Also a better love story than The Notebook
YES
Release Date: July 7, 2000
Director: Ang Lee
Language: Mandarin
Who should watch this movie: Fans of action. Fans of Jet Li. Folks who were really let down by the Wonder Woman movie and are looking for a real “girl power” movie that doesn’t suck.
When should you watch this movie: With family and/or friends, unless you’re down to say “oh damn” out loud to yourself while watching.
The sell: Let’s! Talk! About! Action! This is my favorite action movie and it should be yours too. There are many kinds of action. There is the classic explosion/car chase/gun fight version, the freak of nature/human weapon version (a la Die hard, Rambo, Conan the barbarian etc.), and the close quarters/shaky cam version perfected by the Bourne series. The genre of martial arts movies is wide and contains examples of all of these action styles, leveled up with impressive stunts and acrobatics. Yet rarely is action so goddamn gorgeous as it is in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Say what you will about the aestheticization of violence, this movie is stunning and I’m not apologizing for it. The action is expressive, emotional, and smart. Every confrontation has a distinct mood that cannot simply be attributed to scenic location. There is personality in every move, so much so that it almost feels like dialogue. This movie is as much character driven as it is action driven and it is thrilling from start to finish.
