Article April 30, 2001 Issue

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: fantastic fantasy

By Stephen Humphries

This isn't a regular "Kung fu" type martial arts movie where the characters' mouths talk out of sync with the dubbed English voiceovers. In fact, this is a karate movie for people who don't even like karate.

In this fantasy set in 18th-century China, the characters are magically able to defy gravity and glide through bamboo forests, or skim along the rooftops of Beijing, where much of the story is set. The surprisingly non-violent action sequences—an exquisite blend of fluid gymnastics and ballet-like movement—are so breathtakingly choreographed that the makers of the film The Matrix will be scurrying back to the drawing board before doing the sequel.

But what seems to have made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon such a hit with audiences and critics alike isn't just the action sequences. Equally as compelling is a story heavy with mythological overtones and lessons worth learning.