The name "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is a literal translation of the Chinese idiom "卧虎藏龙" (Wuo hu zhan long) which describes a place that is full of talented or extraordinary people who remain hidden and undiscovered, or simply means "talented or extraordinary people hidden from view". It is from a poem of the ancient Chinese poet Yu Xin (513-581) that reads "暗石疑藏虎，盘根似卧龙", meaning "behind the rock in the dark likely hides a tiger, and the coiling giant root resembles a crouching dragon."

The famous ancient strategist Zhuge Liang (181–234) had a nickname called 诸葛卧龙 (Zhu Ge Wo Long). Zhu Ge is the family name. Wo Long is Crouching Dragon. The story is that before he was invited to be the chancellor of Liu Bei, the Shu's king, Zhuge Liang was a hermit living in Longzhong as a regular farmer. But Liu heard his name and knew he got great talent and capability, so Liu visited him for three times hoping that he could be Liu's strategist. After refusing Liu twice, Liang came to be touched by Liu's caring for the people and his sincerity and accepted his invitation at the third time. Now you know why he was called 诸葛卧龙.

In the movie, the female protagonist Jen's nickname, Jiaolong, is "delicate dragon" in Chinese. And Lo's name, Xiaohu, means "little tiger". So the title means all the main characters (the talented and extraordinary) generally as well as Jen and Lo specifically.

Mythic, romantic kung-fu that functions under its own peculiar set of rules. Like a storybook, _Crouching Tiger_ is more invested in a sense of poetic philosophy than the concrete laws of physical reality. Hence, gravity is treated as little more than a passing concern and we're released to enjoy a string of smooth, balletic airborne action scenes. Needless to say, they're all fantastic. Each one a unique member of the family, having swapped weaponry, dance partners and scenery from a wide pool of spectacular options. Hard-hitting but precise, it's a stunning display of form, strategy and blink-of-the-eye counter strikes, with the occasional dance across a serene lake thrown in to cut the tension.

The underlying story is rich and meaningful, too, though it is guilty of suddenly filling in a whole lot of back-story in one long, jolting flashback scene that chews up most of the second act. It's about hidden passions, personal guilt, the conflict between what looks right and what feels right... plus a lost comb and a stolen sword. Even undisputed masters on the battlefield must deal with private regrets after they've thrown the final blow.

A resonant Eastern epic that's chock full of memorable scenes, well-crafted characters, gorgeous locations and risky personal conflicts.

>*"No growth without assistance. No action without reaction. No desire without restraint. Now give yourself up and find yourself again."*

The most 'complete' action movie I know, it has everything; clever story, interesting characters, adrenaline action, emotional core... there's even not one, but two great romance stories in here.

The first chase sequence on the roofs followed by the amazing fight sequence made me fall in love with this instantly. The fantastical elements and gravity defying for the movements make it so captivating and thrilling. Impressive and creative sword (among other weapons) fighting. The choreography is flawless. Great performances from everyone but Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat deliver on both the physical and dramatic beats. The movie looks stunning, everything from the filmmaking, the beautiful sets/locations, the costumes, the camerawork and the score.

The only problem I have with it is the lack of action in the middle (during the romance side story) it lost a lot of heat—I don't even think any of it was necessary for the movie. Not enough Michelle Yeoh fighting in the middle either. Fortunately the third act picks up like never before, action lovers will have their lives forever changed at 1h30... one of my favorite action sequences of all time. Bamboo fight after was pretty epic too. Perfect emotional ending.

Easily my favourite of Lee's films, plus this was a no-brainer for me to watch, since I love martial arts films and the three stars. Peter Pau's cinematography and Dun Tan's soundtrack deservedly won two of the four Oscars, amidst its ten nominations, but even though the production values and story were the reason that this, rather than more significant martial arts classics, such as 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin' and other Shaw Brothers' masterpieces of the genre is that it stepped outside the box and became mandatory viewing for both genders and all cultures with its love story, in the same way that 'Rocky' isn't simply a boxing movie. Still fascinating watching today, and the scene in which the restaurant is destroyed is one of the most fascinating set-pieces I have yet seen.

"Master Li" (Chow Yun-Fat) asks his lifelong friend "Yu Shu Lien" (Michelle Yeoh) to take his legendary sword "Green Destiny" and deliver it to "Sir Te" (Sihung Lung) at the Imperial court. Turns out, though, that security there isn't so hot and the sword is stolen by a very able and nimble thief who only just escapes the pursuit of "Shu Lien" - who reckons she really knows whom the thief is. A visit to "Jen" (Ziyi Zhang) and the swift return of the sword seem to confirm her suspicions but then the sword is stolen again and aside from narking "Sir Te" this sets up a series of adventures for "Li", "Shu Lien" and "Jen" as we discover there may be a connection to the former man's nemesis "Jade Fox" (Pei-Pei Cheng). There is room, gradually, for a little romance but for the most part this is a quickly paced adventure that builds well on some beautiful cinematography with a solid story underpinned by some magical mythology and plenty of swordplay. Unlike many of the genre, the combat scenes are naturally choreographed and do not drag on interminably and repetitively. This has a more characterful narrative that involves us in the mystery, the vendetta - even the slowly simmering love story. For my money, this is easily the best film as yet made by Ang Lee and is well worth seeing on a big screen if you can find one.