Customer Reviews

Lust, Caution (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Ang Lee breaks through again with a masterful adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story, Lust/Caution (like what he did with Annie Prolux's similarly brief story, Brokeback Mountain). While the hype seems to be mostly misplaced on the controversial acrobatics displayed by Tony Leung and Tang Wei in bed, Lee's storytelling leaves one breathless.

The love story unfolds against the backdrop of 1930's Japanese-invaded Shanghai where tyranny and suffering were synonymous. Nubile Wang Jia Zhi played by Tang Wei joins the resistance movement and gets herself drawn into the role of a spy to crumble the traitor, Mr Yee. In between the espionage and wild climatic trysts, both of them unknowingly embroil themselves in love and deceit, much deeper than they would have liked themselves to.

Tang Wei, as a newcomer to cinema, is impeccable. Her evolution from a wide-eyed country girl to a seductive temptress is enough to make the hardest of most men, in this case, the distrusting Mr. Yee fall for her. Wei acts pretty much on instincts and her body language does wonders at seducing the somewhat vulnerable Mr. Yee played by multiple-award winner Tony Leung. Wei breaks down in the memorable scene where she's talking to the resistance leader on her unyieldingly sacrificial role that is both a torment and insidious attack to her emotions.

As usual, Tony has the penchant for playing dark brooding men and in this instance, an evil Chinese traitor. He does not act. His presence already commands attention as the cynical no-nonsense minister. The pivotal sex scenes, split into three parts, are not just there for visual enhancement. They actually convey the shift in roles between the two throughout their complex relationship. The raw emotions displayed on their faces were enough to convince anyone hard-hearted to think twice about the essence of love. I must say these are some of the best bed scenes you'll ever witness on film.

Of course, the supporting cast of Joan Chen as Mrs Yee and Wong Lee-Hom as Tang Wei's resistance compatriot, Kuang Yu Min, is every bit just as spectacular. In the end, the story about love is bittersweet. You'll also see how fervent the resistance movement, which puts the enemy above self and others, was through Wang Jia Zhi's eyes. Lust Caution is 157 minutes' of rewarding watch that will linger on in your minds well after the credits roll. (A+)

I saw this movie twice in the theater - very unusual for someone as critical of movies as I am. The first time I went by myself, and the second time I took my husband, who was not initially interested in the story line (espionage and all). He also liked it a lot (though he did not have as much of a personal connection as I did with the film). I was like in a zone for a few days after I saw the movie. It really shook me to the core in a sense. A very powerful movie in and of itself, it moves me particularly because I am orinigally from China and Eileen Chang was one of my faovrite writers when I was a teenager book worm. Having grown up surrounded by the communisit propaganda, I found it refreshing to watch a movie so artfully done to create a theme about love, sexuality and loyalty. It shows how innocent and ignorant the young revolutionaries could be (something that was obviously omitted from our history lessons). This is a movie about powerful human emotions, like all the other movies directed by Ang Lee. I'm also happy to see Ang Lee sticking to making movies based on good, solid stories, instead of falling into the 'glitz overriding story' trap like so many other talented Chinese directors, Zhang Yimou and Cheng Kaige specifically.

Ang Lee said that he made this film for the Chinese audience, but I also read that he was disappointed by the fact that the Chinese media focused predominantly on the raw, sex scenes. I can understand his frustration. I wonder really how the mainland Chinese will embrace such a tale. Eileen Chang was never a Communist writer. In the book and the movie, the revolutionaries were referred to as 'the people from Chongqing.' As the Nationalist Party was based in Chongqing at the time (and the Communists in Yan'an), the revoluntionaries in the book were not Communinist members but Nationalists. That sort of contradicts everything we have learned in history lessons about the Communisit being the main heroes fighting against the Japanese and the Nationalists (the Kuomingtang) being wimpy traitors. Because of these reasons, I doubt mainland China will allow the movie to be shown in public.

But it doesn't mean the Chinese will be denied access to this beautiful film, thanks to the illegal DVD pirating industry. My sister-in-law in China has already bought the film (for a dollar) and watched it. Funny thing is she had very similar reaction to it as I did. My brother said she wouldn't talk to him for a few hours.

