A chick flick that kicks butt, ``Crouching Tiger'' features female characters who are everything Aaron Spelling's heroines wish they could be - and more. They are strong and feminine, beautiful and intelligent, athletic and crafty. But they are only one reason why the film has received accolades at festivals worldwide.
There is nothing crouching or hidden about the Oscar buzz surrounding this tale of ancient China, and with good reason. Director Ang Lee (``The Wedding Banquet,'' ``Sense and Sensibility'') astonishes again, with an artist's eye for detail and imagery. He combines a love story with traditional Hong Kong martial arts to create one of this year's most visually memorable films. Our two superheroines first cross paths in Beijing. Legendary fighter Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) has asked Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a respected woman who runs a security agency, to deliver his 400-year-old sword, the Green Destiny, to his longtime friend Sir Te (Lung Sihung). Li says he has killed too many people with the sword. He wants to get rid of it and begin a more peaceful life. Jen (Zhang Ziyi), the governor's beautiful young daughter, is at Sir Te's house preparing for her upcoming arranged marriage. She quickly befriends Shu Lien, and is fascinated with the older woman's independent, adventurous life as a classically trained Wudan fighter. When a masked thief steals the Green Destiny, Shu Lien chases and confronts the criminal in the first of many battles beautifully choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping (``The Matrix''). As is standard in Hong Kong martial arts films, the characters fly around each other with seemingly little effort. But the director takes this technique to an extreme. Shu Lien and her skilled opponent soar through the air and scale brick walls in just a few steps. It is breathtaking to watch.
The thief gets away, but many suspect it is Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei), the infamous woman who killed Li's master. Shu Lien has her own suspicions, and much of the film is spent carefully revealing the thief's identity, as well as the romantic history between Li and Shu Lien.
Without revealing too many of the film's treasures, there are two scenes worth mentioning because they are heart-stopping to watch.
One takes place during a lengthy flashback sequence in which Jen recalls the forbidden love affair she had several years earlier with Lo (Chang Chen), the leader of a group of bandits. Jen and Lo have just met, and they are simultaneously repelled and intrigued by each other. They chase one another on horseback through the desert, firing arrows back and forth and ripping off each other's clothes. The other occurs as Li and the masked thief duel with swords while clinging to tall, swaying trees that are such a bright shade of green, they almost glow. Again, the fight is incredibly inventive.
Lee and cinematographer Peter Pau have skillfully combined color, light and shadows to create a hyper-reality; a romantic, misty never-never land, though one that's rooted in one of the most traditional movie settings.
But the film belongs to the women. Yeoh is simply radiant, the perfect choice for a film that refreshingly showcases female characters in a male-dominated society. And 21-year-old Zhang Ziyi, who was 19 when the film was shot, is a real find. She shows great range, stealing every scene she's in with her naive beauty and raw strength.
In the film's production notes, Lee says, ``It was a tremendous privilege for me to make this movie.''
No, Mr. Lee. The privilege is ours.
``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,'' a Sony Pictures Classics release, is in Mandarin with English subtitles. It is rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality. Running time: 119 minutes.
By CHRISTY LEMIRE
The Associated Press
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