Reviews for Lust, Caution

[summertime]

The Harvard Law (Movie) Review: Lust, Caution

Yvonne Tew

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Arts and Culture

Starring: Tony Leung. Tang Wei


Director: Ang Lee



Ang Lee's latest movie, Lust, Caution, exhibits considerable lust and much less caution. One leaves the cinema with mixed emotions and the feeling that this was a movie that was almost great; it comes so close that I feel that I ought to love it, I want to love it, but I merely feel that I ought to want to love it. Ang Lee delivers several poignant moments in this story of tortured love and espionage set in Hong Kong and Japanese-occupied Shanghai during the 1940s, but the movie would have been more potent if its scenes had been crystallized into a shorter version, instead of its prolonged 158 minutes.


The intensity of emotions needed for a film that explores the complexity of human psychology and interactions in a China seething under Japanese occupation requires careful casting. In this, Ang Lee succeeds in his choice of seasoned actor Tony Leung, as the ruthless government official collaborating with the Japanese, opposite newcomer Tang Wei, as the Resistance spy whose job it is to ensnare him. Tony Leung manages to portray a brutal yet tortured Mr. Yee through his silence as much as his words; he controls and represses his emotions, conveying his brooding menace through his eyes and expressionless features. However, the real credit goes to Tang Wei, who gives an impressive debut performance: she switches between being Wong Chia-Chi, the sweet virginal student, and Mak Tai Tai, the luring mistress, in a role that demands both nuance and intensity. Wang Leehom plays the idealistic student who first convinces Wong Chia-Chi to fight against traitors like Mr. Yee, but his Asian pop star good looks appear almost out of place in the bleakness of the surroundings, even though his chief function is to look in longing despair at Wong throughout the movie.


Ang Lee, Oscar winner director of Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, uses his noted storytelling abilities to unfold the drama through shifting scenes between the mahjong-clicking domestic world of the rich tai tai's (in which an entirely believable Joan Chen plays Mr. Yee's wife) and the brutal outside world of survival and violence. The sacrificial patriotism, almost to the point of wasted foolishness, of the Chinese students attempting to be amateur spies is most eloquently illustrated when Wong Chia-Chi goes through her first sexual encounter in order to prepare for her role: the scene is simultaneously so devoid of, and so pregnant with, emotion that it is almost painful to watch.


But, it is Ang Lee's unflinchingly graphic portrayal of the later sex scenes between the characters played by Tony Leung and Tang Wei that earned the movie its NC-17 rating. However, Ang Lee is right that the sex scenes (or, at least, the first two out of the three) are necessary to show the complex way in which the characters relate to each other. The sadomasochism and violence shown by Mr. Yee in the first scene is crucial in illustrating his character: it is one of dominance and, strangely, vulnerability in the bitter times that he lives in. He has to create pain in her in order to "feel alive", as Wong Chia-Chi realizes. The eroticization of dominance in the movie occurs as she begins to be drawn towards this man who uses her - uses her almost because he needs her. The characters are most brutally honest in the intensity of their sexual relations, and the subliminal desperation in the scenes make them more agonizing than erotic to watch.


And, yet, for all its potential to be grippingly powerful and evocative, the movie never quite rises to the level one feels it could have achieved. It may be that Ang Lee's passion for storytelling and cinematography is both his greatest strength, and his Achilles heel. His attention to symbolism and detail create certain beautiful cinematographic moments, such as the blood-red lipstick mark Wong Chia-Chi leaves on her cup at the beginning and end of the movie. But this same obsession with detail results in a tiresome over-abundance of the camera focusing on Tony Leung's brooding face or characters exchanging meaningful looks and lingering on significant objects (enough of the ring rocking back and forth already!). The first half of the movie flows absorbingly, but the second half begins to drag. Despite being based on a short story by Shanghai-born Eileen Chang, the movie clocks in at a lengthy 158 minutes. By contrast, Ang Lee's manages to adapt Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility in 135 minutes.


If Ang Lee had exercised slightly more restraint, and caution, in the filming of Lust, Caution its impact may have been much more powerful.



