色，戒 / Lust, Caution

Finally got to see this pretty controversial movie directed by Ang Lee and based on a novella by Eileen Chang. I’ve never read any of Chang’s works, so I didn’t know at all what to expect. I only knew it was banned in China for its explicit sex scenes.

Anyways, this 2 hour and 39 minute film was absolutely wonderful. It was so atmospheric and affecting that I found myself just totally immersed into the depths of the film. I could feel the tension as if I was one of the characters, and even though I had to pause the movie twice to do other stuff, I was still able to retain the same mood and mindset away from the film. That’s exactly how strong of a hold the movie had on me.

The whole cast was very strong, especially the leads, where the female lead was played by relative novice Tang Wei and super-highly-acclaimed veteran Tony Leung. Despite the difference in prolificness, the two really, really complemented and completed each other, and neither ever seemed more or less significant than the other. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a complete match of casting, and the chemistry between them was almost too amazing for words. I also took a liking to Wang Lee-Hom’s character, who was determined yet slightly naïve. I had no idea who he was until the credits played, but his acting wasn’t mediocre at all, and I felt that his appearance (face) was quite captivating, despite looking a little…foreign for the movie’s time period and setting.

Speaking of the setting, the movie’s set and costumes were incredibly complete, and it felt like I was truly transported back to that time. The movie itself was gorgeously shot, with everyone looking impeccable and even practically just short of artificial. Tang Wei looked perfect and suitably retro in every scene. I could understand how Tony Leung’s character fell for her, seriously.

This movie is well paced for the mood it was trying to convey, but some might find it a little slow. I also found it hard to predict what was going to happen next since there were so few clues and other leads, but I think that that’s for the better, since this movie is possibly very slightly bordering on the genre of thriller. As a result, I personally couldn’t find anything wrong with the plot progression or the pacing.

A lot of the scenes moved really slowly and consisted of sparse, careful dialogue, but I personally wasn’t bored at all because the intensity of the subtle movements and gazes were enough to convey more meaning than any addition of dialogue could ever have. The facial expressions, or lack of them, which were documented throughout really emphasized how skillful the actors were in portraying emotion, and this just made me realize even more how good they were.

There were about 4-5 instances where sex was portrayed, and I remember that about 3 of them were explicitly depicted. They were definitely not necessary scenes to include, but it did not at all detract from the rest of the film, and acted as a complement to the regular scenes in helping the viewer further understand the nature of the lead’s relationship with each other. Also, these scenes were practically by no means romantic, and one of them was actually quite violent. Try not to watch this with your parents or something, it might be kind of awkward.

This movie is definitely not for everyone, but since it so incredibly strongly engaged me, I give it a solid 94/100.