| Reviewed by Eric Kohn (2007 Toronto International Film Festival) Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Chih-ying Chu, Joan Chen, Anupam Kher, Wei Tang, Lee-Hom Wang, Johnson Yuen, Tony Leung Chiu Wai Ang Lee's follow-up to Brokeback Mountain is way more explicit than anything in those steamy tent scenes. Variety proclaims it has "too little lust, not enough caution," which makes me wonder if the screening that critic attended was missing a couple of reels. An immersive thriller set in Japan during World War II, it features a storyline that recalls, as I see it, both Army of Shadows and Black Book. An acting student (Tang Wei) living in WWII-era China gets drafted by a group of underground activists to seduce a Japanese collaborator (Tony Leung) in order to lure him into a lethal trap. The usual pratfalls of emotional involvement transpire over the course of the film, particularly during subtly choreographed sex scenes that function as the characters' main linguistic interactions. Lee wasn't willing to cut the film down in order to avoid the NC-17 rating, and his decision makes sense, because these scenes are the heart of the film. The sex, which is near-pornographic, serves to underline the connection that the lead woman, acting as a spy, must endure with another man in order to get him to let his guard down. The story grows increasingly unsettling - and, hence, increasingly gripping - as the fate of the clandestine operation remains impossible to predict. Despite Wang's willingness to go all the way with her foe, she puts a valiant effort into remaining dedicated to her group's cause - but it's never fully clear how far she's willing to go until the gripping finale. (Also screens at the Venice Film Festival)
Tang Wei and Tony Leung star in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, a Focus Features release. Photo:Chan Kam Chuen |
