Lust, Caution: Under Cover Mission

I realized the other day that, with the exception of Cowboy Bebop, all of the films take place in the past and during times of turbulence (usually a war). Lust, Caution also holds the distinction of being the only narrative I've ever seen to hold an NC-17 rating (I've also seen The Aristocrats, which was a documentary, and A Clockwork Orange, but that received an X rating when X didn't necessarily refer to the adult film industry). This movie was the first NC-17 movie to receive a wide release in the US since 1995's Showgirls (and yet, I didn't even hear about this movie until it was released onto DVD).

The story is about Wong Chia Chi, a young university student who lives in Japan-occupied China during World War II. She falls in with a small theater group who are led by a passionately anti-Japanese theater student named Kuang Yu Min. Kuang's brother was killed by the Japanese, and he has resolved to rally support through his patriotic plays. But he soon decides that this isn't enough, and when he learns that an old schoolmate is now working for a high-ranking Chinese official in the puppet government, he decides that they can use him as an entry point to assassinate the official. The rest of the group take on assumed names and pose as driver, husband, and such in an effort to plant Chia Chi, who adopts the name "Mrs. Mak (Mak Tai Tai)", as a seductress and eventual assassain.

At first, the plan moves ahead slowly; Mr. Yee, the target, is extremely paranoid, and despite his attraction to Mak Tai Tai, he doesn't make a move. All seems lost when Yee and his wife move away. But a few years later, Chia Chi and Kuang find themselves in the same city as the Yees. Kuang has joined the official (I can't think of a better word than "official", but I doubt any rebellion is ever "official") resistance movement. This time around, Chia Chi receives extensive training and reassumes the role of Mak Tai Tai in an effort to finally kill Yee and severely hurt the Japanese occupation.

The second time around, Yee takes the bait. However, Mak Tai Tai soon learns that nothing could have prepared her for her mission. She grows to hate him when finally begins the sexual relationship she had trained for. Unfortunately, Yee is as ruthless in bed as he is in business. The NC-17 rating came from multiple scenes of extremely graphic, near-rape sex (and full frontal nudity). Yee treats this woman he claims to have feelings for worse than an animal. And yet, as time goes by, Mak Tai Tai begins to feel a kind of love for Yee in addition to all the hatred. She has to keep up the charade until her compatriots can find a suitable moment to kill Yee, which means luring him away from his security detail. Therefore, she spends a lot of time with him on dates and in private settings, and treats him the way he expects a mistress should treat him. In one of my favorite scenes, she sings a beautiful song (though, according to the trivia section of IMDB, it was the theme to a film released a few years before the setting of Lust, Caution, and is kind of a pop song in China) to him, expressing "her" feelings to him.

The film has a slow pace, but it is an incredible story. Watching the students evolve from idealist young theater students into people capable of murder is fascinating. The difference between the way they act before the plan, their own form of training, and the way they act once they become full-fledged resistance members is incredible. And then the relationship between Mak Tai Tai and Yee is both beautiful and painful at the same time. Yee loves her in his own twisted way, while Mak Tai Tai fights an internal battle over his treatment of her.

One interesting thing that I noticed is the way women were treated in 1940s/50s China. I saw Wong Kar-wai's In The Mood For Love earlier this year (it was pretty good, but the main reason I saw it was because it is required viewing for 2046, which is a sort-of sequel), which takes place in China a decade after Lust, Caution. In both films, the housewives spend most of their time playing mahjong and gossiping. It is considered strange for them to be out and about on their own after marriage, except to go to their jobs. Also, both films star Tony Leung, who played a very sweet and soft-spoken character in In The Mood For Love. It was very jarring to see him play such a ruthless character in Lust, Caution, but he played it very very well.

This was the first Ang Lee movie that I've enjoyed (though the only one I'd seen previously was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and I was likely too young to appreciate it). After seeing this, I immediately rented Brokeback Mountain and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Lee has been added to my list of directors to stay aware of, as I hope to see his next film in theaters.

Up next: Kaubōi Bibappu: Tengoku no Tobira...