Review of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Introduction

Croughing Tiger was the suprise hit of last year, with Ang Lee`s atypical martial arts masterpiece taking the western world by storm.

The film, based on a story by Wang Du Lu follows the exploits of two warriors as they try to reclaim a stolen sword and apprehend the notorious criminal Jade Fox....

Ang Lee gathered together some of the best people in the Hong Kong movie business to make this film and it shows!

For a slightly different take on this movie, read Michael`s review of the Region 3 version here.

Video

For a recent release it`s not perfect. Having become somewhat used to the flawlwss transfers of recent Hollywood blockbusters, I was slightly disappointed to see evidence of dust on the print. Then the cinematography kicked in and it didn`t matter anymore.....

So, yes there`s some dust, and there`s still a slight muddy feel to some of the blacks on occasion like the Region 3 version but otherwise it`s an excellent anamorphic transfer that won`t disappoint

Audio

Excellent, the 5.1 Dolby Digital track is well put together. The fighters rush about the soundspace accurately and the dialogue is always crisp and clear. I watched this in both Chinese with subtitles (as I had at the cinema) and also with the English dubbing - the dubbing is good but I`d recommend the original dialogue.

The score by Tan Dun is superlative and totally deserving of the Oscar and the cello playing by Yo-Yo Ma magnificent (as always!).

Features

A good selection of extras here, barring the standard trailers (why do we need a trailer of a film we`ve already bought?)

The DVD menu is nicely put together, with sections from the movie taking you from one menu to another, all very slick.

There`s an excellent (english) commentary by James Schamus (writer and producer) and Ang Lee in which they mostly discuss strange aspects of the film and then regularly take the pith - all very entertaining, informative and strangely riveting. However they do tend to meander off the plot into anecdotes rather than actually discussing what`s happening on the screen - usually just when I want to know something.
At no point do they discuss the colour of people`s tents (as happens in Vertical Limit)

The featurettes are also good, giving some insight into the art of making such a complex martial arts movie - and how they put the Matrix to shame ;)

Also included are filmographies and an above average photo gallery

Conclusion

This has been called one of the most beautiful movies ever made and it more than earns that tag. The landscapes are fantastic, the sets superb and the feel of the movie just right. Couple this to some great acting, an Oscar-winning score and you have one hell of a movie ;)

Unlike certain films I can think of (OK, Titanic and Star Wars Episode 1 off the top of my head) this lives up to the hype. It`s not a typical martial arts movie and it`s quite long but you`ll be glued to your seats for the whole two hours and then you`ll watch it again.

Thoroughly recommended - one of my favourite films from the last year and, dare I say it, better than Gladiator.