Rating: * * 1/2


http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/11/15/ArtsAndCulture/The-Harvard.Law.movie.Review.Lust.Caution-3108060.shtml

[Info]

Review from London Film Festival

http://www.filmdetail.com/archives/2007/10/20/london-film-festival-2007-lust-caution/

[summertime]

Ang Lee's latest is long, NC-17 but well acted and intriguing

RON COWAN
Statesman Journal


November 22, 2007

Director Ang Lee, with movies ranging from "Hulk" to "Brokeback Mountain" and now "Lust, Caution," would never be accused of predictability.

His latest film, though set in 1940s, Japanese-occupied Shanghai, has obvious antecedents in "Brokeback Mountain," a story of emotional caution and eroticism.

But "Lust, Caution," splashed on occasion with both violence and graphic sex -- hence the NC-17 rating -- is too exquisitely restrained, and at 158 minutes, it's much too long for the story it has to tell.

Even at that length, it's missing a crucial, satisfying catharsis: Why does its heroine act as she ultimately does?

Still, Lee's story of politics, passion and betrayal has impeccable period detail and lustrous cinematography and some fine performances, particularly Tony Leung as the villain and prey of the story.

Lee's film opens near the end of the story, as resistance agent Wong Chia-Chi (Tang Wei) is about to complete her mission. The story flashes back to 1938 as a young Chia-Chi, a refugee who ends up in Hong Kong, is recruited for a patriotic play by a charismatic fellow student, Kuang Yu Min (pop star Wang Leehorn).

His patriotism leads him and his four friends, including Chia-Chi, into a foolish but bravura plot to ensnare Mr. Yee (Leung), a Chinese collaborator who has targeted resistance to the Japanese invaders. Chia-Chi is tapped to masquerade as Mrs. Mak, wife of a businessman, and thus wormed her way into the good graces of Mrs. Yee (Joan Chen).

Over mah-jongg games, she attracts Mr. Yee's attentions, but he is called back to Shanghai, and her friends find their romantic ideas of assassination trashed when they are forced to murder a man who discovers their scheme.

Three years later, Chia-Chi is a student in Shanghai living with her aunt when Min approaches her and reveals a revived plot, enticing her to resume her old fictional identity and infiltrate the Yee household.

The plan works all too well, as Mr. Yee and Chia-Chi enter a torrid affair with strong sadomasochistic overtones -- Mr. Yee's idea of sex is as brutal as the torture we imagine he metes out to his political opponents. But Chia-Chi becomes truly obsessed with him, and a mutual passion seems to bloom.

But the plot grinds on, and Chia-Chi -- catching up to the first scene -- is engaged in a scheme to dispatch the vicious Mr. Yee with the help of her four friends.

The script by Wang Hui Ling and James Schamus, based on Eileen Chang's short story, is full of intriguing twists and turns, and Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography captures a somewhat lushly imagined time and place, a world of privilege above the grit of war.

Ultimately, "Lust, Caution," is worthwhile, despite its taxing length and sometimes excruciating reserve, even with those flashes of raw sex and nudity.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071122/ENT04/711220315/1063

[summertime]

Lust, Caution

Beautifully Shot and Superbly Acted Thriller

Reviewed by: Between the Frames

Eileen Chang's short story "Lust, Caution," about a young woman who enters a dangerous game of spying in 1940s occupied Shanghai, is written with a quiet precision. Its sentences sparkle and shine like the literary gems on the fingers of the mahjong-playing ladies who open and close the story. Ang Lee's film adaptation, scripted by Wang Hui Ling and James Schamus, fills in what is not said in Chang's prose. It is an explicit, leisurely opening-out of an understated, tight story. Like the two opposing forces in the title, the book and the film compliment and balance each other. Each is, in its way, a rich experience.

In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, a group of college students led by the idealistic and visionary Kuang Yu-min (Taiwanese-American pop star Wang Leehom) tries to do its part in the resistance by putting on patriotic plays. Fueled by early success, the group grows more ambitious and concocts a plot to assassinate an influential Japanese collaborator Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). Since Mr. Yee is always closely guarded, both physically and emotionally, Wang’s fellow actor-radicals determine that their only shot at an assassination is to lure him into the sort of rash, reckless behavior characteristic of a torrid affair. Mr. Yee isn’t easily conquered, however, and when Wang finally does succeed in bedding him, she discovers—to her initial horror, then to her illicit pleasure—that his sexual appetites mirror his brutal politics. The troupe’s leading lady Wang Jiazhi (newcomer Tang Wei) transforms herself into Mrs. Mak, infiltrates the social circle of Mrs. Yee (Joan Chen) and begins a dangerous liaison with Mr. Yee. Posing as Mrs Mak, a wealthy businessman's wife, Wong performs her job well, but complications arise when she finds herself falling in love with him.

