Movies

Lust, Caution Review

Ang Lee’s (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain) new film, Lust, Caution is a tale about the Chinese resistance to Japanese occupation in World War 2. Set in Shanghai in 1942, it tells the story of a resistance member who is given a mission to seduce and then assassinate (or help assassinate) a leading Japanese collaborator. Well known Asian cinema star Tony Leung (Mr. Yee) stars as the collaborator, running the secret police in Shanghai, while newcomer Tang Wei (Mrs Mak), stars as the would be assassin.

The story starts in 1938 while Mrs. Mak is a freshman in university in Hong Kong. Her mother has already died and her father has left for the relative safety of England. There she joins a drama group and puts on a series of patriotic plays. In short order, she is ‘recruited’ by the leader of the drama group (Kuang Yu Min) to attempt to assassinate Mr. Yee, who is spending the summer in Hong Kong with his wife. Mrs. Mak earns the trust of Mr. Yee’s wife and tries to win Mr. Yee’s heart. Before the group can attempt anything, Yee flees back to Shanghai. After the Japanese capture Hong Kong, she moves back to Shanghai to live with her aunt. There she is recruited once more by Kuang Yu Min to finish their assassination plan.

This is a film worth watching. The acting, the plot and the story are all top notch. The pacing is perfect and the story gripping. There are plenty of tense moments and the film keeps you thinking pretty much the whole time the story unfolds. For you prudes, there is also several graphic sex scenes. While I found the ending unsatisifying (fairly typical of Asian cinema), it is by no means a reason to watch the film.