Defying Gravity
First of all, I would like to apologize. This is actually my 207th review, not my 206th.
I believe I can fly! Filled with unbelievable high-flying, sword-slashing stunts, great cinematography, a wonderful script and beautiful art direction, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for me is one of the best foreign language film bar none. It may not be the best movie ever, nevertheless, it provides viewers with enough kicks to please the action crowd and at the same time, wow the critics with it’s deep dialogues.
It’s been 10 years since this movie was released, and suffice to say I couldn’t remember what happened in this film way back when I was about six years old. Good thing I had the urge to watch this again, or I could’ve missed watching a good action movie. This is the action movie of the century. There had been many sword-themed action films in the past 10 years, but I don’t think I can remember a film where the actors and stuntmen had more skills that in this one.
The actors, as you’d expect, are great. Zhang Ziyi is both eye-candy and the focal point of the movie. She takes the spotlight as her then-youthful appearance allured the hearts of many men, mine included. You could consider this as her breakout movie, as she was able to move on to Hollywood films over the next few years. Aside from Ziyi, Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeo were also pretty good, although they didn’t shine enough as to be loved by many.
The stunts! They were amazing, albeit impossible. How could people balance in bamboo trees? How could they walk on the walls ala Prince of Persia? How could they jump (or fly) so high while defying gravity? After a few minutes, I decided to disregard its stupidity, sit back, and relax as the actors showcased their talents. In the end, it paid off.
GRADE: B
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