The release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon after three years of work was the high point of Lee's career. The film was called a Chinese version of The Matrix. The airborne chase scene ending in a battle atop stalks of bamboo brought the martial arts aesthetic to its apex.
3 年雕琢，完成的《臥虎藏龍》是李安導演生涯的高峰，被喻為「中國式駭客任務」，片中奇觀的輕功追逐和竹林對決，將武俠世界的飛簷走壁手法「玩」到極致，鏡頭呈現的力與美，也宛如欣賞一幅潑墨山水，讓人驚嘆連連。