Lust, Caution -- On the Cheap

So Ang Lee did it again. This man has an obsession with impossible relationships, really. Even in a cartoon plot, The Incredible Hulk, Lee purposely close to examine the impossible love between a mutating scientist with the "sooper-hawt" daughter (the beauteous Jennifer Connelly) of his nemesis. And of course who could forget the one that got him his Oscar, Brokeback Mountain... again, with the impossible relationships.

So, how could we expect anything more (or less) with his recent Lust, Caution? Nonetheless, interesting tour-de-force of an era and a sentiment that continues to play out in a significant part of history and the human condition. Lee tackles the murky depths of how human motivation, sexual passion, desire and lust nebulously affect the trajectories of human action. The newest variant in Caution, Lust, as opposed to Brokeback Mountain and the Ice Storm, is the merging of patriotic zeal with that of sexual fervor. Cinematographically, it uses the backdrop of euro-cosmopolitan and romantic veneer of World War II's Japanese-occupied 'Old Shanghai' against the brutality and fervor of a Sino-Nationalist Movement that spreads, from China to Hong Kong.

Using stylish flashbacks to build history and significance, thereby charging the seemingly straight-forward, banal, everyday routine and actions into covert overtures that are more intense and clandestine. The plot follows amateur actress in a school production, Chia Chi (a satisfying debut performance by Tang Wei), who gets embroiled into an ill-planned assassination attempt on a Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), which ended in dismal failure-- but is recruited years later to finish the seduction-assassination attempt, which is backed by the Chinese Resistance.

There is genuine tragedy here: the loss of innocence, the failure of love, and the intimate personal tolls exacted within the larger tapestry of war-- making this an epic (in the best sense of the word) journey into the human psyche. Chia Chi as an ingénue, delved into the world of espionage and betrayal but utterly unschooled in betrayal, but ultimately has to confront the veracity of the intense emotions and lust in her affair with Yee.

Beautifully choreographed and shot, the movie plays on the French Noire and Hitchcock-esque level of menacing subtlety and minute facial shift in a flicker of mood and sensibility. Lee has once again proven his caliber. Although designated as NC-17 rating in North America, for its explicit sexuality, the thematic basis of this film-- the parallels between sexual and political domination, adultery and treachery, espionage and clandestine affairs all revolve around the basis of sex, and therefore the sex scenes are, uh, seminal, to the plot. Vancouver is lucky, these incendiary sex scenes were greatly censored, in some parts of Asia (Singapore) thereby diminishing the power of the plot, so much of the plot and character studies are based in the sexual dynamics.

Judge for yourself first hand without the costly charges of Silvercities and first-run theaters. Granville Seven is currently showing it, Bargain show times are 1:30 and 4:45 PM. Sneak in for a Quickie!