Lust, Caution – Nearly Met Expectation If Only The Story Made Sense

If only I had my way to tweak the story slightly – very slightly perhaps towards the end – it would have been more satisfying to watch. Having said that, I think Ang Lee has done the Chinese proud. I was brought up watching countless Hong Kong movie productions and since young, I have always been wondering when would be the day when Chinese makes a mark in the International movie scene. And now, we have the Academy Award-winning Taiwanese director bringing us an erotic espionage thriller, a movie that I have highly anticipated since I got the wind that it was in production. I was angry that it was released in Singapore with a NC16 rating. Cutting the sex scenes is just illegal. I will tell you why. “Lust, Caution” is centered upon the seduction of a high-ranking Kuomintang official by a young female agent. And in the context of espionage, having drinks and movies unfortunately is not the way to seduce someone. Sex is. Censoring the sex scenes strips away the magic within.

I am glad that the uncensored version releases in Singapore with a R21 rating thereafter. I am also shocked that those scenes passed the Singapore censorship board. It breathes hope to a more open Singapore. It’s about time you bet.

Let me be upfront about what is so wonderful about “Lust, Caution”. The setting is convincingly beautiful. The costume is beautiful. All of which gave me the feel of the old days in China and there it is in the movie, a tram! I can understand why those who have little background of the Chinese history in the World War II era may not be able to fully appreciate the movie as an understanding of the background is somewhat assumed. That may explain the less than enthusiastic feedback from the Western world. The pace of the movie is really slow – 158 minutes in total – but I am a patience man. I can accept the pace – though I feel that some parts can be fasten a bit – but I cannot understand why Ang Lee did not attempt to alter the story written by Eileen Chang just a little bit. After all, I believe that director has the artistic freedom to adopt the novel in the way he or she deems fit. Look at what Mel Gibson did to “The Passion”.

The storyline is the weakest link. The acting, however, is top notch. I have always been a fan of Tony Leung. He can act with just his pairs of eyes. It is true. What amazes me is that the less well known leading actress Tang Wei is able match up to Tony Leung’s performance. I am not surprised though. After all, she was selected from 10,000 candidates and Ang Lee has spent 8 solid months (3 of which prior to the actual filming) in training her. I enjoy every single moment of their acting. The sex scenes between the two of them are intense, artistically filmed, and look so real that … no wonder some of the reporters asked Ang Lee if it was real. I think I can relate to Ang Lee’s frustration. “Lust, Caution” is not about sex. Really not. It is the intense emotion between two people – one who lives a dreadful life of not trusting anyone around him executing agents in a daily basis and one who lives an acting life of toggling between completing the mission of assassination and not falling in love with that one man she needs to kill.

“Lust, Caution” – as far as speculation and the certain confirmation from the official as well as the surviving sister of the agent goes – is loosely based on true events. If only the story followed a bit closer with the true story, it would have been more satisfying. SPOILER WARNING: Click here to read the version from the official and the version from the sister in the context of the movie’s ending.

Ironically, “Lust, Caution” may not even make it to Oscar because the Taiwan authority does not think that the movie has sufficient representatives from Taiwan (only the director and the story-writer). Neither does Hong Kong accept “Lust, Caution” for the upcoming Film Awards due to similar reason. The movie is a collaboration between China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. How ironic that because “Lust, Caution” doesn’t represent one single sovereign, it cannot compete to be the best movie or foreign movie of the year. Very disappointing it is.