Rating: 
Summary: Not your ordinary kung fu movie
Review: Actually, martial arts is incidental. The story revolves around trust, love, and hope. With a deep, stirring score, I can't help thinking about my friends and loved ones, and my contentious relationship with my own self.Watch the movie, and see beyond the martial arts. Those who just expect standard kung fu fare would be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I've heard so much about this movie, but knew that I'd have to rent it on my own and watch it because of the subtitles...with anybody else, there would be too many interruptions. To start, this movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, which automatically makes you think that this has to be one good movie. (It won 4 in the end.) After watching this movie, I decided that it deserved best picture for sure, and that Gladiator somehow got lucky, because this was by far the best movie released last year. For starters, the action is breath-taking. After the first few minutes of saying to yourself, "That's impossible!", you realize that you didn't find it so impossible in "The Matrix", a movie very similar to this in many ways. The cinematography was excellent--and it has an Oscar to prove it--and the set designs were brilliant, as were the costumes. I can't say much about the acting because the entire film is in Chinese, and they could be the worst actors I have ever seen and not even realize it. But they're tremendously good in the fight scenes, and they're just too real to believe at some points. (When they're not literally flying through the sky.) All in all, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a fantastic movie...my only complaint is that I didn't wait 'till yesterday to rent it! To sum it all up, great acting, sets, action, story, and a fine script...what else can a movie deliver? The answer, of course, is nothing. You don't have to be a fan of foreign films to enjoy this one...I should know, because I'm not one of them. So rent it with an open mind and prepare to be blown away.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Masterpiece
Review: I must say I knew nothing about Chinese Films or Martial Arts, and my husband brought this movie home several times from the rental place before I took the time to actually watch it. But boy was I surprized! What I expected to be a long, tedious, boring Chinese martial arts film with subtitles (yuck, I said), turned out to be one of the most beautiful, action-packed cinematic treats I'd seen all year! I must say I was initally taken aback by the almost immediate display of roof-top flying and acrobatic martial arts ( I recognized Matrix-like effects right off the bat--but I couldn't stand that movie because I couldn't follow the story)--in Crouching Tiger these fighting scenes become a wonderful medium to showcase the talents of the stars and the unbelievable techniques now being seen in quite a few films (called 'wire-work'). In CTHD the wonderous ballet and martial arts displays highly enhanced the intricate and sublime emotions surrounding honor, women's roles in 1920's Peking (could be in ANY time), and the intense grip that love of a magical sword and Chow Yan Fat has on each of them. Once I realized that the movie centered around obtaining the magical ancient sword and it's incredible powers it became much easier for me to understand and I could focus on the charismatic performances and breathtaking scenery. Someone had said that the sequence in the desert depicting Zhang Zi Yi's romance with the wild bandit was boring--far from it! I thoroughly enjoyed this small slice of romance/love-making! It reminded me of the old westerns or perhaps Clint Eastwood meets Katharine Hepburn...a tough, beautifully smart and tough well-bred woman with the spirit of a unbroken filly takes on a wild-west gunslinger (no guns, here actually) and falls in love with him despite her hell-bent intent NOT to. Their love story is just a tangent off the main story surrounding the sword, but once it is introduced it becomes an integral part of the movie and the backbone of the intense emotion of the girl and her desire to keep going, keep the sword the win out in the end. All in all I was throughly delighted with this movie, and became oblivious to the Mandarin and didn't mind reading the subtitles at all. I almost forgot about it, actually...which is proof that the movie is so well made that the language barrier becomes completely insignificant and shouldn't scare off people who think they would not appreciate a Chinese movie with subtitles. It is sooooo much more than that! If you like action a la Indian Jones, love stories and beautiful cinematography--get this movie! Being a woman, I also must say I was entirely pleased to see a movie about incredibly strong women and loved the fact that it centered on these women and their strength, emotionally and PHYSICALLY. No wimpy women here, or men either. This movie kept my attention the entire time and I was still thinking about it for weeks after, entranced by it's beauty and magic. It was probably the only foreign film I saw all of last year, and it had to be the best. A beautiful experience!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding! Support good filmmaking
Review: Well, didn't know what to expect when I began watching this film; but after all the awards, I figured I'd see what folks were raving about. Let me just say, this film is worth every cent! Once into the film you're so pulled into the story that you'll never realize the cast switches to English. (NOTE TO SELF : They didn't!) That's how good the movie is. It's good to see a film that's not made with the American premise of a "feel good" ending. Though depending on your state of mind, you may feel either way regarding this. The actors are good. The story line, is good. The cinematography is good. Whether you grew up in the days of "loving-those-karate-flicks" or not, you'll appreciate the agility and acrobatic nature of the martial arts scenes, and you'll love the subtle overtones throughout the movie, the director gives you credit for being able to understand (unlike some movies that feel as though they've gotta spell it all out for 'ya). It's outstanding! Buy it! Support good filmmakking!
