Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remains the most commercially successful Taiwanese film, grossing $213 million worldwide and winning four Oscars including Best Foreign Language Film in 2001. Its gravity-defying choreography and lush cinematography introduced wuxia to global audiences, with wire-work sequences that required over 100 takes each. The film's 120-minute runtime packs a story of forbidden love and martial honor, anchored by Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh's performances. Outperforms #1 A City of Sadness in global reach, though it sacrifices historical gravity for spectacular action.