Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (www.the-usher.com)

Wudan master Li Mu Bai (Yun-fat) has decided to forgo his days as a warrior and concentrate on spiritual enlightenment and teaching for the rest of his days. In doing this, he gives his sword, the mythical Green Destiny, to the Peking monks at the grand place. Entrusting his life long friend and fellow warrior Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) with the duty of delivering the sword, it is stolen on the first night in its new abode by a skilled masked thief, who is seen feeling towards the aristocratic home of the Governor Yu. Suspicions are raised as the Governor's daughter Jen (Ziyi) had shown an interest in the sword earlier in the day. So Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien join forces one more time to try and recover the sword and restore harmony to the palace.

Stories from the Orient have always intrigued the West but one movie transformed their expectations and also transformed Asian cinema forever, that film was 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.

Any fan of Asian cinema will know that the mixing of epic storytelling and martial arts in nothing new but it wasn't until 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' gained Oscar recognition that mainstream, Western audiences started to take notice. Ang Lee's adaptation of Du Lu Wang's beloved novel mixed honour, love, duty, envy and guilt with a view of martial arts that saw warriors as heroes with powers and skills above that of mortal man. With masters having the ability to defy the laws of nature and physics but pulling off moves that couldn't have been achieved by even the greatest real life master and even fly.

A story that deals with honour, passion, undisciplined skill and love that cannot be, has never been told with such zeal and jaw dropping splendour. Legendary choreographer Yuen Wo Peng, who is probably best known for his work on 'The Matrix' and 'Kill Bill' movies, invents some truly astounding martial arts sequences that will live in the memory for a very long time. Using wire techniques and combining them with the Wudan style, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Pei-pei Cheng appear to be masters of the discipline.

While there is no question that the martial arts and swordplay in the movie are superb but this would be nothing without the strength of the performances. Unlike many a martial arts movie, the story is more important than the fighting, so performers who can act as well as fight was a must for Ang Lee. In Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi as Li Mu Bai, Yu Shu Lien and Jiao Long, the director has the gift of actors who can bring power to the emotion of the story, as well as a presence in the fight scenes. This is what makes the movie stand out and move Asian cinema into the mainstream.

It is the combination of the whole; great story, impassioned acting performance, astonishing cinematography, and a director who has now proved he can handle almost any kind of movie with a sense of style and splendour, 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is a superb piece of filmmaking and a movie that opened Asian cinema to the world.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc is presented in High Definition wide screen 2:40 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary with Ang Lee and James Schamus
The director and executive producer provide an insightful and informative commentary for 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. The pair talk passionately about the story, the performances and the martial arts, making this a good listen for fans of the film and the filmmaker Ang Lee.

A conversation with Michelle Yeoh (13.50 mins/Standard Definition)
One of the most famous actresses in Asian history, Michelle Yeoh talks about how she got involved with the movie, working with Chow Yun-fat and Ang Lee and what the film means to her.

Unleashing the Dragon (20.47 mins/Standard Definition)
Director Ang Lee, executive producer James Schamus and star Michelle Yeoh talk about making 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and bringing the story to the silver screen.

Photo Gallery (6.44 mins/Standard Definition)
Watch a montage of promotional images from 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

BD Live
Place the Blu-Ray in an Internet enabled player or PS3 and connect to receive extra content for the film.

OVERALL

Disappointingly, the Blu-Ray treatment for 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is exactly the same as the original DVD release with the exception of BD Live. While the bonus are good, especially the commentary, a few new items wouldn't have gone a miss.

BLU-RAY

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