Ang Lee weaves a magical tale of a honored swordsman (Fat) and his unspoken love (Yeoh) as they try to retrieve his stolen sword from a talented prodigy who is under the care of the swordsman's sworn enemy. Along with this immediate story are deeper underlying concepts and tales that weave throughout the whole of the movie.

Crouching Tiger has some of the most beautiful landscape and scenery seen in a movie in years. Of course, if you're not too busy watching the fighting sequences, you might actually enjoy the scenery. Choreographed fighting sequences throughout this movie are so finely done that any other martial arts movie that you might have seen previously pale in comparison.

This movie is as much fantasy as it is a tale of oriental culture and history. Viewers have to go into this movie understanding that it is NOT an American movie. Conversations are calm and reserved. Emotions are portrayed in facial and body motions, not screaming voices and overly-teary eyes. Honor and a person's good-standing mean as much as their ability to fight.

Ang Lee has managed to sculpt a finely detailed story and provide it on such an appealing palette that any earnest viewer would enjoy it. If you're not big on subtitles or "kung-fu" movies, then this might not be all that it's hyped to be. Otherwise, go out and see this masterpiece.

- - Kinderfeld