Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)
92%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
102 wins & 134 nominations total
The movie that catapulted Ang Lee into the ranks of upper echelon Hollywood filmmakers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is like a beautiful dream that you never want to wake up from. It’s a martial arts fairy tale that’s both magical and mesmerizing. The fight scenes are so intense and specific that you can’t help but be drawn into the drama. And let’s not forget about the stunning visuals that make you feel like you’re gliding across walls and treetops yourself. It’s a movie that’s both pulpy and profound, tackling issues of honor and devotion while still managing to have fun. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?
Production Company(ies)
Liberty Films,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia Tristar
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Huangshan region, Anhui Province, China
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some sexuality
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):Chinese, English, Mandarin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2000 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 5, 2001
Genre(s)
Adventure/Action
Keyword(s)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Chang, Liang Hsiung, Cheng Pei-pei, Ang Lee, Li-Kong Hsu, William Kong, Wang Du-lu, Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai, Adventure, Action, PG-13, Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia Tristar, $128.1M, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround, Scope (2
Worldwide gross: $213,525,736
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $359,852,456
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 425
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 39,242,362
US/Canada gross: $128,078,872
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $215,849,843
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 313
US/Canada opening weekend: $663,205
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,117,692
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,267
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $17,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $28,649,904
Production budget ranking: 1,175
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $15,427,973
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $315,774,579
ROI to date (est.): 716%
ROI ranking: 173
Michelle Yeoh – Yu Shu Lien
Zhang Ziyi – Jen Yu, Jiao Long
Chen Chang – Lo “Dark Cloud”, Luo Xiao Hu
Liang Hsiung – Sir Te
Cheng Pei-pei – Jade Fox
Director(s)
Ang Lee
Writer(s)
Wang Du-lu, Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai
Producer(s)
Li-Kong Hsu, William Kong, Ang Lee
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
102 wins & 134 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (159) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (155) | Rotten (4)
I cannot express to you how beautiful and stunning it is.
May 18, 2020
Anupama Chopra
Film Companion
TOP CRITIC
Crouching Tiger doesn’t so much break new ground as reconfigure the genre with the pomp and ceremony of Western production values and psychological nuance.
March 6, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Amazing, magical martial arts fairy tale.
December 22, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
The smartest and smartest-looking action movie of the year.
July 19, 2003 | Rating: 4/4
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
TOP CRITIC
It’s abundantly clear that Lee, in conjunction with fight choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping (famed for The Matrix), has brought to these standard tropes his own elevating, near-feline sensibilities.
April 25, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A firebrand of a movie, bold, dramatic, and haunting.
May 8, 2002 | Rating: A
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
Ang Lee’s dreamlike film transcends its hybrid roots; it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before.
October 26, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Amy Bracken Sparks
Cleveland Free Times
Each scene has very specific, intense stakes involved, which makes them that much more dramatic.
December 9, 2020
Germain Lussier
io9.com
By casting Chow Yun-fat-maybe the biggest marquee name outside the US at the time-Lee found a star who could unite all the elements of this feminist Qing Dynasty epic.
September 16, 2020
A.S. Hamrah
The Baffler
These scenes define their own reality – the performers glide across walls, treetops and ponds while lashing out in full flight – but crucially, never inspire disbelief.
May 1, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Lee’s spin on the Hong Kong action film is a subversive, delicately stated coming-of-age story.
January 29, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Creative Loafing
It’s at once pulpy and profound, a movie that never forgets to have fun even as it’s tackling such straight-faced issues as honor, devotion and compassion.
October 29, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…
Plot
In early nineteenth-century China, in the waning years of the Qing dynasty, the renowned swordsman who yearns for enlightenment, Li Mu Bai, decides to give up his legendary Green Destiny sword: the sharp four-hundred-year-old blade of heroes. To mark the end of a blood-stained career, Li entrusts the excellent female warrior, Yu Shu Lien, with the precious weapon to deliver it to Governor Yu; however, once there, an audacious and nimble masked thief manages to steal it. As Shu Lien is hot on the trail of the skilled burglar, unrequited loves; fervent passions; an unconquerable desire for freedom, and bitter loose ends stand in the way. Can Mu Bai shake off his violent past?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh lead the cast in this visually stunning martial arts epic.
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