Review of Lust, Caution (2007) by Ken P — 09 May 2009

Ang Lee creates a powerful and moving drama set in Japanese-occuipied China during World War 2.

The movie is a monster, weighing in at over 2 1/2 hours, and paces itself with a combination of tense dialog, graphic sex, and truckloads of unspoken silences.

The cast is well assembled, and Wei Tang immediately launches herself into "one to watch" spotlight as the main heroine, Wong Chia Chia. Her amazing on screen presence holds the film together, especially juxtaposed against the menacing and yet complicated Mr Yee played by Tong Leung Chiu Wai.

The story is effectively a period piece, albeit a tragic one featuring more than a couple of characters trapped in nets of their own making. It does tend to drag out in the end a bit, but this is perhaps intentional, as the characters twist in the wind a bit and we're meant to share their angst.

Lee once again shows that he can bring epic movies to the screen and weave a powerful story about humanity.

Not for the faint of heart (the NC-17 stems from a bit of graphic violence and a whole lot of adult encounters), but worth it for fans of dramatic character studies.