Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) has been charged with bringing the Green Destiny, a legendary antique sword, to its new owner in the capital. But the sword is stolen by a mysterious black-clad thief whose martial arts expertise outshines even that of Shu Lien herself. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) soon arrives to help search for the sword, and his suspicions are aroused when he realises that his old enemy Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-Pei) is nearby. Ang Lee's epic tale of martial arts chivalry broke box office records for foreign language film distribution, received critical acclaim the world over, and won four Oscars (Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Music, and Best Foreign Language Film).