A passionate espionage thriller

One may wonder what the Taiwanese director Ang Lee wants to tell in his latest movie Lust, Caution (Se Jie). The sudden end of the story that started so promising gives the audience a sense of dissatisfaction. Does it have to do with the facts that the personages did not meet their own goals?

, acted by Wei Tang, who sees herself getting more and more entrapped into a dangerous plot of intrigues and espionage. In there, her mission is to lure the with Japanese collaborating politician Yee, played by Tony Leung, into a trap.

Eye-catchers are the gorgeous Chinese dresses Wei Tang is wearing and the nostalgic atmosphere that encompasses the city of Shanghai in the late thirties of the last century. Bonuses are the gracious beauty of the actress Wei Tang and together with the subdue charm of Tony Leung that make Lust, Caution a real gem. It also reminds you of the other great movie In the mood for love (2000) by Wong Kar-Wai.

There is however a sharp contrast between both films. The last one was a kind of love story that overwhelms you by an avalanche of vivid colors and sounding melodies while Lust, Caution is an espionage thriller under the setting of the grim Japanese occupation of China.

The title Lust, Caution reveals the essence of the story: it is all about passion and lust but also caution. Wang raises her stakes in order to lure the politician Yee into a trap where her fellows can assassinate him. The game of seduction conducted by the irresistible Tang Wei combined with the cautious approaches by the scrupulous and calculating Tony Leung shows glimpses of great acting.

One of the best-acted scenes is not the explicit sex scenes but the one where Wang is singing a song to minister Yee in a Japanese geisha house. Much to the surprise of the audience Yee seems to be really touched by the song and he shows his real emotions for the very first time.

The acting by Tony Leung in Lust, Caution is absolutely fabulous. Newcomer Wei Tang, however, also did her part well and proves that she can be a good match for the veteran movie star from Hong Kong. The fact that Lust, Caution is laden with scores of Golden Horse Trophies at the film festival in Taipei last December only underscores this.

There are of course some critical notes on Lust, Caution. The film is rather long, and it sometimes looks to drag on that slowly that the tension it tries to build up is losing steam. The focus is too much set on seduction and eroticism that make the movie rather like a love story than a war epic. The positive elements however prevail in Lust, Caution that makes it worth watching.

Yee Chuen Leung
Chief Editor