Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution
Lust, Caution Ang Lee is one of my favourite directors. I have seen and loved every one of his films, with the exception of his first, Pushing Hands, which I haven't seen. I even enjoyed Brokeback Mountain, which was a remarkable love story, and highly affecting, even for a heterosexual. I'm not saying I'd watch it on a Friday night with the lads, but still! Lust, Caution sees Lee return to his native tongue, and where, arguably, he has made his stronger films. I can imagine that there is much symbolism that I missed in this film. I suspect that the intricacies of mahjong, and its possible relevance to the plot were lost on me. Nevertheless, one can see, even without fully understanding, that this is a film about veiled meanings, deceit, lies, playing parts, and obfuscation. From the opening scene we are introduced to 'Mrs Mak' before being privy to the preamble. We are placed at an event towards the end of the film chronologically, before returning to three years previously in an extended flashback. This is much the same chronology as The Kite Runner, where the events of the film happen both before and after the initial scene. What this does is mislead us, the audience, as to the identity of Mrs Mak, despite information in reviews and on brief summaries of the film alerting us to the identity of Mrs Mak, Lee presents the reveal in a way that shows we as an audience are being mislead, and the deception that cuts through the film has already begun. I should point out that this is not a deception in the style of, say, The Prestige, but a simple thematic device that allows us as an audience to understand the importance and necessity of deception as a means to an end. Lee's end is a true realisation and understanding, and even sympathy, for the final reel of the film; the protagonist's end is to successfully deceive Yee and his wife to further the cause of the nationalists. Taken from the shor-*test*-('") of stories, Lee shows us that a short story is perhaps the best sort to adapt. Rather than cutting things out, and making literary compromises, he has time to dwell on ideas that may more easily be transmitted on the printed page, so that, cinematically, we can gain a similar understanding. This worked well for Brokeback Mountain, as it has for other directors, such as Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption. Credit must, of course, go to James Schamus and Hui-Ling Wang for the adaptation. Alexandre Desplat's music is quite wonderful, and one I'll be getting for my MP3 player. It is reflective, understated, grand, subtle, and much more - it blends with the action perfectly. There is a mixture of traditional scoring and Oriental stylings that, as with other recent films that mix traditional scores with the music of the locale of the film's setting, works particularly brilliantly. I won't say a lot about the finale, except to say that if you're not gripping your arm rests, then you must be getting that bit of dust out of your eye. The majority of the acting group are a bit under-drawn, character-wise. At times they almost descend to parody, which only seeks to undermine the careful and considered tone that Lee builds through the film. Fortunately, the second half of the film jettisons the majority of them, and for the better. The Acting - 7/10: Marks lost for the aforementioned acting group. Whether it was the characters, or the way they were played, but I felt they could have been stronger, especially with the pairing of Tony Leung and newcomer Wei Tang. The Look - 9/10: This film looks astonishing. Beautiful attention to detail that while most may not say, 'goodness that is just like war-time China!', we can certainly imagine that is how it was. The Sound - 10/10: I loved the music, as you might have guessed. The Story - 9/10: For a short story, it makes a perfectly long film. Two and a half hours zip by. Success of Intent - 9/10: I fully agree with the reasons for Lee keeping the sex scenes in. The finale would mean far less had we not seen the extent, and the nature of the raw, passionate, and absolute bond the two lead characters had. A simple fade out as the lady takes off her top would have meant nothing come the end. If you attend for titillation, you'll be disappointed. If you attend expecting a film that shows the extent that lust can reach, and all its myriad consequences, then prepare to be astonished. Overall - 44/50, or: 88%

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