Briefly reflecting on the career of Ang Lee, I realize what
a master the filmmaker has become at depicting the social
dynamics created by different forms of forbidden love. Over the
years, Lee has fearlessly shown viewers the forbidden love that
the daughters of a traditional Chinese man felt for American
culture in Eat Drink Man Woman, the forbidden love
kindled between two gay sheep-herders coexisting in a
traditional Midwestern society in Brokeback Mountain, and
– heck – even the forbidden love displayed by a giant green
monster for normal life in The Hulk. The writer/director
has perfected the theme as both a science and an art, capturing
it as realistically in his films as he does poignantly and
poetically. Lust, Caution is Lee’s latest work tackling
this subject-matter, and it is every bit as fresh and wonderful
as his past films.
As indicated by its title and its
NC-17 MPAA rating, Lee’s story here is more ornately and
provocatively sexual than any other he has ever told before.
What makes Lust, Caution different from the
standard-issue sex-infested picture is that the visual presence
of fornication here is essential to the story, imbuing in the
narrative-arc an urgent sense of passion and, at times,
consequence. Lee utilizes the very real sex-scenes to deepen the
audience’s understanding of the feelings of the characters,
hence building on the aforementioned theme of forbidden love.
The near-three-hour duration builds tensely for over ninety
minutes before exploring the dynamic created by intercourse,
providing the act a sense of deep-rooted climax (no pun
intended).
The players of the ravaging love
affair at the elaborate core of Lust, Caution are the
conspiring Wang Jiazhi (Wei Tang) and the devious Mr. Yee (Tony
Leung). The film takes place in China during the early stages of
World War II, between the years of 1938 and 1942. Wang is a
young university student who becomes a member of a
politically-active theatre troupe. In its plays, the troupe
condones nationalist, anti-Japanese views. Led by the
charismatic Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Hom Wang), whose considerable
charm was what originally persuaded Wang to join the troupe, the
members happen upon what they view as a Golden Opportunity for
their cause. Kaung creates a plan by which they will be able to
assassinate opposition-collaborator Mr. Yee. This plan requires
Wang to seduce Mr. Yee, which leads to a passionate love affair
between the two that complicates the assassination plot
considerably.
A great deal of Lust, Caution
relies on the richness of the material’s context; Lee and his
crew create an atmosphere that complexly interweaves history,
political commentary, and romance. In many ways, Lust,
Caution tackles the depth of two separate films: it
functions beautifully as both a social wartime tale and a
nuanced portrayal of the forbidden love that Lee so deeply
understands as a writer/director. This is all greatly aided by
the fantastic performances of leads Tang and Leung, who rely
greatly on the unsaid to accentuate the importance of the
circumstances that they find their characters in during the
film. Despite its considerable length and detail, Lust,
Caution never feels tiresome because of the meditative style
in which its admittedly sprawling contents are presented. Lee
has, quite simply, crafted another exquisite entry to add to his
already-accomplished resume – one that is certainly one of the
best films of the year.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 10.7.2007
Screened on: 10.4.2007 at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas
in San Diego, CA.
