Kathy Chan

Lust, Caution

USA, Taiwan, 2007, 158 min

Ang Lee never fails to deliver a refined and timeless film. As a director, he has achieved cinematic excellence in this year’s feature Lust, Caution. A movie that steps outside the box of all classic Asian films, this movie is sexually explicit with a dramatic and moving plotline and is likely one of the best films of the year. With heaps of buzz surrounding this feature for its graphic sex scenes, the movie was also highlighted with other intense and often unsettling topics such as war. The alienation and dislocation of the human as a result is evident in every individual on screen.Veteran actors Tony Leung and Joan Chen share the screen with the unbelievably talented newcomer Tang Wei as the lead femme fatale. Movies centered around a theme of war are always emotionally intense, and this one is no different.  Aside from the sexual content of this film, the concepts of isolation, misplacement, and political obsession also materialize as a result of the setting of pre-World War II Shanghai. By the time this review hits, the movie will be available to watch at most major theatres; it is highly recommended you do so. Critics argue the epic tale is too long, but it takes time to create a masterpiece, and Ang Lee has excelled in doing so once again.