I disagree with some critics who called Ang Lee 'indecisive' in directing the movie. I think everything was very deliberately done and Ang Lee was very clear on what he planned to do with the story. He said that it was one of his favorite stories written by Eileen Chang. I suppose if you don't like the story (such as some other reviewers), you wouldn't like the movie. But to me, the story can be interpreted in many ways, and Ang Lee has done a brilliant job conveying what Eileen Chang wanted her story to convey. The sex scenes (not in the book) are integral to the story, as Eileen Chang wrote, "If the path to a man's heart is through his stomache, then the path to a woman's heart is through her v...." The movie is certainly not for the faint of heart.

By the way, the soundtrack is beautiful. I downloaded it from iTunes. Before I receive the DVD in the mail, the soundtrack will do. (But I wouldn't want a Chinese film that's dubbed in English. That's a crime. I'm buying it from somewhere else.)

Ang Lee has the ability to transform simple stories about human relationships into epic films that somehow maintain the quality of intimacy and tenderness despite the grand sweep of his productions. In LUST, CAUTION ('SE, JIE') he has once again created a symphony of a film with a script by James Schamus based on the short story by Eileen Chang, assembled a cast superb actors who convey the story's multileveled messages on the historic backgrounds of World War II Shanghai and Hong Kong using the sensitive camera eye of Rodrigo Prieto and accompanied by Alexandre Desplat's evocative East/West musical score. It is a visual triumph, a fascinating recounting of China's history about which we know little, and one of the most intriguing love stories committed to film.

The film opens in Hong Kong focusing on a group of college students who form a theater group to present plays of 'significance'. Young Wong Chia Chi (the luminous Wei Tang in her first cinematic role) is asked to join the theatrical group and she consents primarily because of her attraction to the leader of the group, Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Hom Wang, a commanding and handsome actor). Events of history alter the purpose of the art groups and they become a Resistance force against the Japanese occupation of China. The leader of the Japanese sympathizers is a Mr. Lee (Tony Leung, one of the most solid actors on the screen today) and the student group plans an infiltration into his home and life by placing Wong Chia Chi into his household. In residence in Mr. Lee's home, she learns to tolerate the constant mah jong games with Mr. Lee's wife (Joan Chen) and her gossipy girlfriends, only to await the moment when Mr. Lee will notice her and hopefully begin an affair that will result in inside information espionage. As the effects of the war tighten problems the Yees move to Shanghai and the troupe follows them: the troupe has become a committed political resistance force with plans to kill Mr. Yee and the cadre of men who support his siding with the Japanese. Wong Chia Chi agrees to follow Mr. Yee's sexual advances and in short time they are caught up in powerfully erotic explosions of lust: it is during these very frank and very erotic lovemaking scenes that Ang Lee manages to reveal the inner aspects of each of these important characters, allowing the audience to see the complete picture of how lust can dissipate caution. The changes that occur between the two characters set in motion a surprising ending, at once disturbing and understandable.

Accompanying the DVD (already in excess of 157 minutes) is a 'making of' feature and a discussion period with not only Ang Lee but also with the stars and production people that is very solid commentary and for once seems pertinent to enhance the enjoyment of the film. Some may find the extended lovemaking scenes too frankly sexual, but so much of the real grit of the story lies in the non-verbal, purely physical language that could only be understood in the way Lee decided to film these gorgeous scenes. This is an important film on many levels and will probably become better appreciated with multiple views. In Mandarin, Japanese, Shanghainese, English and Hindi with subtitles. Grady Harp, February 08

I first heard about Lust, Caution, like many others, due to its NC-17 rating by the MPAA. As this rating has tended to be an oracle of box office failure in the past, most studios due whatever needed to avoid it in theatrical release. Undaunted, director Ang Lee creates a film whose story and essence require scenes depicting the intimacy and emotion of very graphic sexuality. However, the film is not pornography, not sex and genitals for the sake of sex and genitals, but is rather an attempt to tell a story with the inclusion of sex for emphasis and impact--something all to often done with violence and completely overlooked in film ratings.

