I'm a sucker for martial arts movies. I have
been for as long as I can remember. Even those with the flimsiest
of plots and worst acting can be thrilling if the fight scenes
are good (Bloodsport is an example).
Many martial arts movies aren't that far removed
from popular musicals of yesteryear. Often, just like fight
flicks, musicals use thin plots solely as a thread to hang the
action from. The fight scenes in martial arts movies, like the
dance numbers, require complex choreography and perfect timing.
Unfortunately, these movies haven't been given the same respect
that many musicals have, at least in this country.
The recent popularity of big name martial
arts stars, such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li have helped to change
this attitude, paving the way high budget martial arts films
featuring big name stars, decent acting and complex plots. The
Matrix, anyone?
The time was right, then, to re-introduce
American audiences to a martial arts film done the Asian way.
In Asia, these films are big business, afforded the same level
of clout that such films like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and The
Terminator are in this country. Furthermore, these films serve
as fables for the Asian culture, using superhuman abilities
to describe human desires. The genre is called Wuxia. Think
of combining King Arthur with Superman and you have a very basic
understanding of the genre.
This is where Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
comes in. At first, the plot may seem no more complicated than
any other martial arts movie: An ancient, mystical sword is
stolen, forcing its former owner to come out of retirement to
retrieve it. Yet, like life itself, not everything is as it
seems. True, the recovery of the sword is what drives the story
along, but it's really a tale of human drama.
Take, for example, the retired Wudan master
Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and his long-time friend Yu Shu Lien
(Michelle Yeoh). We join them at the cusp of realizing their
true feelings for each other, while at the same time struggling
with the restrictions of their culture. Yu Shu Lien's fiancé
died before they were married; yet according to custom, she
is considered widowed and forbidden from giving affection to
another man. Li Mu Bai knows this and is reluctant to show Yu
Shu Lien his growing feelings toward her. Their relationship
at this point is bittersweet -- each suspects the feelings of
the other, yet neither of them can act upon them.
We are also introduced to Jen, who has been
arranged into marriage to improve her family's status. This
was not an uncommon practice, but the problem is that Jen is
in love with another - also not uncommon. She's dissatisfied
with the life she's expected to lead, so she works to reinvent
herself in secret.
The martial arts sequences appear to be as
much an expression of the characters' desires and frustrations
as they are literal confrontations. When Jen and Yu Shu Lien
fight, they are lashing out against a system that dictates who
they can and cannot love as well as fighting each other.
I can't review this film without commenting
on the martial arts sequences. They are nothing short of spectacular.
Whether or not these are the best fight scenes committed to
film is debatable, but they certainly rank among the best sequences
ever seen by American audiences. The action, it should be noted,
was choreographed by Yeun Wo Ping. We saw what this man could
do with untrained actors in The Matrix; this is what he can
accomplish with skilled martial artists.
