CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)

Ang Lee’s CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) is a landmark moment in world cinema. It isn’t just a martial arts film — it’s a lyrical, visually breathtaking masterwork that redefined what the genre could be for international audiences. The film, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is visually stunning in both the beauty of its cinematography and the gracefulness of its action, achieving high critical acclaim and becoming a sensation at the box-office.

Upon its release, the film earned over $128 million in the North American domestic box office alone — a staggering figure for a foreign-language film — and it remains the highest-grossing foreign-language film in U.S. box office history. The movie’s success broke barriers and helped forge a path for other East Asian films to develop marketing strategies tailored for Western audiences.

One of the film’s great strengths lies in how its technical artistry is deeply rooted in character-driven storytelling. While some action films risk losing themselves in spectacle, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON grounds its cinematography, action sequences, and editing in the emotional states of its characters. Every movement, every duel, and every silent glance carries emotional weight, keeping the audience intimately connected to the characters, even as the intensity of the action escalates.

The film’s fight choreography, crafted by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping, transformed action into poetry. The astonishing bamboo forest sequence remains one of the most memorable and graceful displays of balance and swordplay ever captured on film. The beauty lies not in violence, but in the mastery of movement — a showcase of skill, form, and emotional storytelling through action.

Technically, the film was a triumph. Peter Pau’s cinematography framed each shot with painterly precision, capturing the ethereal beauty of China’s landscapes. Tan Dun’s haunting, Oscar-winning score, featuring cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma, perfectly complemented the film’s blending of romance, melancholy, and action.

At the 73rd Academy Awards, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, received 10 nominations — the most ever for a foreign-language film at the time — a record later tied by Roma (2018). The film ultimately won four Academy Awards: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Art Direction (Tim Yip).

Twenty-five years later, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON endures as one of cinema’s most elegant action films — a story where spectacle serves character, and action becomes an expression of human emotion.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is available for streaming on Crave and Hollywood Suite.