Newcomer Tang Wei, chosen from over 10,000 actresses, is remarkable, especially considering the intensity of some of the scenes in the film. For instance, there are several extremely intimate sex scenes, as Lee and Wong enter into an affair that is practically sadomasochistic in nature. As such, Tang Wei's performance is nothing short of exhilarating and astonishing, while there's strong support from the always excellent Tony Leung and from Joan Chen as Lee's wife.

Like Ang Lee’s previous films, this film demands patience from the audience. If you spend the bulk of Lust, Caution impatiently awaiting the rough-and-tumble, as many critics seem to have done, you’re almost certain to be disappointed. Lee takes a long time to tell the story but if you sit back, enjoy the details, watch the incredible acting and the beautiful cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto and listen to sumptuous score by gloriously named composer Alexandre Desplat (as the score accents its often-tragic story perfectly and is one of the greatest elements of the film), time will go quickly for you. In addition James Schamus's script is excellent, beautifully capturing the tensions between what is said on the surface versus the hidden passions of the characters.

Ang Lee skillfully orchestrates and harmonizes some terrific sequences, most notably a horrific murder that occurs in the middle of the film and an emotionally devastating scene in which Wang talks about letting Lee into her heart. There are also several memorable images and scenes, such as when Wong sings for Lee during an assignation in a Japanese brothel.

“Lust, Caution” definitely demands careful attention and possibly a repeat screening to fully appreciate its many nuances, which include superior cinematography and production values. It's a masterpiece of tangled allegiances and corrupted innocence, equating sexual intimacy with the search for a person's soul. There's no guarantee the discovery will bring joy.

Though not among his best films, Ang Lee's latest directorial outing, “Lust, Caution” is a thoroughly absorbing, beautifully shot and superbly acted thriller that is both nail-bitingly suspenseful and extremely moving. It is one of the better films this year with some truly serene cinematic moments. Ang Lee is definitely a master of his craft and “Lust, Caution” truly shines with his brilliance in a few moments - at least for part of the film, not every last minute of its 157 minutes. He always challenges his audiences and in “Lust, Caution” he once again challenges us exceptionally well to explore the central dichotomy of human existence.

http://www.movieseer.com/ReviewsBil.asp?rID=670&Channel=2&moID=5638

[Info]

Lust, Caution
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom
The ViewLondon Review

Review by Matthew Turner 19/10/2007

Opens Friday 04 January 2008

Four out of Five stars
Running time: 158 mins

Superbly written, beautifully shot and emotionally powerful espionage thriller with a terrific central performance from newcomer Tang Wei.

What's it all about?
Directed by Ang Lee and based on a short story by Chinese author Eileen Chang, Lust, Caution is set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Newcomer Tang Wei plays Wong Chia Chi, a young student whose talent for acting brings her to the attention of a radical resistance group. Her task is to infiltrate herself into the life of influential Japanese collaborator Mr Lee (Tony Leung), in order to determine the optimum time and place for an assassination attempt.

Posing as Mrs Mak, a wealthy businessman's wife, Wong performs her job well, but complications arise when she finds herself falling in love with him.

The Good
Newcomer Tang Wei was chosen from over 10,000 actresses, which is remarkable, especially considering the intensity of some of the scenes in the film – for example, there are several extremely intimate sex scenes, as Lee and Wong enter into an affair that is practically sadomasochistic in nature. As such, Tang Wei's performance is nothing short of astonishing, while there's strong support from the always excellent Tony Leung and from Joan Chen as Lee's wife.

The film is beautifully shot, courtesy of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, as well as a sumptuous score by gloriously named composer Alexandre Desplat. In addition James Schamus's script is excellent, beautifully capturing the tensions between what is said on the surface versus the hidden passions of the characters.

The Great
Ang Lee orchestrates some terrific sequences, most notably a horrific murder that occurs in the middle of the film and an emotionally devastating scene in which Wang talks about letting Lee into her heart. There are also several memorable images and scenes, such as when Wong sings for Lee during an assignation in a Japanese brothel.

Worth seeing?
Lust, Caution is a thoroughly absorbing, beautifully shot and superbly acted thriller that is both nail-bitingly suspenseful and extremely moving. Highly recommended.

