Review of Dangerous Liaisons (2012) by Thomas W — 01 Jan 2013

China has finally adapted its very own film verson of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Stephen Frears has still done it best with Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer in 1988).

While remaining fairly faithful to the source material's central story of scheming and seduction among high society, this version has updated the novel to 1930's Shanghai which provides the film with some splendid imagery although adding little else to the story.

It is beautiful to look at but this adaptation leaves out some of the novel's most rewarding moments. Mo (Cecelia Cheun) and Xie (Dong-gun Jang) plot to ravish a young virgin before her wedding night to one of Shanghai's elite; but when Xie sets his eyes upon the saintly young widow Du (Ziyi Zhang - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha) he'd rather make her his next conquest.

The story has been told before and updated for American audiences with Cruel Intentions, so it is a well-known plot. The story unfolds without surprise; but this version fails to capture the novel's final judgment upon immorality by changing this version's ending.

While it is nice to have a twist -- that element is necessary to that tale in my opinion and it leaves this film version without a compass. As mentioned -- it is a beauty of a film as the 3 stars are all attractive, the art direction is 1930's exotic Shanghai and the costumes are simply devine.