In a weak version of the rooftop fight (same rooftops, only now with more noticeable digital effects) Shu Lien is able to retain Wei Fang. Only there’s a twist: yes, there’s a young fleet-of-foot woman, Snow Vase (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), springing from within the court, but there’s also a fiery young man, Wei Fang (Harry Shun Jr), ordered to retrieve the sword for the tower-dwelling meanie Hades (Jason Scott Lee). And like last time a thief in the night comes to yank it away. There sits the sword, Green McGuffin – I mean, Green Destiny – just as before. Our returning hero Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is en route to Beijing after the death of the governor. It’s been 18 years since Jen Yu leapt into the clouds at Mount Wudang, and various malevolent forces have been waiting to strike. This does not explain, however, why it is so terrible. Indeed, it was a bigger deal in the west than in China, which may explain why its follow-up, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, is shot in English. The film advanced to suburban multiplexes, shattering (and still holding) box office records for a foreign language film in the United States. With its nuanced characters, epic mythology, gorgeous cinematography, breathless action, iconic score (I can go on! It’s terrific!) word of mouth was unstoppable. But at the 15-minute mark it cut loose with dreamlike martial arts action to rouse even the most jaded of kung fu VHS traders. From the director of Sense and Sensibility, this international co-production seemed like a film for the so-called prestige audience, in the vein of Ju Dou or Raise the Red Lantern. A ng Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was, at its release in late 2000, one of those rare moments in moviegoing when everyone seemed to agree.
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