Ang Lee comes back strong after the silly debacle that was his wander in the wilderness, Boredback Mountain. Tang Wei stars as Wong Chia Chi, a young Chinese nationalist charged with getting her group of student assassins close to a Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee (the always good Tony Leung) in 1940s Shanghai. Lust, Caution is beautifully rendered and Lee has done a great job recreating the feel of Shanghai during WWII (if a little too clean). What carries the story is the acting and both Wei and Leung (and Joan Chen as Yee Tai Tai) are outstanding. The film is, of course, known for its explicit love scenes and they are indeed hot. Lee is a master at detail and he doesn’t disappoint here, though he does need to be more ruthless with his editing. The ending is perfectly anti-Hollywood and demonstrates the power of Wong Chia Chi’s lust and Yee’s caution. He, more than her, remains the true victim of his situation and that tragedy redeems the entire film.
My rating 9 out of 10.
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