fredroyer I went to see this 5 times, I was living in Toms River NJ at the time and the closest theater was at the other end of the state in Princeton, 50 miles away. So I went back once a week to see it 4 more times, that is how much I loved it. This film has so many meanings on so many levels only the most astute viewer would be able to capture them all on one viewing. Two things stand out for me here:The camera dances. I saw this film before I saw "Ride With the Devil" and the camera dances there, as well. Lee makes his camera an extra, unseen character, who can go where we can't. Compare this camera to the boring, stationary camera George Lucas liked to use over and over in his prequel trilogies. Now imagine a Star Wars lightsaber fight in the hands of Ang Lee.The other thing is how Lee will let the scenes breathe with nature in the background. A couple of instances come to mind but consider the first main fight scene. Right before the battle starts, Lee cuts to a shot of a tree with the moon behind, and hundreds of bats take flight. That's the eye of a master film maker at work.

Paul J. Nemecek Critics have bemoaned the lack of quality in the films turned out in the year just past. With the exception of a few epic films like Gladiator and The Patriot, Steven Soderbergh's two films Erin Brockovich and Traffic, and some lesser known "art films" like Billy Elliot and You Can Count on Me, quality films have been in short supply. The really notable exception to this year's drought is Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.I saw this film over Christmas break in Washington D.C. To say that the audience was captivated would be a significant understatement. On two separate occasions the audience burst into applause in the middle of the film. They don't make them like they used to, but once in a while they make them even better.This may seem like an odd film for Ang Lee whose previous credits include Sense and Sensibility. What makes this film exceptional is that it combines the sensibilities of the romance film with the sensory ecstasy of a ballet. This film is frequently compared to The Matrix and the martial arts choreography is done by the same person--Yuen Wo-Ping. At many points the choreography is closer in style to the kinetic grace of ballet than to the rough-and-tumble action of the traditional fight scene.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of those films that has something for everyone. This is a traditional hero's quest where the central characters are trying to find a stolen sword that has great symbolic meaning for the characters. Unlike most Westerns or Samurai films wherein women are little more than moveable props, the women here are strong central characters in their own right. Romance is really at the center of the film and Ang Lee handles this part of the story with the same graceful unfolding that made Sense and Sensibility such an excellent film. Like The Matrix there are meanings at deeper levels where we find Jungian shadows, Yin and Yang, and almost anything else you want to look for.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has already won a number of awards including Golden Globes for best foreign language film and best director. Look for it to feature prominently in the Academy Award nominations. It may well become the third foreign language film in the past decade--Life is Beautiful and Il Postino being the other two--to be nominated for best picture. Whatever its destiny at the Academy Awards, this is clearly one of the best films of the year and is definitely worth a look.

krause-29843 I don't know why it took me this long to watch this movie. WOW! I don't know where to begin. I suppose with the characters and their archetypes. In my assessment: Master Li Mu Bai would be the sage. The reason why, is because he was, at any time, able to kill Jen Yu. Instead, he wanted to teach and show her the way. Which, in the end, he did. Yu Shu Lien would be the caregiver and the hero. Caregiver, because she looked after the well-being of Jen Yu. The Hero because in the end, she sacrificed the love of her life (Li Mu Bai) in a way to teach Jen Yu a lesson. The lesson being, because Jen Yu wanted to be just like Yu Shu Lien, was: Don't waste your life or the opportunity to love for the sake of duty. Breaking tradition is necessary to stay true to yourself. Jen Yu would be the shapeshifter simply because you don't know what side she's going to wind up on. Not too far into the movie does it reveal her alliance with Jade Fox. However, at the same time she wants Yu Shun Lien to be close to her like a sister would be. It's not until the very end, we see that she finally listens to Yu Shun Lien "sisterly" advise and tells her to live her life and to follow her heart. Basically, Yu Shun Lien was telling Jen Yu not to make the same mistake she did in not expressing her true feelings to the person she loves. Lo 'Dark Cloud' would be both the Outlaw and the Lover. The outlaw because he does not come from the same life style as Jen Yu. He is called/known as the Dark Cloud because of the ruthless, barbarian ways to stay alive in the desert. However, being an orphan, he longs for the "one bright star" which turns out to be Jen Yu. Lo and Jen Yu were truly in love with each other. Jade Fox was, in a general sense the, the villain. However, if we take a deeper look in her different archetypes, she would be known as the Sage, Caregiver, and Outlaw. The Sage because she was very wise and tried to teach Jen Yu her ways (even though Jen Yu would eventually surpass her in power and ability). The Caregiver because she looked after Jen Yu in ways as a mother, teacher, or guardian would. The Outlaw because she is wanted by highly respected people. This movie was one big lesson filled with excitement and regular beats all the way up the act structure and down the resolution slide. The main lesson I took away from it is to not waste your opportunity in life to love in the name of duty. What I loved about this movie was the regular beats up the act structure. While it was difficult to watch the scenes with dialog, because of having the distraction of having to read subtitles, they usually didn't have much action in them. So, you weren't missing much, visually. Note: the scenes with dialog weren't too long. So, the audience would not get bored with having to listen for too long. While the dialog wasn't too long, they were still able to accomplish a lot of expression without over using words or extended explanations. The choreography of the fight scenes was incredible. The best fight scenes I think I've ever seen. It was difficult to see the same move performed twice. It seemed every scene, location, and scenario of a fight was fascinating. I mean, the fight in the trees? Beautiful! This movie is clearly obvious as to why it would be known as an artistic film. The message is creatively deep, as well as visually. By. Malcolm Krause

Daniel This is a typical Ang Lee movie, complete with slow pacing, melodrama, a random, rambling plot, and good visuals and fight scenes. Also very Ang Lee, the characters act in strange and illogical ways. For example, in the scene when the bandits attack Jen Yu's caravan, they kill a few unfortunate guards and run away for no apparent reason. After chasing the bandit leader for days (I guess?) in order to retrieve her comb, Jen Yu then jumps in the sack with him way, way too quickly. And the melodramatic ending when Jen presumably commits suicide-- why is she even doing this? Is she so regretful of Li Mu Bai's death? Does she miss her assassin governess? 我受不了。