6. Shu Lien Vs Jen Yu (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Crouching Tiger was hugely celebrated in its day. It even made a top 10 ranking in a 100 films of all time list on Channel 4. Then we forgot. You see, it's not a timeless movie. Once the power powder had settled and The Matrix was just another franchise that went belly up, the whole kung fu craze in the early 00s died a death. This is why ten years ago you could buy premium DVDs (and videos) of some of the best martial arts films ever made and why now you are lucky to get anything that didn't get awards at Cannes. Crouching Tiger came in at the peak of the revitalised interest in kung fu movies and blew our minds with its stunning cinematography, brooding performances and superb wire work. The advent of CGI allowed legendary choreographer Yuen Wo Ping and his team to use much heavier grade wire rigs as the wires could be removed in post. No longer would wires be literally painted to hide them in the picture. As a result Crouching Tiger has without a doubt some of the most stunningly beautiful wire work every captured. In fact, beautiful is the only way to describe the fights in Crouching Tiger. It is an old cliché to compare fight scenes with ballet but this is one of the rare cases where the comparison is valid. Never is this more apt than in Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Zi Yi's first scrap. Both women come from a dancing background which is evident in their grace and poise. However, credit where it is due because both actresses performed a lot of their own fighting and did a fantastic job. While little to no
real martial arts are on display here, there is a furious tempo to the fight that has rarely been seen on film. Hands and feet are a beautiful and deadly blur. For me, the major respect goes to the ever impressive Michelle Yeoh who took after her friend and one time co-star Jackie Chan and made a career out of performing her own stunts. Oh yeah, but unlike Jackie, Michelle Yeoh isn't a trained stuntman. I mean the fact that she can perform a fight at such a high level in her 40s just goes to show that some people are just genetically superior to the rest of us.