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Don't miss this movie!!! - Five stars Some friends of mine were once debating what we thought the best song lyric was of all time. I knew what my favorite was and what it will always be: a lyric from a Janis Joplin song: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose…"
Who would guess this lyric would come to mind when watching any of the movies
this year, especially going to see what I thought might be a kung fu chop
socky flick. But "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" defied my expectations as
easily as it defied gravity in its many spectacular fight scenes. With lines
four blocks long, you'd think the Blair Witch had landed for this "art house"
flick. I knew something was up, "up" being the operative word. And don't ask
me because I have four words for ya: "Don't miss this movie!"
Newcomer Zhang Ziyi torches the screen as Jen, a free spirited girl who
leaves a joyful path of destruction with her amazing martial arts skills.
Xena fans: think Lao Ma as a wild punk ass girl with all her devastating
fighting skills and a Janis Joplin soul. It's even set during the Chin
Dynasty. Hmmm?!
For those of you who are worried about seeing some cartoonish kung fu crap,
no fears. This is the good stuff. Matter of fact, this is the great stuff.
We're talking Oscar here. And from what I understand, that's never happened.
No Chinese film ever received a Best Picture nomination. My prediction?
That's about to change.
Enough with the gushing… Our free spirited gal decides to steal a sword from
Li Mu-bai (Chow Yun Fat) who entrusts it to the girl he always carried a
torch for: Yu Shu-lien (Michelle Yeoh). Mu-bai and Shu-lien were part of the
same warrior clan, but Mu-bai's sense of disgrace over the loss of his master
never allowed him to seek the hand of the girl he loved. The simmering
tension between these two underscores the film's many themes: When is freedom
too much? Is detachment another mask for fear? Does freedom become another
prison when it's too violently pursued? When we deny others the right to
pursue their dreams, how much violence are we doing to ourselves and when
will the dog bite back?
The answer to this last question arrives in the delightful form of actress
Cheng Pei-pei who plays Jade Fox, the Master to our wild gal Jen. Jade Fox,
denied the right to enter the male warrior clans, struck off on her own. Her
revenge to this whole ridge system will delight any audience watching this
more-than-middle aged woman uncork it.
And the "uncorking" occurs in the breathtaking panoramic world of China with
its weeping forests and bustling humanity. The romance of the photography,
the romance of this film will tug on those sentimental hearts at the Motion
Picture Academy. No doubt. However, there's no overweening sentimentality
here, just plain cause and effect, longing and missed opportunities.
I could talk about the ballet of the fight scenes, but I won't. I don't want
to destroy the magic. It's too good. All I'll say is…
Wassup?
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"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Wassup?"