Rating:
Summary: Great Flick
Review: I loved this movie. One thing people have to remember is that this movie, while it has some stellar martial arts work, isn't just a martial arts flick. You gotta see this movie and watch it. By that I mean get engaged in the story and the characters. If you are thinking this is an action movie, yes there is action, but again, you will need to engage your brains, as opposed to letting it pummel you with FX. It is truly a movie that isn't easily categorized or chopped from the typical Hollywood cookie cutter approach to movies. For that I thank all of the people involved in this movie. I can't wait to see what Ang Lee does next.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, please...
Review: OK, people. If you want to get a grasp on how ineffective the educational system is in the United States, just read some of the reviews posted about this film. It's fine to not like a movie, but to dislike it because A) it's in Japanese!?!?!; B) the subtitles go by too fast!; or C) it's boring, are ludicrous at best. First, it's in Chinese (Duh). Secondly, if you can read beyond a second grade level, the subtitles will be fine for you (not to mention the fact that a dubbed version, though not great, is available). And thirdly, it's boring? You have GOT to be kidding. Of course, that would be the opinion of kids weaned on what Hollywood pumps down their throats these days. There aren't any car chases and massive explosions or blood and gore, so it MUST be boring. Look, I don't mean to be elitist here. This movie is certainly not for everyone. I think it's a masterpiece in nearly every way and deservedly won Oscars in many categories and should have won Best Picture. If you are capable of understanding that this is set in a culture far different than ours here in the States and your patience is not severly tested by actually having to pay attention to what's going on, you'll like this film. Don't go in expecting "Enter The Dragon" (a good film in its own right) because you will be disappointed. And if you want to write a negative review, please do. But, please back up your points with credible reasons why.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Martial Arts / Romance story
Review: This is a great movie. It reminds me of "Braveheart" in that it was romantic enough to take my girlfriend to the movies but then at the same time it had enough action to keep me awake. To me it is a very classical Chinese love story, very tragical mixed with traditional Chinese values and awesome Martial Arts scenes. Remember those Chinese movies from way back in the 70's that had the dubbed English delay by a second or two? and those awesome fighting scenes.... well, they caught up with this movie. It is absolutely artfully done. We'll be talking about it for quite a bit. I hope the same director and actors / actresses get together again for another one. Well done !!!
Rating:
Summary: A master piece and view of Chinese culture
Review: Having read a lot of reviews about CTHD, a lot of people miss the whole point. Many love the movie and find it breath taking, but I can't help feel sad some are missing the message. In chinese culture, flying around, supernatural martial arts and walking on bamboo is an integral part of the culture. In the same way comics permeate American culture, martial arts touches every part of dailey life. The deeper message of personal vs social, good vs evil, and order vs chaos are universal conflicts. Although the names, powers and costumes are different, the conflicts are the same. I love the movie and find it paints a delicate portrait of what it means to be an individual in chinese culture. Individualism is always tempered by society, but the manifestation depends on the location. A lot of reviews criticize the movie's long dialogs on taoism, but it would be like a movie about jesus christ that never mentions christianity. Within the dialog is the subtext of repressed emotions and hidden desires. Many people find it pointless and stupid because American culture believes in individual expression. The poetry of the dialog is aparent to those who know the language. Translating chinese poetry is nearly impossible, even though some of the greatest American writers spend their entire lives striving to achieve it. The structure and syntax of chinese language is completely different. Things like conjugation, past perfect, present perfect and past perfect do not exist in chinese. CTHD provides a glimpse into chinese culture better than any other movie to date.
Rating:
Summary: Cringing Eagle, Hidden Bacon
Review: Mandarin is the language spoken by the most people on earth. Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat have accurately been described by Time magazine and other publications as probably the two biggest movie stars on the face of this planet, with an international viewership and face recognition far, far surpassing any Hollywood movie star. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's genre was it's only detriment in most parts of Asia, most viewers failing to recognise the sophistication brought to the movie and the elevation of the genre to a rare, rare plane (which in effect, almost renders the rest of the genre redundant), but instead chose recognised the superficial trappings and similiarities to other martial arts movies set in an indefinite prehistory, most of which are quite disastrous efforts in themselves. Guilt by association, it seems. It is pleasing that a non-american film was given recognition at the Oscars, although with more than a hint of patronism. Most of the people who gave bad reviews here on amazon.com seem to do so from a position of [...]. By no means am I suggesting that everyone has to like the movie, but in scanning through the reviews, [...]. Isn't it ironic that most of those who panned the movie for being in a "foreign language" seem to have trouble with the grammar and spelling of the English language anyway. Most Americans that I have met are fair and open-minded people, with an ability for adaptation and assimilation you would expect from a country built on immigration. The small-minded, significant minority, who think that America is the world and are oblivious to the global context, becoming almost racist in their views of the rest of the world, jeapordises the good name of America and lowers its standing in the eyes of the world.
Rating: 
Summary: A letdown.
Review: This is a frankly boring movie, unless you are trying to learn Chinese.
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