods
0
Fresh Links
Featured
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
10 Best Movie Trilogies
Pretty self-explanatory here; HitFix offers up their favorite trilogies of all time.
10 Jilted Movie Grooms
Feeling a little sappy? Here are 10 movie grooms who were left at the altar.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
30 Greatest Rock & Roll Movie Moments
Rolling Stone boldly proclaims the rockin'-est moments in cinema.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (DE)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (UK)
Ang Lee has always been talented when it comes to a human drama and this film is not an exception. While Lee captures some perfectly choreographed sworfights to his camera, the film's beating heart is it's heartbreakingly told romance between it's main characters.
This film is not just about the action, it is a film that has surprisingly lot to say about human nature itself. Still, tons of credit must be given for famous fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping whose fighting choreographs are beautiful mix of martial arts and ballet-like movements. I admire highly the amounts of work and detail that Lee and Wo Ping has put to into the films fight sequences. They are nothing short of breathtaking.
Some people has been critical towards this film's wuxia theme, but like all genres in filmmaking, wuxia is no different from sci-fi, fantasy or horror. It is a genre amongst other. For narrow-minded viewer or perhaps for major part of western audiences wuxia might feel too unfamiliar with it's gravity defying sword battles but i still suggest strongly to keep an open mind and let this film take you in for a one emotionally striking adventure.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is epic and impressive filmmaking. It is also a good example of how to mix melodrama and action perfectly together. Screenplay by Wang Hui Ling, James Schamus and Kuo Jung Tsai is gorgeous piece of writing. It is full of poetic dialogue and finds enough balance between drama, action and romance. Same compliment goes for Peter Pau's fantastic cinematography and Tan Dun's tender and beautiful score featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma's wailing cello that strikes straight to the human heart and soul.
Ang Lee has so many interesting underlying themes at work here. There are some serious philosophical questions and huge decisions in life that these characters has to face before the film comes to its devastating end. There are not that many directors who can capture sense of romance, yearning and loss as heartbreakingly as Lee does.
Lee's filmography is without a doubt full of solid films like The Ice Storm, Hulk and most recently his powerful Life of Pi. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is easily up there amongst his most assured works.