Lust, Caution

CURRENT RATINGS:

 8/10

Movie:

Lust, Caution (2007)

END MOODS/CURRENTS

I just got back from the Whampoa theater. I ended up seeing Lust, Caution tonight cause I didn't get out from work early enough to see anything else... I had been resistant to see the HK version of the film because of the cuts (but at least unlike the G-rated China version, this version has ALMOST all the naughty bits apparently).

But I never got a chance to see it in the US so I decided to catch it now before it leaves the theaters.

Some people seem to really like this movie and some people just find it boring... I did find it a bit slow at points (its like 2.5 hours long mind you!), but ultimately Ang Lee builds up the tension (sexual and regular) and the film gets pretty captivating.

The chemistry between Tang Wei and Tony Leung really hooks you in after the first hour or so. She plays a young student who is enlisted to trap a Chinese official in the Japanese Occupation government during WWII. Tony Leung is a powerful, yet suspicious man who's power has somewhat gone to his head (especially in the bedroom). :-P

The sex itself was not that big a deal (i think the HK version cut out the BJ scene, the worst you see are some pubes and some undercarriage...) but the weird S&M thing they had going on kind of bugged me, but i suppose it makes sense to the character development (in Ang Lee's forbidden love obsessed mind!)

this was one of my favorite scenes (and they kept their clothes on!) :-P

Weird sadism aside, the only other minus for the film is the fact that the supporting characters all kind of disappeared for the last 1/2 of the movie, but by the end of the movie you'll probably have forgotten how the story even started... (because the Tony Leung / Tang Wei sex drama will overtake your attention).

I'll give it an 8/10. If you set aside 2.5 hours and you expect a drama with a SLOWLY developing plot, I think you'll be pretty entertained... (if you're just waiting for T&A, you're going to be disappointed)