The story takes place in 1930s Shanghai, a Chinese city under Japanese occupation. While this setting is necessary to the plot, it also immerses the audience in a time and place completely foreign to all but the oldest generations in China today. Rations, checkpoints, suppression of movement and goods are all elements weighing on the movie's characters, but through connections and resourcefulness, most manage something just shy of a normal existence despite bearing the stress of war.

I cannot recommend this film to those easily upset by nudity or sexuality in film, nor those rare individuals averse to scenes of violence. But, for adults interested in a serious film filled with brutal emotion, the horrors of wartime, and the occasional tragedy of youthful rebellion, do see this.

Watched this movie a couple of days ago, the more I think about it, the more I like it. The graphic scense are controversial but it's the subtleties that spoke to the meaning of the film. In general it's a little long but it's worthy to see all the beautiful details created by the Ang Lee team, the old Shanghai scenes were just gorgeous and unforgettable. I think it could be a little bit more solid, so it's not perfect. Acting and visuals were great, story was very heavy but powerful.

Lust, Caution is an Ang Lee film based on a novel of the same name, which is in turn based on a short story called The Spyring. The story takes place in Hong Kong and in Shanghai during the late 1930s and early 1940s. This of course was when imperial Japan occupied much of northeastern China. Shanghai was ruled by traitor Wang Jingwei's collaborationist KMT puppet state. It is a story about a group of students who plan to assassinate a prestigious collaborator named Mr. Yee, played brilliantly by Tony Leung. The plot of the assassination is centered around using the attractive "Mrs. Mak" (Tang Wei) to entice him. Mrs. Mak is actually the seemingly shy and unassuming student Wong Chia Chi. The film begins by focusing on her finding the resistance's agents and her own rise among them, but it soon stays focused on her transformation to Mrs. Mak and her interactions with Mr. Yee.

I just recently saw the 2007 documentary Nanking which goes over the infamous massacre of 1937, arguably the most horrific two to three months in the history of humanity. I also recommend that documentary but especially as a precursor to the exciting espionage film we have here in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution. I've read about the Rape of Nanjing before, but watching that first really fired me up to root for the resistance in this film and helped to enhance the experience overall. Lust, Caution really does have it's share of unpredictable moments and the way it unfolds was surprisingly compelling and uneasy, but I don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say, there are some remarkably intense moments in this film and I am not talking about the well-publicized sex scenes.

The sex scenes by the way only make up about ten minutes of total screen time. Altogether there are only three or four scenes that contain sexual content or nudity within this two and a half hour movie. Yet, because the film is NC-17 we seem to only be hearing about those scenes, although the film's success has possibly encouraged similar content. I love when a film draws controversy, especially for perfectly natural reasons, but it is even better when it's a film that is effectively telling us an important and interesting story. In fact, I'd go as far as to say the film has been denounced by some for its most beautiful moments. The sex scenes are actually among the most compelling I've ever seen, perhaps it was just a little too close to the bedroom for the MPAA? I would've given this film a heavy R rating for one pervasive murder sequence but even if you do happen to have a teenager you can control enough to keep them from seeing a movie they want to see, don't worry about the sex scenes.

Ang Lee is incredibly versatile and lately he has created some hugely significant films. He has convinced me his films are always going to be worth watching out for. Lust, Caution has it all. It is interesting, suspenseful, shocking, sexy, and beautiful. The screenplay, the score, the cinematography, and the performances are far stronger than any other film released as an NC-17. That means a lot for us waiting to see a marketable non-pornographic adult rating in the United States.

A visionary and voyeuristic journey through the intriguing perspective of Chinese resistance fighters during Japanese-occupied Shanghai, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution portrays a dangerous world of love and betrayal, and the destructive effect such emotions hold on those involved. Lee's espionage epic provokes the limits to which some will go to obtain the elusive and deceptive elements of love, and though excessive in both its methods and its running time, a masterfully told tale unfolds with powerful performances and astonishing realism.

