Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(Actual winner: Gladiator)
While there is no doubt that Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" is a success, there were more brilliant selections for The Best Picture of the 73rd Academy Awards, ranging from Ang Lee's Wuxia classic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to Steven Soderbergh's Best Director-winning drug trafficking epic "Traffic."
Either picture merited the Oscar award for Best Picture over "Gladiator," but "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" edged out "Gladiator" in terms of jaw-dropping technique. If the Academy wanted to award Best Picture in 2001 to a major period film with heart-pounding action scenes and beautiful craftsmanship, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was the obvious choice.
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Year of Release: 2000
Director: Ang Lee
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94/100
IMDB Score: 7.8/10