Firstly, there's no way for me to write a completely objective review of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" because it is one of my absolute favorite films. Revealing itself during my formative years, I can see its undeniable effect on my art at every turn.
The immediate draw of the film is its visual style. Ang Lee has never been a director to shy away from adding a flare of drama to the image he puts onto the screen, even in his following films, "Hulk" (2003) and "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), there is a lush overgrowth of color that makes the image pop, like a serene watercolor painting.
"Crouching Tiger" shares this with a sort of muted quality that gives the appearance of age. A period film that doesn't need constant exposition reminders of its period because the image is constantly like looking through an old window to the past. The cast then brings in a quick and exciting opening to the film. Chow Yun-Fat's Li Mu Bai serves as the film's ultimate protagonist, a battle-weary warrior ready to lay his sword down for a more fulfilling life, but truly, the film centers around the dual female protagonist Yu Shu Lein and Jen Yu, played to perfection by Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi respectively. Yeoh, known already at the time for her incredible stunt work and riveting kung fu films, proves that she's not only the "female Jackie Chan" but a powerhouse actress, delivering a stellar performance that drips with restrained melodrama and refined wisdom. Alternatively, Ziyi, a relative newcomer, comes out the gates swinging with an equally impressive performance as a young woman struggling to break loose from her confinement, even at the detriment of all those around her. The supporting cast is nothing to scoff at, either. Chang Chen's Lo "Dark Cloud" provides humor and heart as a lover who is transformed by Jen's love, and Cheng Pei-Pei gives the performance of a lifetime as the sinister but broken Jade Fox. It's characters like Jade Fox that set "Crouching Tiger apart from other films like it. While many were probably quick to dismiss the film as just another kung fu flick, its heart lies not in its action but rather in its storytelling that weaves three women's passion, disappointment, and resentment of the world around them into one tale of epic drama. Not too dissimilar to the structure of an opera, "Crouching Tiger" brings all the typical components of one: soaring and forbidden loves, daring duels, and, of course, death. The story of "Crouching Tiger," as I said before, follows mostly Yeoh and Ziyi's characters. Yu Shu Lien is an older woman whose life of swashbuckling adventures has given her some freedoms but kept her from acting upon her reciprocated love for Li Mu Bai, and Jen is a younger woman of noble status whose love for adventure and freedom has her acting out against her arranged marriage in an attempt to make a life for herself and her love for Lo. Add in the complexity of Jade Fox, who was a once hopeful student of Li Mu Bai's school of warrior monks but rejected from being taught because of her gender but accepted to be slept with, but now a (no pun intended) jaded warrior who uses her resentment to fuel Jen's self-destructive behavior and you have the trappings of an epic and fulfilling story that will (and has) stand the test of time. The last but certainly not least element that comes together is the music. Composed by Tan Dun with cello played by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the sound of "Crouching Tiger" really aids in telling the story of melancholy and emotions that live just beneath the surface. A gorgeous film with a supreme cast acting out an incredibly sharp and profound script with music that sets the tone perfectly in every scene. There is little to criticize "Crouching Tiger" on. It is a product of its time but also timeless. Its sword fights are as exciting as its captivating dialogue between the characters. Relentless in its pursuit of capturing that dull ache of love deep in the soul. My Verdict: 10/10
コメント