Lust, Caution

Watched Lust, Caution with Janan after work at The Cathay. The movie is an espionage drama set in World War II when the Japanese had occupied China. A number of university students had formed a patriotic group that renounces the Chinese people who work for the Japanese. A particular big shot who cracks down the Chinese resistance force is on their death list and they plan to have a mole to slowly weave into the life of Mr Yee.

Over the span of 4 years, there have been numerous setbacks to their mission and the location shifts from Hong Kong to Shanghai in this quietly devastating masterpiece on love, sacrifice and patriotism and friendship. Tang Wei is absolutely brilliant and incredibly talented for a newcomer to act as a character with such depth and subtle emotions. The movie has never once fallen into melodrama and we are presented with the raw and subdued emotions that creeps into Mrs Mak and Mr Yee. Tony Leung is also brilliant as the deplorable Mr Yee with moments of human conscious exuding through his love for Mrs Mak.

Lee Ang is a wonderful storyteller and never rushes through the movie, slowly telling of an engaging tale between 2 star-crossed lovers who were never meant to be. The backdrop of the nostalgic Japanese occupied Shanghai and Hong Kong cityscape in the 1940s adds on to the allegory of Mrs Mak's heart under siege.

The superb acting has made the movie shine at its finest and the censored cuts has definitely dampened the emotional impact of the movie. Why does the distributor Buena Vista want to release the NC-16 version here? To make more money of course, as releasing the R-21 uncut version would have reduced their revenue significantly.

The cuts have not wrecked the movie but it has made a significant decision by Mrs Mak less to our understanding. The elimination of most of the intimate scenes have deprived the audiences of our understanding of their romantic progression and we cannot feel as strongly for the crucial decision that Mrs Mak made. They definitely should have released the uncut version here. To reiterate what local director Royston Tan said regarding the cuts, he said "Lust, Caution is like char quey tiao without cockles".