Movie Review for Lust, Caution (2007)

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Lust, Caution

Review #575 of 365
Movie Review of Lust, Caution (2007) [NC-17] 157 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $14.25
Title in Mandarin Chinese: Se, jie
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 29 November 2007
Time: 4:25 pm
DVD Release Date: Unscheduled (please check back)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer

Soundtrack: Download now from Alexandre Michel Desplat - Lust, Caution - or - order the CD below

Directed by: Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Screenplay by: Hui-Ling Wang (Tortilla Soup) • James Schamus (Hulk) based on the story by Eileen Chang

Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Tony Leung Chiu Wai (debut) • Wei Tang (debut) • Joan Chen (Avatar) • Lee-Hom Wang (Moon Child) • Chung Hua Tou (Yi nian zhi chu ) • Chih-ying Chu (debut) • Ying-hsien Kao (Yi nian zhi chu ) • Yue-Lin Ko (Yi nian zhi chu ) • Johnson Yuen (Dai yat dim dik tin hung) • Kar Lok Chin (Sing see) • Su Yan (Jing zhe) • Caifei He (Feng yue) • Ruhui Song (Shanghai Rumba)

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After a romp in the mountains of Wyoming, Chinese director Ang Lee return to the central kingdom of him homeland to take up a story by Eileen Chang which focuses on the a pivotal time in modern Chinese history—the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Just before the climax of World War II, the Japanese were moving strong in taking over much of eastern China. They maintained order from a distance via an occupational government plum full of Chinese collaborators. The intended assassination of one such top collaborator by a resistance faction of university students in Hong Kong becomes the central narrative river for this moving and elaborate yet tumultuous tale of a young woman coming of age and sacrificing very essence of self for the patriotic endeavor. Wang Chia Chi (Wei Tang) places a seemingly clandestine phone call from a western coffee shop in Shanghai to her second brother. As she returns to her seat and dabs perfume on the nape of her neck and bottoms of her wrists, she travels back through the memories that brought her to this time and place.

It was 1938, and she was a naïve but enthusiastic student who joined up with the drama troupe of a handsome and charismatic young man named Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Hom Wang). Their first production, a call to arms of patriotism, was scheduled and performed to raise money for the Chinese resistance. So successful was it and Wang Chia Chi's rousing performance in the leading role, the other members of Kuang's gang decidedly wished for a paid performance the next time around. But, this would only be the beginnings of Kuang's ambitions. Despite their lack of experience in the field of espionage, he conceives a plan to off a top Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) using Wang Chia Chi as the bait. She would become his wife's friend and then his mistress. To accomplish this, she would receive a new identity, that of Mak Tai Tai (Mrs. Mak). She would be married to Mr. Mak, have children, and an upper crust life of mahjong and gossip. She would know all the finest places to get fabrics and tailoring done, and she would work to cast a watchful eye Yee's way such that, eventually, he would notice and take an interest in her. The plan goes as planned. Until the Japanese government promotes Yee, and he and his wife must suddenly relocate to Shanghai. On the eve of their departure, a suspicious driver pays the Mak family a visit and gets more than for which he could have ever bargained. The nasty incident brings home the reality of their plan and lack of experience causing Wang Chia Chi to flee. She ends up back in Shanghai with her aunt—her father in England still cannot afford to bring her over. Her life becomes a mundane shell in the shadow of her previous existence. She escapes via western movies and tries to focus on her studies. All that changes when she runs into Kuang Yu Min and finds herself once again recruited to play Mak Tai Tai, this time to finish the mission against Yee once and for all.

With an NC-17 rating—completely deserved due to the intense sexual encounters that ensue between Mak Tai Tai and Mr. Yee—and subtitles, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution faces an uphill battle to gain an audience in the United States. Adding insult to injury, the ending is an incredibly sad and difficult one, not one that's sure to warm the heart and draw in the lovesick or forlorn unlike those which captivate young Wang Chia Chi. Still, there's no escaping the seductive power of Wang Chia Chi's dual roles and the incredible performance of newcomer Wei Tang whose debut on screen is as stunning and beautiful in her own rites as that of the young Sophia Loren. When she's on screen there's no taking your eye off it, and she carries the entire picture on her back. Nearly as good is Tony Leung as Mr. Yee. How can this man of strong but gentle appearance be the ruthless traitor to his people?

"See the film for … the incredible performance of newcomer Wei Tang whose debut on screen is…stunning and beautiful…"
His face is but a mask concealing the gravely reprehensible atrocities he and his co-conspirators have committed against their own people. Lee-Hom Wang as Kuang does a fine job of keeping his true feelings for Wang Chia Chi just below the surface. And the venerable Joan Chen stands out as Mrs. Yee. She deftly conceals any sense of disloyalty she may harbor toward her husband and suspicions never rise against Mak Tai Tai. She plays the dutiful wife and simply fails to acknowledge the source of their income and lifestyle. The credible cast and sharp dialogue combined with an obvious passion in direction from Ang Lee combine to elicit a enveloping cinematic experience. Quite quickly one becomes engaged in that which drives and motivates Wang Chia Chi on her quest. All the more devastating, then, becomes the ending which provokes as much bewilderment as sympathy. See the film for Wei Tang's incredible performance; but, if you're the sentimental type, be prepared to regret mildly the decision shortly after.
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Cast Members
Tony Leung Chiu Wai • Wei Tang • Joan Chen
Lee-Hom Wang • Chung Hua Tou • Chih-ying Chu
Ying-hsien Kao • Yue-Lin Ko • Johnson Yuen
Kar Lok Chin • Caifei He
Director
Ang Lee
Writers
Hui-Ling Wang • James Schamus
The Book
DVD
VHS
CD Soundtrack


Review-lite Lust, Caution (2007) [max of 150 words]
With an NC-17 rating—completely deserved due to the intense sexual encounters that ensue between Mak Tai Tai and Mr. Yee—and subtitles, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution faces an uphill battle to gain an audience in the United States. Adding insult to injury, the ending is an incredibly sad and difficult one, not one that's sure to warm the heart and draw in the lovesick or forlorn unlike those which captivate young Wang Chia Chi. Still, there's no escaping the seductive power of Wang Chia Chi's dual roles and the incredible performance of newcomer Wei Tang whose debut on screen is as stunning and beautiful in her own rites as that of the young Sophia Loren. When she's on screen there's no taking your eye off it, and she carries the entire picture on her back.
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