, who never makes the same movie twice, has described it as an idealized fantasy of the Hong Kong martial arts Þlms he grew up watching as a boy in Taiwan. But thereÕs more drama and fairy-tale beauty here than in the Hong Kong variety. Even the martial arts are different.The Hong Kong movies mostly favor the explosive, eruptive shaolin style of Þghting. The wu dang style favored by Lee is more ßowing and mystical liberating the Þghter through a philosophy of detachment that exempts him or her from the gravitational pull of the world. Here, it raises the bar for action sequences all the way to the ionosphere. It repeals the law of gravity.
Certainly, youÕve never seen combat more liberated than that on view here. ThereÕs something dreamy about it, yet itÕs exhilarating to watch. You know the combatants are on wires they would have to be in order to run up and over the sides of high walls, or vault from treetop to treetop using the bent trees as catapults. But the wires become as unimportant as they are invisible.
We buy into the idea that these highly evolved wu dang warriors are soaring above the universe because they have detached themselves from it. Watching them soar and ßoat through their routines, you realize that this was one of the reasons movies were invented.
Chow Yun FatÕs Li Mu Bai is a wizard so advanced that he moves like air, armed with a sword. The actor admits entering the Þlm knowing nothing about the kind of sword Þghting we see here (a stolen jade sword that belonged to his late master provides the pretext for the pursuits). But the real star is that high priest of Þght choreography, Yuen Wo-Ping who literally launched Jackie Chan and Jet Li. He gave ``The MatrixÕÕ its moves and now he serves up a martial arts ``Matrix.ÕÕ His characters all but eat their surrounding space, in three dimensions, majestically. To them, walls and roofs and treetops are the merest of speed bumps, to be hurdled with insolent ease. Yet whatÕs most impressive about ChowÕs Li is that he moves with the centered, unhurried grace of a master, making his combat look effortless as well as airborne.Even more fun to watch is Michelle YeohÕs comrade in arms, Yu Shu LienSheÕs just as spectacular in her moves and the character she plays - a warrior who supports herself by running her own security agency - is spunkier and less detached than ChowÕs. But then women have rather the best of it in ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.ÕÕ In fact, itÕs the pace-setting womenÕs empowerment Þlm of the new millennium. The women can do anything the men can do, and there are more of them. In addition to YeohÕs Yu, whose love for Li is obvious to everyone but him, thereÕs Zhang Ziyi as the next Taoist martial arts virtuoso-to-be, Jen YuIn the end, Jen takes the same kind of mystical plunge as Li. If the latter turns into the ÞlmÕs Obi Wan Kenobi, Jen is its Luke Skywalker, a prodigy who hasnÕt yet reached full growth or awareness. She begins as a disciple of the closest thing the Þlm has to a heavy, Cheng Pei PeiÕs Jade Fox, a woman exploited and scorned, then drummed out of the wu dang clan by LiÕs late master, whom she murdered. She has ample reason for feeling vengeful, and sheÕs even more admirable for bravely and Þercely going up against Li without having learned the ultimate magical techniques he has.
Not that she has attained the enlightenment necessary to plug into them.
Still, sheÕs a spicy plus in the ÞlmÕs overall asceticism.
Chang Chen as JenÕs game and gamy lover, Lo, is another. Still, Zhang is going to be the one generating the biggest headlines here. As the next generationÕs torch carrier, and yet as a young woman still in process, with glints of tentativeness in her eyes, Zhang projects a more layered appeal than the action genre is used to. But then ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonÕÕ deepens and expands and reimagines the genre in lyrical and exhilarating ways. Now that Lee has shown us this new realm, kickfests in the back alleys of Hong Kong are never going to seem the same. The breathtaking ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonÕÕ teaches motion pictures a few new things about motion. Watching it is a nonstop high.CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Directed by: Ang Lee< Screenplay by: James Schamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung (novel: Wang Du Lu)< Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Lung Sihung, Cheng Pei Pei< Running time: 119 minutes (in Mandarin with subtitles)< Rated: PG-13 (martial arts violence and some sexuality)
By JAY CARR The Boston Globe
Taiwan unveils nominees for Chinese Oscars (2005-10-18)Director Ang Lee Dazzles on Countdown to Oscars (2001-03-26)Movie Review: High flying 'Tiger' trips the martial arts fantastic (2000-12-30)At the Movies: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000-12-10)Photo: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (7) (2000-11-19)
