Lust, Caution is a taut thriller about a young actress drawn into a plot to assassinate Mr. Yee, a high-ranking, murderous collaborator with the Japanese occupation government in Shanghai.  The actress, played with subtle skill by Tang Wei, is set-up to seduce Mr. Yee, but as their relationship evolves both drop their carefully-constructed identities despite the need to remain guarded, closed-off, and essentially unknowable.  Of course, much has already been made about the film's graphic sexual content, but Lust, Caution feels neither gratuitous or titillating, especially after the brutality of the first sex scene between the principle leads.  This is a tense film, perfectly paced, and directed with a sense of cinematic nuance.  Ang Lee's forceful meditation on resistance and role is a must see.

There are no comments yet. You could be the first!