Review of Lust, Caution (2007) by Tonypolito — 15 Aug 2010

NC-17; some of the strongest sexual content ever committed to mainstream celluoid.

In 1940s occupied Shanghai during the War of Resistance Against Japan, an introverted college actress (Tang) finds she is naturally talented in seducing empathy from her audience. Soon enough, she is recruited to seduce the Occupier's key interrogation agent (Leung) and lead him to his own assassination.

Tang eventually realizes Leung is not Evil Incarnate, but rather a human being privately thrashing within the undertow of the ethical dilemmas inherent in his circumstance. She realizes that Leung is more deserving of her sympathy and respect - than those others surrounding her who hold a more simplistic "us versus them" perspective.

Leung, who specializes in suspicion and subtlety, senses both the malice and compassion residing in Tang's heart - and trades off personal risk to provide her an opportunity to choose between them. The mystery of what each is willing to lose - in order to find love, redemption and compassion in an unforgiving world - is left for the viewer to discover.

The film's highly explicit sexual content has taken much comment. Left uncommented is the fact that almost nowhere else in the history of cinema has sexual imagery so effectively revealed the persona of its characters. Tang and Leung are initially enigmatic to the viewer; what is truly laid bare in their bedroom are their psyches.

The film excels in cinematography, colorization and costuming, though it does not approach the level found within "In the Mood for Love." Every frame is lush and immortalizes a nearly forgotten period of Chinese history, but still the pace and the length of the film (2:40, Region 1) is a bit more trying than it should be.

All taken, well recommended.