Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon je napravljen kao film fantazije i avanture. Kombinirajuci dokazane elemente sa pricom o casti i ljubavi, nastoji izdici zanr filmova sa borilackim vjestinama iznad filmova Jackie Chana. Prica pocinje kada se slavni ratnik Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) povjeri svojoj prijateljici i tajnoj ljubavi, Shu Lien (Yeoh). On stari, i godine borbi su uzele svoj danak. On zeli da se povuce i moli Shu Lien da odnese njegov mac, Zelenu Sudbinu, Sir Teu, njihovom prijatelju i zastitniku. Ona poslusa njegovu zelju, i za vrijeme posjete Sir Teu, susrece Jen Yu, guvernerovu kcerku sa tajnim divljenjem prema ratnicima. Zelena Sudbina ce biti ukradena isto vece, a glavni osumnjiceni ce biti Jade Fox, kriminalka koja je odgovorna za smrt Li Mu Baijevog ucitelja. Prilika da osveti uciteljevu smrt ce vratiti Li Mu Baija iz penzije za jos jednu, posljednju, misiju.

Dosad smo obradili avanture. Fantazije dolaze u obliku posebne tehnike borbe koja je razvijena u centru za obuku na Wudan planini. Vjestina kojoj tamo uce omogucava vam da prkosite gravitaciji do te mjere da je to jako naljuti. Bez napora mozete skakutati uz zgrade, preko krovova, jezera i krosnji drveca. Kao sto prica ide, Jade Fox se bila infiltrirala centar na Wudanu, ukrala prirucnik i otrovala ucitelja. Njena nesreca je bila sto je nepismena, tako da je mogla uciti samo iz dijagrama. Njen tajni ucenik, s druge strane, uznapredovao je vjestinu mnogo dalje, i Li Mu Bai ce ponuditi da zavrsi trening pod njegovim vodstvom.

Scene borbi su bile najbolje marketinsko oruzje Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Izvanredno koreografirane i vjesto snimljene, neke od njih traju neko vrijeme. U doba kada je "Matrix" simbol za sekvence borilackih vjestina, reditelj Ang Lee vraca borilacke vjestine njihovim geografskim izvorima. Scena borbe na krosnjama drveca podsjeca me na ikonografiju "Star Wars" - mladi i talentovani ucenik bori se protiv ostarjelog ucitelja cija je jedina zelja da pokaze uceniku pravi put. Nekoliko scena ranije, Li Mu Bai susrece tajnog ucenika po prvi put, i osjeti Silu koja ga intrigira. Ali avaj, ucenik je bio pod uticajem Jade Fox/Dartha Vadera predugo, i Li Mu Baijev zadatak je mnogo tezi nego sto izgleda, a moze biti i fatalan.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is designed to be a fantasy-adventure movie. While combining the proven elements with the story about honor and love, it attempts to elevate the martial arts genre beyond Jackie Chan movies. The story begins with a famed warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) confides in his friend and secret love, Shu Lien (Yeoh). He is getting old, and years of fighting have taken their toll. He wants to retire, and is asking Shu Lien to take his sword, Green Destiny, to Sir Te, their friend and protector. She obliges his wish, and while visiting Sir Te, she meets Jen Yu, governor’s daughter with a secret admiration for warriors. Green Destiny will be stolen that same evening, and the main suspect will be Jade Fox, a female criminal who’s responsible for the death of Li Mu Bai’s master. The opportunity to avenge his master’s death will bring Li Mu Bai back from retirement for one last mission.

So far, we have the adventure part covered. Fantasy comes in the form of a special fighting technique developed in the Wudan mountain training center. The skill taught there allows you to defy gravity to the extent that makes it very angry. You can effortlessly jump up buildings, over rooftops, ponds and treetops. As the story goes, Jade Fox infiltrated the training camp at Wudan, stole the manual and poisoned the master. Unfortunately for her, she was illiterate, and could learn only so much from the diagrams. Her secret disciple, on the other hand, has advanced the skill much further, and Li Mu Bai offers to finish training under his guidance.

Scenes of fights have been the best marketing tool of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Superbly choreographed, skillfully photographed, some of them last quite a long time. In the age when Matrix is a symbol of martial arts sequences, director Ang Lee brings martial arts back to its geographic origins. He goes way beyond with the scene on the treetops, which reminds me of some Star Wars iconography – a young and talented apprentice trying to fight an aging master whose only wish is to show the apprentice the way. Several scenes earlier, Li Mu Bai meets the secret apprentice for the first time, and feels The Force that intrigues him. Alas, the apprentice has been under the influence of Jade Fox/Darth Vader for too long, and Li Mu Bai’s task is much harder than it looks, and could be fatal.