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Let's get it out of the way first: Lust, Caution contains some quite graphic sex scenes. This is far from some sort of arthouse-friendly porno, however. The sex is integral to the plot and enhances the relationship at the heart of the film, but is also far from everything that the film has to offer. A Hong Kong- and Shanghai-set World War II espionage thriller, Lust, Caution has clear echoes of Paul Verhoeven's Dutch film Black Book, as they both focus on a young and attractive woman joining the resistance and seducing a high-level official who works for the occupying forces. While both are very high quality, the differences between the two films exemplify the contrasting styles of the directors; Black Book contains much more action while Ang Lee's Lust, Caution is a very stately, slow-burning but engrossing story. Uncharacteristically, though, it's Lee's film that has attracted greater controversy, albeit undeserved.
Taiwanese director Lee has proven himself truly adept at a variety of genres across two continents. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a Mandarin-language martial arts epic that made more than $100 million in the US (unheard of for a film with subtitles), while Brokeback Mountain rose above its "gay cowboy movie" tag – they were shepherds, not cowboys, technically – and won the director an Oscar. Even the commercially disappointing Hulk is one of the more interesting entries in the overcrowded comic book genre. Lust, Caution exhibits a director who is a master of the craft. Lee uses the camera carefully but expertly, making a game of mahjong somehow exciting and not flinching away from the aforementioned bedroom encounters and the rare moments of violence. The pacing is slow but deliberate and absorbing, which serves to draw the viewer into the increasingly dangerous scheming of the main characters, as well as the conflicting emotions of protagonist Wong Chia Chi.
Wong is played by newcomer Tang Wei, who is certainly a talented discovery. She remains sympathetic while being somewhat emotionally distant for much of the time, as dictated by her role in the plot. The ever-reliable Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, Hero - here credited as Tony Leung Chiu Wai), as her Japanese-collaborating target of seduction, is also excellent. These performances as well as Lee's confident direction mean prevent the slow pacing from becoming too much of a hindrance, although in hindsight relatively little actually happens so two and a half hours seems a bit unnecessary. During the film, however, the proceedings never drag, maintaining a consistent level of intrigue and plot development, and that's what really counts most of all. Unfortunately, the measured nature of Lee's style makes the film feel rather cold and fairly emotionally uninvolving, meaning that the denouement has less power than it might have.
The summary
Lust, Caution is a quality Chinese/Taiwanese import. Impeccably filmed and acted, just not quite the emotional sucker punch it aims to be.
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