In early WWII war-torn China a group of rebellious drama students led by Kuang (Wang Lee-Hom), and fueled by personal attrition of the times, ambitiously (and rather foolishly) concoct a plan to infiltrate the traitorous Mr. Yee's (Tony Leung) household and assassinate him. Young Wong Shia Shi (Tang Wei) poses as a businessman's wife and quickly befriends Mrs. Yee, allowing her to catch the attention of their target. But days of preparation and plotting soon turn to months and a tragic event destroys their efforts, causing the group to separate for several years. As Wong listlessly bides her time in Shanghai, Kuang reenters her life with a proposition to finish the deadly mission they had started so long ago. This time their amateurish approach has been replaced by Resistance support and Wong must give herself fully to the cause, rapidly erasing any trace of the innocent student she once was.

Newcomer Tang Wei turns in an exceptional performance, baring her soul (and due to the NC-17 rating, quite a bit more). Her captivating presence draws you into her dire plight and as her involvement with Mr. Yee reaches distressing heights, she must adapt or be exposed. Her utter transformation to becoming Yee's lover provides a fascinating character study, though some may be disheartened to see where it leads her. Tony Leung carries the seemingly heartless and violently passionate Mr. Yee into engaging territories of unexpected destructiveness and leaden feeling, though he never draws the intrigue away from Wong's arc. The other plotting students and the mah-jongg playing women fill minor details, save for the ambitious Kuang who realizes what he wants only after it is too late.

In Ang Lee's daring visionary style, Lust, Caution shows little restraint in its portrayal of sex, violence, and the tragic effects of war. Earning the daunting NC-17 rating, the violent romance between Yee and Wong is displayed as graphically as it gets and seems displayed only to emphasize the total immersion and transformation Wong undergoes to fulfill her role. A single scene of graphic bloodshed exists and adequately depicts the horrors of death and the mental, emotional, and physical strain required to end a life. The harrowing realism of conflict never abates throughout Lee's epic.

It would be unfair to call Lust, Caution simply an erotic thriller; it is so much more a complex and intimate examination of love, obsession, and sacrifice in one of the darkest realms of humanity. Drastic transformations, a seemingly unrequited love, and a devastating betrayal build to a conclusion as tragic as it is unquestionably destined. A depressing emptiness permeates the finale, not because the treacherous journey witnessed doesn't affect, but rather through the crushing realization that no one wins in love or war.

- Joel Massie, MoviePulse.net

I have to say that after seeing some of this year's foreign film contenders for the Oscar, I become more frustrated with standard American fare.Director Ang Lee has hit the screen with all flags flying,again,so find a good baby sitter and treat yourself and your special one to 159 minutes of intrigue,passion,history and watching the newest and finest actress to hit any screen anywhere in the complex and suspenseful LUST,CAUTION from China.

Actress Tang Wei carries this gripping film about the underground resistance movement in Japanese-occupied WW2 China with such maturity and complexity that she solidly throws her hat into the ring of the great performances of 2007 or any other year.Not since Meryl Streep in SOPHIE'S CHOICE has a single female performance so dominated and commanded attention for the sheer magnitude,range and complexity in a role that requires her to speak several languages and act so many conflicted emotions and bare all and then some with consummate skill of a pro.Did I love this performance?...YES,and I do rank it to be one of the greatest ever to be seen.That the master Ang Lee has again crafted another intense and truly thought-provoking NC-17 film makes me proud to see such film making that will defy all convention in order to tell a gripping story that requires viewers to squirm and writhe and feel the angst of the characters on screen.Yes,there is sex, so let's just clear the air on that one right now! Nothing titular happens for the first 95 minutes.This is a slow and exacting build up that must lead to the most satisfying of climaxes.That the magnificent actors Tony Leung and Joan Chen were also in this film,almost seemed like supporting roles to what Tang Wei is asked to do to portray the revolutionary student Wong as she snakes her way into the heart of Mr.Yee,a dreaded and murderous Chinese "Collaborator".Just like the game of "mahjong" that opens this amazing film,Wong must outwit her opponent,Yee, in a game of lust and love while spying on him in order to bring down the occupying Japanese forces and the Chinese who aid them in order to keep their cushy lifestyles while the rest of the country lives in abject poverty.
Some viewers will just simply not understand or even tolerate the sex scenes. Oh well. My advice would be to not go then.Though there is very graphic sexual situations,it is crucial to each of the understanding and development of the lead characters.Without it, you have just another spy thriller that relies on action alone.With it, though,we have a tasteful and necessary look at two people with whom Ang Lee wants to snake their way into our hearts as they snake their way into each others.I stayed to the very last Chinese subtitle,breathless, shocked at the conclusion and motionless.I had seen a truly remarkable film.That Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack (THE QUEEN,THE PAINTED VEIL,SYRIANA,CASANOVA,THE GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING) carried this meticulously crafted thriller along was simply soy sauce on the tofu!!!
Will this be a definite DVD purchase? You bet your bottom yen it will!

