Every Film That Should Have Won Best Picture (But Didn’t) Since 1997

2000: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Nominees:

  • Gladiator (actual winner)
  • Chocolat
  • Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
  • Erin Brockovich
  • Traffic

It feels reductive to simply state that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is an incredible martial arts film. It absolutely is, and the action dreamed up by famed choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping is unlike anything western audiences had seen when the movie premiered in 2000. Yet, what makes the film transcend its genre (and borders, as it was an unexpected hit in the United States, a typically subtitle-averse audience) is the depth and emotion of its story. Love, duty, the pressure of societal norms…while the action takes us flying across rooftops or into the dizzying heights of swaying trees, the drama always remains grounded.

Image Source: Toni Anne Barson/WireImage