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/lust-caution-film-review-20827.html

[summertime]

December 21, 2007 -- Updated 1637 GMT (0037 HKT)

Review: Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' is a thrilling oriental pearl


By CNN's Linnie Rawlinson

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Masks beneath masks, the click-clack of Mahjong tiles and the sheen of silk cheongsams: Taiwanese director Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Brokeback Mountain") brings an intoxicating tale of lies, deceit and corruption to the screen with his latest film, "Lust, Caution".

Japanese-occupied Shanghai, 1942. Mrs Mak, an impeccably coiffed Chinese lady, makes a telephone call from a cafe, then sits and waits. Cue a flashback to 1938, where her story begins. Mrs Mak is not the sophisticate she appears -- just a few years earlier, she was shy drama student Wong Chia Chi.

Ang Lee's adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story tells the tale of a girl caught up in the winds of change of World War II. The fast-paced erotic thriller tracks Wong Chia Chi's transformation from bookish student to collaborator bait.

The film has already received wide acclaim, winning Lee his second Golden Lion at Venice with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film already in the bag. "Lust, Caution" cleaned up at Taiwan's Golden Horse awards, scooping seven trophies including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, which went to Tony Leung Chiu Wai, and Best Newcomer, for Wei Tang.

Wei Tang plays Wong Chia Chi, a student in Hong Kong whose fate is set when she meets Kuang Yu Min (Lee-hom Wang), a handsome fellow student who wants to use drama to provoke his compatriots to rebel against the Japanese. As Kuang's leading lady, Wong Chia Chi blossoms, but when Kuang urges his fellow players to move from inspiration to action, she finds herself at the center of a plot to ensnare and murder Japanese collaborator Mr Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai).

Dressed in cheongsams and primped and curled to perfection, Wong Chia Chi sets out on the biggest role of her life. As Mrs Mak, she gains Lee's trust through his wife, and the plot progresses as planned until an unexpectedly fatal twist spurs her to flee.

Cut to Shanghai three years later: Wong Chia Chi is caught in a listless existence when Kuang unexpectedly re-enters her life. He lures her back into the unfinished sting operation, and before long she and Mr Lee, now head of the collaborationist secret service, are engaged in a torrid affair that pushes her soul and her loyalty to the limit.

Newcomer Wei Tang gives a startlingly assured and subtle performance. At times, she seems to mirror Wong Chia Chi's transformation into Mrs Mak from dowdy student to rouged mistress, but she rises to the challenge and ably carries the film on her slender shoulders. As she is thrust into the spotlight by Kuang, stripped mechanically of her virginity in readiness for her role as temptress, and placed alongside Mr Lee, Wei Tang, with serene stillness, lets Wong Chia Chi be swept along to her final destiny.

Every diamond demands the right setting to sparkle, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai's generous performance as the enigmatic Mr Lee lets his co-star shine. Leung is pitch-perfect, and shows his quality as he lets Lee's beautifully impassive mask shift and slip, revealing a tightly-wound coil of repressed emotion beneath. Leung is remarkable: a highly skilled actor capable of expressing a world of emotion in the smallest muscle movement. The audience is left to imagine the horrors he unleashes during his interrogations of Chinese resistance fighters.

The already-infamous sex scenes can appear a little clumsy and contorted at times, less intimate than acrobatic; it's when Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Wei Tang sit in silence that they most project how intimate and electric their connection really is.

The lead characters are ably supported by a stirling cast, most notably a splendidly nuanced performance from Joan Chen as Mrs Lee, forced to turn a blind eye to her husband's affairs, both in business and of the heart, while Asian pop superstar Wang Leehom gives a convincing and impassioned performance as romantic, ruthless Kuang.

As for the ambience, Ang Lee is known for his attention to detail, and at times the 30s luxe and glamour is perhaps a little too perfect, a little too glossy, with a depth of style usually reserved for more placid period pieces. (Note for fashionistas: while "Atonement" might inspire a 2008 trend for bias-cut 30s dresses, "Lust, Caution" will add perfectly formed cloche hats and cocktail rings to the mix.)

But this chilling, thrilling film-noir-inspired tale is both poised and elegant, bloody and erotic; if not quite a diamond the size of a quail's egg, "Lust, Caution" is certainly a precious pearl of a movie.


http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/12/20/lust.caution/