Lust, Caution (色，戒)



Directed By: Ang Lee [李安]
Approximate Run Time: Original 157 min / Edited 148 min
Rated: Original NC-17 / Edited R
Available in: Mandarin, Japanese, English, Hindi, Shanghainese, Cantonese

The cast, from what I could decipher:
Tony Leung Chiu Wai ... Mr. Yee (易先生)
Wei Tang ... Wong Chia Chi / Mrs. Mak (王佳芝／麥太太)
Joan Chen ... Mrs. Yee (易太太)
Lee-Hom Wang ... Kuang Yu Min (鄺裕民)

Plot:
Set in Hong Kong and Shanghai when China was invaded by the Japanese Imperial Army, a group of Chinese university students from LingNan University plot to infiltrate and assassinate the enemy's top special agent / recuiter by using a beautiful young woman as bait. When the girl falls for the enemy and is given a colored ring... lust, caution abounds.

My take:
This was a stunning piece of art. I was a little disappointed in how much graphic sex was in there; I didn't really think it was necessary to have so many. >_< In the edited version, there are less sex scenes... so if you don't like fast-forwarding, the edited version may be better.
Tony Leung and Lee-Hom Wang are famous actors and it was wonderful to see them working together in the film. Leung plays the antagonist while Lee-Hom was the ringleader of the cute but earnest university students. The movie is classified as an espionage thriller, but there are hints of romance as well. In the beginning, we see the female protagonist phone her contacts [and this part confused me] but afterwards she flashes back to the recent events. The audience will spend most of the movie in her memories as she reflects on how she arrived at the moment the movie began. The conclusion occurs after she --and we-- catch up to the present. We move beyond to the final event in her life.
I thought this was a beautiful movie. Some parts were a bit violent and again, I don't believe that much sex was really necessary for the film. However, it is based on a supposedly true story written by Eileen Chang in 1979. Some may call it a horrible film and you may agree, but this is definitely one movie you should not miss.

Final Rating: 92%

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