Movie Information
Overall Rank: 5452
Average Rating: 2.6/4
# of Ratings: 41
Theatrical Release Date: 09/28/2007
Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: 02/19/2008
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: NC-17
Director: Ang Lee
Actors: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Wei Tang, Joan Chen, Lee-Hom Wang, Chung Hua Tou, Chih-ying Chu
Plot: In Shanghai during World War II, a young woman develops a thing for a political figure in that area as espionage and intrigue continue to drive the plot of this Ang Lee directed thriller/drama/romance.
Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
"Lust, Caution" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 11/15/2012
A patriotic but naive young student volunteers to become a honey trap in a plot to assassinate a collaborator during the Japanese occupation of China during World War II. Ang Lee's lavish period spy thriller tells the story of an innocent young girl who finds empowerment through her role as sexual bait for Tony Leung's ruthless government spy catcher. The plot punctuates tense scenes of fear of discovery with that of attractive naked bodies, writhing and sweating in suitably "erotic" style but beyond that, there is little to it. All of Leung's suspected activities take place off screen and we learn little of the political situation on a grander stage as the war unfolds. As you'd expect with an Ang Lee project, the performances are immaculate, the visuals beautiful and the direction …
Rating of
3/4
Too Long for Its Own Good
Franz Patrick - wrote on 08/01/2008
Yes, there is no excuse for this movie to be more than two hours long. It dragged on and on but I must admit that I was glued to the screen. I don’t see a lot of Asian cinema so I was automatically interested. Ang Lee made a beautiful picture but I’m afraid it lacks a big emotional wallop. For a thriller about spies, it lacks tension. In fact, this is more an observant picture than anything else. It takes its time to get to the point. And when it finally did, it’s kind of disappointing most of the time. Nonethless, I think all the actors did a great job because I actually believed their characters to exist in the given time period. Not only that, it made me want to learn more about what was going on in that particular era. The infamous sex scenes are the most memorable part of the …
Rating of
1/4
No Lust for "Caution"
Allison - wrote on 10/24/2007
This movie was poor and unenjoyable. No reviews mentioned a terrible rape scene, which was outlandish and complete unexpected. I wish I could have prepared myself mentally for that. I think those can be done well and am generally not opposed to them. But can't Ang Lee do a spy movie where a women has an affair without being brutally raped, and having to pretend she enjoys it? (WTF?!)
Joan Chen was awful while Tony Leung gave one of the best performances of his career. I hope to elaborate shortly.
There were several interesting movie samplings, but like I was telling my friend Lauren, the Casablanca one where Joan Chen is crying totally rips off Godard's Vivre Sa Vie where Anna Karina is crying at a screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc. That is not my favorite Godard moment and …
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