A legendary warrior’s stolen magical sword becomes the centrepiece of epic, intertwining love stories, set against the breath-taking landscapes of ancient China, in Ang Lee’s turn of the millennium masterpiece.
The heroic Master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) longs to conclude his service as a swordsman in the Qing dynasty, so that he can finally proclaim his love for fellow warrior Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh).
But when his mythical sword, Green Destiny, is stolen by a fearsome outlaw, the duo are duty-bound to undertake another perilous quest to retrieve the precious artefact and restore order.
Following in the Wuxia martial arts tradition, this spellbinding, romantic, fiercely feminist epic from visionary auteur Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain) was nominated for 10 Oscars in 2001, and is one of the great martial arts masterpieces.
This programme takes place as part of the BFI’s nationwide Art of Action season, a BFI FAN initiative supported through National Lottery.
