Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)

Picture by Collider.com

Director: Woo-Ping Yuen

Writers: Du Lu Wang (Book), and John Fusco (screenplay)

Cast: Donnie Yen (Meng Sizhao / Silent Wolf), Michelle Yeoh (Yu Shu Lien), Harry Shum Jr. (Wei Fang), Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Snow Vase), Jason Scott Lee (Hades Dai), Eugenia Yuan (Blind Enchantress), Chris Pang (Flying Dragon), Juju Chan (Silver Dart Shi), Darryl Quon (Turtle Ma), Roger Yuan (Iron Crow), Woon Young Park (Thunder Fist), Shuya Chang (Han Mei), Kevin Ng (West Lotus Boxer), Alex Shi (Kun Lun Leader), Andrew Stehlin (Black Tiger), Tim Wong (Traveller), and Gary Young (Te Junior).

***Spoilers*** Don't read the review if you did not see the film***

Martial arts films have always been favorites of mine, it could be like those bad films, you know the ones, no dialog, just action. Some martial films have plot, but the pure dance of jumping, kicking, is cool stuff. Remember the films that were dubbed, the words didn't match the sound, or whenever the character was about to speak, the dialog did not match the mouth, it was as if the character would say "yes," and the mouth would keep going for another thirty seconds. Almost cheesy is a way, but it was a dubbed martial arts film, love them or hate them, classics altogether.  All in all martial arts film on there own are pretty special, it's the way it looks, feels, and the stories are really wild. A warrior walking down a broken road, keeping to himself, and suddenly he catches a glimpse of an over turned carriage. The action begins, a bunch of strong looking dudes make there way to the carriage. Where did these guys come from? out of know where these dudes appear, good stuff, action, action, action, the martial arts way. Back-flips, kicks, some super weapon hidden somewhere, and i mean it could be  a staff with a blade at the end, maybe a double bladed sword, ninja stars, all the weapons that were used back in the day. The battle ends, the guy who is the hero, wipes the blood off his face, and walks off, or the hero may just stick around, the music kicks in, that's the essence of a martial arts film. the credits could begin, the hero walks off like nothing ever happened. Crouching Tiger Hidden, Dragon: Sword of Destiny is one of those films. Two very different directors, this film is a look at martial film at their finest.

The film starts off with a carriage attacked by the West Lotus clan, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) fights off the attackers, a masked warrior aids Shu lien, together defeating the warriors, one reveals himself as Wei Fang (Harry Shum Jr.). Lien continues to head towards Peking, the home of the Green Destiny, a powerful sword, crafted for speed, balance, it's user must be one with the sword in order to use it the way it was meant to be used. Afterwards Lien reaches her destination and is taken to the house of Sir Te. She is greeted by Te junior (Gary Young), he tells Lien that his father had recently died. The story of the love between Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and Yu Shu lien (Michelle Yeoh). The introduction is good, the characters, old and new have new back stories, they're told in the first act.

The tower of the west lotus a powerful warlord by the name of Hades Dai (Jason Scott Lee), a young woman approaches the warlord to serve his cause, but as she approaches, she reacts with lighting speed, a battle ensues and she is bested quickly, she retreats, from the dangerous attack and unique fighting style from Hades Dai. The witch called the Enchantress (Eugenia Yuan) is blind, but her power to see beyond has given her a position near Hades Dai. She tells him that the boy Wei Fang (Harry Shum Jr.) will retrieve the sword, and power will again be at your grasp. Hades Dai is not your typical antagonist, he has many issues, a well written bad guy, with a complicated background. Love the way Jason Scott Lee played the character, he balanced the evil warlord thing well.

So as the story goes Wei Fang gets caught trying to steal the sword by Snow Vase (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), both characters have a connection that makes this film flow like a beautiful river. The amazing thing about Snow Vase and Wei Fang is that they both are bother and sister, Wei Fang has a birth mark which only Snow Vase knows, it reveals a story of two children, one a boy the other a girl, Switched at birth, a stolen baby, a heartache that will never cease because of the noble woman who had taken the child from Han Mei (Shuya Chang), extreme circumstances, but her revenge will come soon, and her child will be in her arms. Snow Vase's mother, Han Mei (Shuya Chang) trained long and hard, she will reclaim her child back from the warlord, Hades Dai. At this point the backstory from both Snow Vase and Wei Fang begin to unfold. Snow Vase's brother and sister will be reunited, but in order to do that, Han Mei must kill the Warlord. She confronts him, a bit of foreshadowing here, anyway she confronts him, they both fight, but Hades Dai is stronger, and almost kills her. The wounds are deep, but Han Mei makes it back to her daughter, her death will be avenged. The little girl, at that point became a warrior, she knows her mission, her path is set. So these two characters have strong connections and to me made this film.

The action sequences are amazing, just like the first film, it has a unique feel. from the lore and mystic elements that come from the martial world. The film in comparison to the first, this film has more action, close ups, unique movements, that make it almost beautiful; The fast pace, style only Woo-Ping Yuen can deliver on film. Ang Lee delivered a very different film, the fighting scenes were almost as if the characters were in a dance, the action picked up, but the Green Destiny was the focus, while the characters delivered their punches, kicks, on top off the trees. Both directors are different but the stories are different as well. So Woo-Ping Yuen's film did an amazing job in this film. The story continues, it flowed, the action was not forced, it was just as beautiful as the first, but as technique is concerned, you could tell the difference between directors.

  The call to arms, when the warriors like Flying Blade (Chris Pang), Silver Dart Shi (Juju Chan), Turtle Ma (Darryl Quon), Iron Crow (Roger Yuan), Thunder Fist (Woon Young Park), and the mysterious warrior called Silent Wolf / Meng Sizhao (Donnie Yen) a man who was almost killed by Hades Dai ((Jason Scott Lee), and the love interest of Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Both characters have a very close connection, but between all these other warriors and everyone else, this film packs a punch. The story and continued plot revolving the Green Destiny is nicely done, because in the end this film has strong connections. The brother and sister, one on the side of the Lotus, while the other searches, or strives to become more. A Warlord bent on destruction and takes advice from a witch. A woman travelling, becoming more than her past, and yet the sword reaches out for her, as if it were calling to her. The sword and the people that protect it, and everyone that is around the Green Destiny will ultimately die to protect what it stands for. The Green Destiny stood for something, it was placed in a home of a trusted friend, a man Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) trusted. Now Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) has traveled far from the sword, away for sometime, but yet again the sword is in danger, and Shu Lien must go back to a place of pain, where the man she loved had died. And yet another, man comes out of the ashes, Silent Wolf. The past is once again brought forward, she must know make a choice, leave with the Green Destiny, or find a way to protect it, and to end the rain of pain, that the sword again has brought.

The film really has more than just fighting, a story that is continued with a very different director, despite the style of direction, this film is really good. Martial arts films are fun to watch, you really have to be an avid film nut, like myself to enjoy these types of movies. I remember watching the late Bruce Lee films, and back in the day those films were the bomb. The funny thing is that this film and all martial arts films have a unique taste, your just going to have to find your flavor in order to like it. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny is a wonderful film, great fight scenes, especially the ice fight scene, between three characters in the film, not going to spoil the scene it was done well, just like the tree top scene in the first film. Martial films are not for everyone, like i said you have to love it or hate, it's just the way it works. The film is different, a balance between love, hate, and the beautiful fighting scenes are not what makes the film, but the connections, that all the characters have with each other, and to me that's what makes a movie good.