Lust, Caution Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)October 10th, 2007
"Lust, Caution" -- Bold, Beautiful
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
In "Lust, Caution," Director Ang Lee has delved
deeply into the topic of forbidden love. Yet,
his focus is not on the amorous. It is on the
psychological effects that can lead one to
heights of pleasure or tragic doom.
He has ably portrayed themes of forbidden love
before. His "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was
a sweet period piece about two warriors who were
in love but could not freely admit to it.
"Brokeback Mountain," although more daring,
followed in the same vein. Now, having shed the
boundaries of the MPAA, he has released a film
that captures the same theme in what might be his
most provocative project yet.
The story takes place during WWII China after
Japanese forces have recently occupied Shanghai.
While many go underground to form resistance
groups, some are lured by promises of
hard-to-find-luxuries and become puppet
officials/collaborators of the Japanese empire.
Once such vicious official is Mr. Yee (Tony
Leung), who seeks out and punishes those that
would subvert the Japanese.
Interestingly, the group that decides to go after
Mr. Yee isn't a squad of trained spies. They are
a group of patriotic students whose most notable
contribution to the resistance movement is a
dramatic play that inspires audiences to declare
their love for China. Led by an overzealous
leader, the decision by the rest of the troupe
members to get involved seems to have received as
much thought as a group of college friends
deciding which noodle bar to go to. But with the
leader's fiery determination, a slush fund that
they can tap into, and the willingness of a key
troupe member to lure Mr. Yee into a trap, the
students find themselves no longer acting out a
story from the pages of a manuscript. They are
entering a new realm that requires inordinate
amounts of resolve and sacrifice.
The key to their success or failure lies within
the ability of young Wang JiaZhi (Tang Wei). Her
character arc takes her from a
once-innocent-student and transforms her into a
seductress-spy. She begins early on as a naïve
schoolgirl. She matures quickly and dangerously
into a temptress. Once she didn't know how to
smoke a cigarette. And now, as the film begins
to throttle on all engines, she is calmly and
powerfully explaining that when she subjects
herself to the humiliation of her assignment, it
is for her country. Her performance is quite
captivating, and looking her up on the IMDB, I am
more amazed to see that this may indeed be her
first feature film.
Much of the attention, though, has been thrust
upon the rare NC-17 rating. The film is as raw
at times as it is bold. Yes, there is explicit
sex. But, at no time did any of it feel out of
place, for it illustrated the menacing nature of
Yee, the evolution of Wang, and the message of
sexual honesty during an era and a culture that
is anchored in modesty. "Lust, Caution" is
another feather in Ang Lee's cap.
Grade: B+
S: 4 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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