Rating: PG13
Genre:
Adventure
Theatrical Release: 12/08/2000(USA
Release Date: 06/05/2001
SubTitles: English/French
Dubbed: Mandarin/English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DDS
Run Time: 120 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Questionable for Children, Suitable for Teens
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar
Taiwanese filmmaker
Ang Lee took a break from making Western
period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly
martial arts spectacular featuring special effects and
action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of
The Matrix (1999),
Yuen Woo Ping. In the early 19th century, martial arts master
Li Mu Bai (
Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by
Jade Fox (
Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled 400-year-old weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend, fellow martial arts wizard and secret love
Yu Shu Lien (
Michelle Yeoh), so that she may deliver it to
Sir Te (
Sihung Lung). Upon arrival in Peking,
Yu happens upon
Jen (
Zhang Ziyi), a vivacious, willful politician's daughter. That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with
Yu in hot pursuit -- resulting in the first of several
martial arts action set pieces during the film.
Li arrives in Beijing and eventually discovers that
Jen is not only the masked thief but is also in cahoots with the evil
Jade. In spite of this,
Li sees great talent in
Jen as a fighter and offers to school her in the finer points of martial arts and selflessness, an offer that
Jen promptly rebukes. This film was first screened to much acclaim at the
2000 Cannes,
Toronto, and
New York film festivals and became a favorite when Academy Awards nominations were announced in 2001:
Tiger snagged ten nods and later secured four wins for Best Cinematography, Score, Art Direction, and Foreign Language Film.
~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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