Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Blog Post

"Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" is a film that uses its own martial arts style and fights to convey other deeper messages in a more creative way than simply explaining them through words.  The fight scenes define character personalities, as well has how said characters feel about one another.  For example, the viewer never truly gets to see Jade Fox before her first fight with the three villagers.  But when seeing her fight, you can tell she is a backstabber, loud and reckless, and filled with anger.  You notice these traits by seeing how she begins each fight by throwing poison darts at her opponents, but once the fight is underway, Jade Fox screams relentlessly, and is usually the one attacking.  Also, her fighting style indicates how little she cares for others, as she openly uses the guard of the town for a shield.  Another example would be Jen.  At first, she comes across as a girl who just wants to live a normal life where she isn't forced to marry a stranger in her fathers name.  But when she fights, she does so with an arrogant style, constantly challenging her opponents to attack her.  She isn't a sad little girl, but a cocky one, who feels like she is better than the life given to them, and feels the need to prove it.  Also, her fighting style may be advanced, but the way she executes her attacks prove how much she has to learn in the art of Wudan, and her overall immaturity.  While Li Mu Bai's character rarely attacks or even provokes his opponents.  It's complimentary to his already calm stature.  He is known as the best, yet he never brags about it.  The same goes for his fighting style, nobody can defeat him in battle, and he only does whats necessary to win the match.  The only times he goes against this style are when he kills Jade Fox, and when he is balancing in the trees to show Jen how powerful she could really become.  Li Mu Bai is a character who rarely lets his emotions get the better of him, and that shows in his "to the point" fighting style.