"Lust, Caution" directed by Ang Lee (winner of an Academy Award for "Brokeback Mountain")is set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during WWII. The movie is based upon a short story by Eileen Chang, and it integrates complex themes of war, sex, love, and betrayal. The movie develops slowly over the course of seven years. It centers around a young group of Chinese students who wish to assassinate a powerful Chinese collaborator with the Japanese. Naive at first, the students make connection with the organized resistance movement and pursue their plan carefully and stealthily. A young woman in the group, Wang, of little sexual experience, has been given the task of seducing Mr. Yee, a leading Chinese collaborator and the head of security for the Japanese. Yee is cruelly efficient at finding and severely punishing members of the resistance. He is also well protected.

Ultimately Wang succeeds in infiltrating Yee's circle, and the two begin an affair. Scenes of a violently sexual nature are graphically portrayed. Wang, out to kill, and Yee, out for lust, ironically fall in love, with devastating consequences to both.

The lengthy movie develops slowly and the couple does not become physically involved until more than half-way through it. The pace of the movie builds up a great deal of tension, sexual and otherwise. During the course of her seduction of Yee, Wang tells her fellow members of the resistance that she has fallen in love with her intended victim. But to no avail as the plot inexorably moves forward. An effective moment points to the relationship that might have been between Wang and one of her collaborators.

The movie is well-paced, well-acted, and offers a convincing portrait of occupied Shanghai, with its brutality, vice, and repression, as well as with people trying just to get by and on with their lives. But the core of the movie lies in the relationship between the two chief protagonists, and the exploration of the connection between violence, sexuality, and love. The movie ultimately is a tale of the mystery of the development of love in the human heart.

Total time: 157 minutes
In Chinese with Subtitles

Robin Friedman

Ang Lee, the director of such films as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, "Brokeback Mountain" and "Hulk" is not someone prepared to shy away from a "controversial" subject matter in his films.

Wang (newcomer Wei Tang) is just starting college in Hong Kong when she is asked to join a theater group. She agrees because she is attracted to the charismatic leader Kuang (Lee-Hom Wang). Then, World War II begins and much of their lives are changed by the threat of Japanese invasion. Flash forward a few years and Wang and the theater group have become a sort of small resistance force. They decide to try to infiltrate the inner circle of a prominent businessman, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung, "In The Mood for Love", "Infernal Affairs"), who has been aiding the Japanese. Their ticket in? To make Wang into a seductive woman who will become a possible mistress to Mr. Yee. Wang becomes a part of Mrs. Yee's (Joan Chen) inner circle and plays mah jong with them on a regular basis. Every time, Mr. Yee is in the room, Wang cautiously flirts with him. Just as their relationship is about to bloom, the Yee's move to Shanghai. As the war worsens, Wang also finds herself in Shanghai and the resistance group has renewed interest in Mr. Yee; as the head of the police force, he has become a pawn to the invading Japanese, helping them maintain their hold on the Chinese people. Wang becomes a part of the Yee household again and their affair blooms. But can Wang, an inexperienced country girl, keep from actually falling in love with the man she despises?

In "Lust, Caution" Ang Lee tries to push the envelope once again in another controversial way. The film has a very explicit depiction of sex, and also some graphic violence. First, it is sad that we even have to label this film "controversial" based on the sexual aspect of the story. Yes, there is a lot of sex and some of it is very graphic, but why does this automatically earn the "controversial" label for the film? This is just as stupid as giving "Brokeback Mountain" the same label because it depicts a gay relationship. I don't think adults who see this film will not see sexual acts they have not participated in. The shocking thing about "Lust" is that we are so used to seeing bodies grinding against one another before the film cuts to a shot of the couple laughing or sharing a cigarette that when we see an actual depiction of a sexual act in a film, it is a bit shocking.

