Movie Loner

I’ve always been an Ang Lee fan. The Ice Storm is one of my favorite movies and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is filmmaking at its finest. I’ll forgive him for the overblown misfire that was Hulk, but overall the guy has proven himself time and time again exploring different genres in the process. How Lust, Caution went largely ignored by American audiences is still a mystery. Too bad because it was easily one of last year’s best films.

Hong Kong, 1938. Shy student Wong Chia Chi joins an acting troupe led by Kuang Yu Min, a budding revolutionist who is vehemently opposed to the WWII Japanese occupation of China. Patriotic plays lead to Kuang and his thespian charges embroiled in a plot to assassinate Japanese sympathizer Mr. Yee. Wong Chia Chi adopts the persona of the married Mrs. Mak befriending Mrs. Yee in an attempt to get closer to Mr. Yee. After numerous Mahjong sessions at the Yee home, Mr. Yee takes a keen interest in Mrs. Mak, but a hinted affair is never realized after the Yees abruptly relocate to Shanghai.

Shanghai, 1942. Four years pass and Wong Chai Chi is back in school and living with her aunt. A reunion with Kuang, who is now a player in the anti-Japanese movement, again places Wong in a dangerous spygame to entrap the elusive Mr. Yee. Resurrecting her Mrs. Mak identity, Wong soon begins a torrid affair with Yee. Aggressive sexual encounters draw the two together as Mrs. Mak accepts the role of mistress. Her duties to country become clouded once her feelings for Yee strengthen. Lust turns to love, and Mak/Wong is forced to choose between her loyalty to Kuang or her passion for Yee.

Tony Leung, who I’ve lauded repeatedly on these pages, takes a welcome departure from the brooding, romantic characters he usually plays and turns in a phenomenal performance as the cold-blooded Mr. Yee. But this film is all about Wei Tang, whose portrayal of Wong/Mak is a revelation. This was Wie Tang’s acting debut and if it’s any indication of her talent she has a long career ahead of her. Ang Lee continues to impress bouncing from American to native Taiwan cinema. Lust, Caution secures his rank among today’s top filmmakers.

A scene from Lust, Caution: