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Lust, Caution
色‧戒
2007 158 min China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States of America NC-17 18+
★7.4
Action, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Director: Ang Lee
🎭 Based on
«Lust, Caution»
byEileen Chang
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
During World War II, a secret agent must seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai.
Budget:
$15M
US Gross:
$4.6M
Worldwide:
$67.1M
Starring
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Actor
Tang Wei
Actor
Joan Chen
Actor
Awards
Venice Film Festival 2007
— Golden Lion
Venice Film Festival 2007
— Golden Osella – Best Cinematography
Asian Film Academy 2008
— Best Actor
BAFTA 2008
— Best Costume Design
Asian Film Academy 2008
— Best Picture
Asian Film Academy 2008
— Best Screenplay
Asian Film Academy 2008
— Best Original Score
Venice Film Festival 2007
— Golden Lion
Venice Film Festival 2007
— Golden Osella – Best Cinematography
Asian Film Academy 2008
— Best Actor
Golden Globe 2008
— Best International Feature Film
Key opinion
Lust, Caution is widely regarded as a masterful, visually stunning, and emotionally intense period drama that explores the blurring lines between duty and passion. While it is highly acclaimed for its craftsmanship and atmosphere, its slow-burn pacing and graphic content make it a challenging experience that divides audiences regarding its accessibility and narrative structure.
| Score | Alexandre Desplat's haunting and sorrowful score masterfully lingers, enhancing the film's tense and melancholic atmosphere. | |
| Production | The cinematography is praised for its meticulous recreation of 1940s Shanghai, effectively contrasting luxury with the harsh, often brutal realities of war. | |
| Acting | Lead performances by Tony Leung and Tang Wei are highly effective, using subtle glances and restrained gestures to convey deep, complex psychological states. | |
| Originality | The film’s explicit erotic scenes are polarizing, with some viewers finding them essential to the raw, transformative nature of the relationship, while others perceive them as excessive or distracting. | |
| Pacing | The three-hour runtime is considered rewarding and immersive for those who appreciate a contemplative, slow-burn pace, but others find it exhausting or occasionally redundant. | |
| Ending | The ending is frequently discussed as ambiguous and unresolved, leaving viewers to reconcile the protagonist's motives and the tragic consequences on their own. |