rarely has a movie affected me as much as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

i absolutely loved this movie.

Chow Yun Fat is excellent as Li Mu Bai, the reluctant warrior who seeks peace, and entrusts his legendary 400 year old 'Green Destiny' blade to fellow hero, and long-suppressed love, Yu Shu Lien (played by the very talented, and beautiful Michelle Yeoh).

The blade is subsequently stolen by a masked female thief, who is chased by Shu Lien, in a breathtaking sequence that had the audience laughing and cheering in delight. the thief is ostensibly an ally of Jade Fox, the woman who murdered Li Mu Bai's master, and whom Li has sworn revenge upon.

Li and Shu Lien also become involved with the Governor's daughter, Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi, who is absolutely gorgeous), and bandit named Lo (Chang Chen), who are involved in a surely doomed love affair, as Jen Yu is to be married to another..

the martial arts choreography by Yuen Woo Ping (yes, he did 'the Matrix', but he's been a legendary choreographer/director in HK for YEARS) is jaw-droppingly awesome. It really is more of a swordsplay movie than a traditional kung fu flick and, as such, the heroes perform many balletic, gravity-defying moves - 'flying' from roof to roof, fighting on tree branches, way up high.. this movie features some of the best wire-work ever filmed.

brilliantly directed with exquisite cinematography, a haunting score, incredible kung fu choreography, and featuring wonderfully rich and nuanced performances from it's superior cast, this movie easily gets my vote for best movie of 2000. (and would be high on my list of best movies of all time - yes, it's THAT good).


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