In retrospect, this suspenseful melodrama is preposterous to the extreme. Still, I savored every moment. First, it’s an exquisitely crafted work of cinematic art (though it never strives to be anything other than a romantic thriller). Just watch the first four or five minutes as Ang Lee moves the camera with dexterity and precision to dramatically enliven a game of mahjong (the editing by Tim Squyres and the photography by Rodrigo Prieto are exemplary throughout). Wikipedia tells me mahjong involves skill, strategy, and calculation, as well as a certain degree of chance, which makes the game a perfect metaphor for the film’s central character: a young, idealistic woman (Wei Tang) who goes undercover for a resistance cell to seduce and trap a Chinese official (Tony Leung) collaborating with the Japanese government during Japan’s occupation of China in the late-thirties and early-forties.
I’m not exactly sure why this film was overlooked by audiences and critics. Perhaps it was the language barrier or maybe the NC-17 rating; and, yes, the sex is strong, often rough, but ultimately essential (for the prurient among us, one must invest about 95 minutes before the clothing peels away). Our two central characters are so trapped by circumstances (social, political, moral) they can only access their humanity while fucking (or something like that). Of course such acts can only lead to betrayal and ruin, but I won’t disclose any spoilers. Everything about this film reminds me why Ang Lee is one of the greatest directors working on the planet (is there anything he can’t film?). I heartily encourage you to check it out.
don’t know about this film. i saw it last night and i was entirely impressed by the lee’s directorial craft (not that there ever was any doubt), in everything — story construction, sense of place, scenery, the roamings of the camera, the directing of the actors, cinematography, etc. etc.
but somehow the film in itself left me underwhelmed.
the two leads are extraordinary. i think the film is worth watching just because of them (and of its sheer gorgeousness). the way in which wei tang goes back and forth between personas, her innocence/bravura/longing/torment: amazing. tony leung is exceptional, too. they are both really good characters.
but the film doesn’t come together. i didn’t care about the spy angle and i didn’t care about the romantic angle. even the amazing sex stopped feeling sexy after a bit. i wanted less. i wanted tony leung to pass cigarettes to wei tang and i wanted wei tang to smoke them as if she weren’t smoking them. i grew tired of their intertwined skinny bodies.
but, oh, this is something i liked. i liked ang lee’s attention to the silent, heartbreaking, unrecognized sacrificing of women in times of war. maybe this is what pushes this film away from irrelevance.
gio, you were underwhelmed? i thought this was the most powerful and moving film i’ve seen in a long time. and jeff, why did you find it preposterous? is it the spy plot? that’s a bit of a red herring though, isn’t it? it only really serves a metaphorical purpose: the film is about identity, performance and betrayal.
i also don’t understand why this did not make it to critics’ end of year lists for 2007–it’s very near the top of mine.
I, too, thought it was powerful and moving. I was literally glued to the screen. Once it was over I did find the machinations of the plot to be beautifully contrived (no more so than The Bourne Ultimatum, for example), but I didn’t have to work very hard to suspend disbelief as the film is less interested in the trappings of genre than it is in the metaphysics of “identity, performance and betrayal.” It would be at the top of my list as well (if I had seen it before making a list). Arnab, is it possible we enthusiastically agree? That can only mean Reynolds will hate it, Michael won’t have access to it, and John will offer us bibliographic suggestions for further reading.
tang wei, the lead actress has been banned from chinese media, apparently as a result of the explicit sex scenes in the film; the ban, not surprisingly, doesn’t seem to extend to tony leung, more of whose genitalia are actually visible in the film.
more here
do you guys care to say more about those metaphysics of identity, performance, and betrayal? do they all focus on wei tang’s character? i’d love to hear more.
don’t have access to it?? I can download all the chinese porn I like!