The sexual aspect of their relationship is also a natural extension of the story and doesn't seem all that gratuitous. Wang is trying to infiltrate the life of Mr. Yee, to become close to him, to earn his confidence and discover his vulnerabilities. If a man has a mistress, they will have sex, so it really shouldn't come as a shock to watch the two engage in sexual activity. But because we have seen so little of this type of explicit activity on screen, it is a little shocking.

"Lust, Caution" deftly mixes aspects of an espionage thriller with the relationship between Wang and Mr. Yee. As the events of war unfold, and people become more and more desperate, we understand why the resistance would make a second attempt to try to get at Mr. Yee. When Wang meets with the leader of the resistance, the first thing he does is hand her a cyanide tablet. "Sew this in to your clothes. Just in case" he instructs her. She willingly goes along with the plan, despite the danger, and accepts the tablet.

As we watch Wang go from simple country girl to sophisticated city woman, her cover, it is more than a little amazing to watch the transformation into seductive mistress. She looks completely different and is so determined to be successful at her mission, she is determined to create a believable character who will charm Mr. Yee off his feet. Wei Tang is very good as Wang making us believe in her skill and determination. We see how all of these lies and stories begin to affect her. But she continues on.

Tony Leung is also very good as Mr. Yee. Initially, his wife is present whenever he sees Wang, so he has to maintain a certain distance. But he is also the male figure in a society where women have less rights, so he doesn't have to be all that concerned about discovery. He seems to be more covert to protect the feelings of his wife, yet she clearly has a feeling for what is going on.

I even liked Joan Chen, and I almost never enjoy her work in any of the films I have seen. In "Lust", she plays Mrs. Yee, a woman who realizes she has a certain amount of power, in her circle, and doesn't care about lording it over her `friends'. Her power comes from her husband's position and she realizes this, so when she begins to realize something is going on, she allows it continue for a number of reasons. Would she be able to stop it? Don't most men cheat on their wives?

When Mr. Yee and Wang begin their relationship, Mr. Yee is clearly hungry for some sexual release. As Wang has little experience, he takes charge of this part of the relationship proving to be an "aggressive" lover, but she is a quick learner.

As I watched the film, I realized how meticulously well it is produced. Every detail about the areas of Hong Kong and Shanghai these characters inhabit is completely believable. You really get a sense for this long gone era and the way these characters live and deal with the restrictions that come with the war.

Unfortunately, this great attention to detail also points out a flaw in the film. In a story about two people falling in love, you shouldn't really be able to be distracted by the production detail. Especially an explicit film about a sexual relationship. There are a couple of things missing which seem to be key to elevating the film from very good to memorable.

Throughout, we never really see why Mr. Yee is so hated by this group. They talk about it, and we can understand why based on these conversations, but we never see an example of it, of his power, of his menace, of his wrong doing. Because this is missing, there isn't as much of a feeling of danger throughout. When they are in Hong Kong, the group has to deal with someone who is blackmailing them, and this helps to create some suspense. But Mr. Yee is the main target and we need to see him do something causing someone harm or danger to give us a feeling Wang's life is threatened every moment she spends with Mr. Yee.

Also, the trailer hints at Wang having feelings for Mr. Yee. The story seems to want her to be in conflict; initially, she is simply supposed to enter his life, win his affection and learn something allowing the group to take their target out. And this becomes a pivotal moment in the story. But we never get this feeling from Wang. She apparently does have feelings for the man she was supposed to simply seduce, based on some of her actions late in the film, but we never see evidence of this in her eyes, in her body language, so we don't believe she is ever in love with him.

Because we never believe they are in love, "Lust" loses some of the eroticism it wants to sizzle our eyes with; without love it is simply sex. Watching sex without intimacy is less interesting.

"Lust, Caution" is a very good film, but it lacks the intimacy it wants to have to make it a truly memorable film.