Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Set in Qing-era China, the film follows Li Mu Bai, a martial arts master who decides to step away from the life of a warrior and entrusts his legendary sword, Green Destiny, to the warrior Yu Shu Lien so she can deliver it to an old friend. The weapon is stolen soon after by a masked intruder, drawing Mu Bai back into a conflict he had hoped to leave behind. The trail leads to Jen, the headstrong daughter of a governor, whose remarkable fighting skill and resistance to the future chosen for her put her at the center of the struggle. Behind the theft stands Jade Fox, a figure from Mu Bai's past, and the pursuit forces both him and Shu Lien to confront what they have long kept unspoken between them.

Ang Lee directed the seventh of the fourteen films he has made in chronological order, following Ride with the Devil and preceding Hulk. The screenplay is by James Schamus, Wang Huiling and Kuo Jung Tsai, and the cast includes Chow Yun-fat as Li Mu Bai, Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien, Zhang Ziyi as Jen, Chang Chen as Lo, Sihung Lung as Sir Te and Cheng Pei-pei as Jade Fox.

Made for a budget of 17 million USD, the film returned 214 million USD worldwide, a large multiple of its cost. On IMDb it holds 7.9/10 from 293,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4/10 from 3,708 votes, while its critics' rating stands at 9.3/10 from 216 reviews, well above both audience scores.