When the first dies, they can't dodge the destiny of being killed. When they first appear, I think it's something to behold. "Like every film, the supporting actors die too quickly. Xiao Qi, 25, clerk and Tengjingshu member GT: What is the worst aspect of this film? Shanghai-based film viewing group Tengjingshu recently held a screening of the movie, at which it scored 7.19/10 based on the accumulated votes of the 89 viewers in attendance. The chemistry between the young pair forms a balanced parallel to the pairing of Yu and Silent Wolf. Two new faces, Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Costa Rican-American actor Harry Shum Jr., play two juniors Xue Ping and Wei Fang. The best fight scene, not surprisingly, belongs to veteran kung fu star Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh as they fight the boss in the showdown on a tower. It is reminiscent of the first film's fight scene on the bamboo rooftops. There is poetry in the swordplay on a frozen snowscape and a delicate touch in the actors' movements as they slide across the surface whilst fighting. There is a humorous fight in an inn, during which Silent Wolf steps on the toes of his enemies following a zigzag course to bring them down, while the landlady ambushes the rest with steel spoons. That said the fight scenes choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping may alone be worth the price of admission. The dubbed Chinese is delivered in a really plain way that fails to match the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters, making it hard for the audience to get into the film. The way that the dialogue is delivered is also plain. Silent Wolf is injured and Yu comes to his rescue, saying that he has done his duty regardless of his life, and that he won't be lonely any more.īut without the foreshadowing motivation, it is jarring to hear the sudden mention of duty. A gang fight like this is more like a Western cowboy film, but is certainly not the best interpretation of honor.ĭuty is interpreted in a scene when Silent Wolf is in a duel with a bad guy. One by one, the swordsmen are killed in a predictable scene before they can display their distinct dispositions. In a scene in which Silent Wolf gets himself into trouble with some hooligans, five swordsmen step forward with a sense of justice, saying that he is not alone. Honor is simply interpreted as fighting for the right course and dying for it. Though the screenwriter repeats words such as honor and duty, he fails to interweave the meaning of these words into the plot. The Chinese word wu xia is a combination of wu which means martial and xia which means the pursuit of courage and ethics. Michelle Yeoh (top) as Yu Shu Lien and Donnie Yen as Silent Wolf in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny Photos: CFP While the plot might be alright for Western audience who don't have much knowledge of wu xia, for Chinese audience the understanding of wu xia spirit is too shallow. Together they step forward bravely to protect the sword. In this course, Yu meets another high-level swordsman called Silent Wolf (Donnie Yen). Li's lover Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a great swordsman in her own right, volunteered to protect the sword. The story begins 18 years after the prequel when Sir Te died and swordsmen started to cast greedy eyes on the weapon. To prevent people from fighting for this sword, a symbol for ethics and mighty power, it is preserved in the mansion of Li's friend Sir Te after Li's death. The story revolves around a mighty sword, the Green Destiny, which belongs to the legendary warrior Li Mubai. However, despite its pedigree, the sequel loses the veiled artistic conception and deep understanding of Chinese philosophy that made its prequel so special. Now screenwriter John Fusco has picked up the plot with sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon grossed $128 million in the US after its opening 15 years ago, and became the highest-grossing foreign-language film in US history.
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