Review of Lust, Caution (2007) by Chris M — 27 Feb 2010

This film is like a high-quality wine. As it goes on you appreciate its masterful craft and beautiful skill. And it has a terrifically long finish that lives with you long after the credits have rolled.

Wei Tang and Tony Leung are fantastic at the heart of this complex thriller. Leung especially has the role of a lifetime, as a brutal bureaucrat collaborating with the Japanese occupying forces. We never see his violence explicitly, but his presence and threat hang over every scene, until it explodes in a savage rape. His impotence and rage, power and isolation are portrayed in every glance. A wonderful performance.

The production design and costumes are astonishing, bringing to life WW2 Shanghai wonderfully. There are a couple of amazing scenes of Mah Jong in which every detail is crucial, every word laden with meaning.

Revel in every frame, this is a good old-fashioned piece of quality film-making.