CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

REVIEWED BY EMILY BARNEY

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, violence

Rated:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a challenging movie to write a review on from a Christian standpoint, because there is a lot of content that I find objectionable, but the theme is an important one and is handled with integrity. I do want to clarify that when I say “Christian standpoint” I’m not referring to a personal view, but to the standard set by Philippians 4:8:

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” This is a very high standard, but it’s important to remember that it rules out more than just bad language, sex, violence, etc.; it also rules out bad acting and bad writing and bad directing. We are supposed to make sure that the things that occupy our minds are worthy of our time.

I believe that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a movie of rare quality and I think it has proved that. It deserved all the Academy Awards it received and more. The writing, producing, directing, acting, and special effects were all incredible. Of course, what matters more to me (though not to the Academy, because they give the awards based only on the other qualifications) is the theme of the movie. I want to make it clear right away that there were scenes in the movie that I found very objectionable. There was illicit sensuality, bad attitudes, and some graphic violence. There was also a huge amount of fantasy violence (which was highly choreographed and didn’t really seem to do much damage) and a lot of references to Buddhism, but that is to be expected in an “authentic” martial arts film. 

I believe that for myself, the value of the theme of the movie outweighed the negative content, but I know some people would not agree with that. If you have any interest in the situation of the most populous nation in the world and would appreciate seeing a very thoughtful film that probes some of their most important current issues from their own viewpoint, this is a fascinating movie to see. Given, this is a fantasy film, and is not intended to be a social parable, and should be taken as such. However, I think that because they took their art seriously, it shows some deeper truths about their culture in a very interesting setting.

It is a movie set in ancient China about two men and two women—two couples. There is Li Mu Bai, a warrior and hero who has fought many battles and is beginning to question whether he should continue in a way of life that is beginning to seem pointless. There is Yu Shu Lien, a woman who has achieved a level of respect and freedom as a businesswoman that is unusual for a woman in her culture. There is Jade Fox (Lo), a rebellious young outlaw who has a lot of potential as a leader and a warrior but who lives in a wasteland far away from humanity and there is Jen Yu, a young woman who seems to live the very quiet and proper life but who has many secrets and can’t decide which life she really wants to live.

It is a movie about the clash between generations and between the cultural viewpoints of both the generations, and it was very successful in showing both effectively. The older couple in the movie has chosen to live according to the honor code of their culture and though it had limited their lives in many ways and left them with some deep personal regrets, they were both talented and successful in society and enjoyed much personal freedom. 

The younger couple wanted the personal freedom as a right that the older couple had only earned over years of sacrifice and they thought they could get it simply by rebelling against the older generation’s codes of conduct. In their case, though they were talented, their decisions had left them with no place to go and no sense of whom they could trust. The irony, of course, is that neither couple is happy. Neither has really achieved a balance between the demands of society in their life and their own desires and personal goals.

This is a beautiful movie and it exhibits an important problem in China today through a romanticized period piece that is an expression of their culture. I do not necessarily agree with the moral of the story—by ruling out God, I believe Buddhism has removed the solution to the puzzle of the individual versus the culture. In Christianity, the two greatest commandments solve this problem in a very simple and straightforward manner: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. There is a reason why the foundations of Western Civilization put a much higher value on the individual than on any group. But this movie does give someone from a different culture a glimpse into the Eastern worldview, and the problems in their culture.