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Lust, caution (Se, jie) - Tang Wei, Wang Lee-Hom, Joan Chen, Ang Lee
Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities
Movie propaganda
Shanghai, 1942. The World War II Japanese occupation of this Chinese city continues in force. Mrs Mak, a woman of sophistication and means, walks into a café, places a call, and then sits and waits. She remembers how her story began several years earlier, in 1938 China. She is not in fact Mrs Mak, but shy Wong Chia Chi. With World War II under way, Wong has been left behind by her father, who has escaped to England. As a freshman at university, she meets fellow student Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Hom Wang). Kuang has started a drama society to shore up patriotism. As the theatre troupe's new leading lady, Wong realises that she has found her calling, able to move and inspire audiences and Kuang. He convenes a core group of students to carry out a radical and ambitious plan to assassinate a top Japanese collaborator, Mr Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai). Each student has a part to play; Wong will be Mrs Mak, who will gain Yee's trust by befriending his wife and then draw the man into an affair. Wong transforms herself utterly inside and out, and the scenario proceeds as scripted until an unexpectedly fatal twist spurs her to flee.
Shanghai, 1941. With no end in sight for the occupation, Wong having emigrated from Hong Kong goes through the motions of her existence. Much to her surprise, Kuang re-enters her life. Now part of the organised resistance, he enlists her to again become Mrs Mak in a revival of the plot to kill Yee, who as head of the collaborationist secret service has become even more a key part of the puppet government. As Wong reprises her earlier role, and is drawn ever closer to her dangerous prey, she finds her very identity being pushed to the limit...
Theatrical propaganda posters
Target demographic movie keyword propaganda
- Film Taiwan thriller Japanese occupation World War II China assassination plot Shanghai
Persons of interest
- Tony Leung Chiu Wai .... Mr Yee
- Wei Tang .... Wang Jiazhi
- Joan Chen .... Mrs Yee
- Lee-Hom Wang .... Kuang Yu Min
- Chung Hua Tou .... Old Wu
- Chih-ying Chu .... Lai Shu Jin
- Ying-hsien Kao .... Huang Lei
- Yue-Lin Ko .... Liang Jun Sheng
- Johnson Yuen .... Auyang Ling Wen/Mr Mak
- Kar Lok Chin .... Tsao
- Su Yan .... Ma Tai Tai
- Caifei He .... Hsiao Tai Tai
- Liu Jie .... Leung Tai Tai
- Hui-Ling Wang .... Liao Tai Tai
- Hayato Fujiki .... Colonel Sato
- Yuji Kojima .... Commander Taicho
- Eileen Chang .... Storywriter
- James Schamus .... Screenwriter
- Hui-Ling Wang .... Screenwriter
- Ang Lee .... Director
Cinematic intelligence sources
- Lust, caution (Se, jie) official movie site
- Lust, caution (Se, jie) film production notes
- Lust, caution (Se, jie) QuickTime movie trailers
- Awards and film festivals:
- Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) 2008: Nominated: Foreign Film
- Independent Spirit Awards 2007: Nominated: Best male lead (Tony Leung), Best female lead (Tang Wei), Best cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto)
- Venice Film Festival 2007: Won: Golden Lion (Ang Lee), Golden Osella - Best Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto)
- Studios and distributors:
Intelligence analyst
Special Agent Matti
Theatrical report
Lust, caution (Se, jie) is a low-key thriller with subtitles. It's a great look at the Chinese culture in the Asian theatre during World War II. The sex is hot!
The Taiwan, thriller movie Lust, caution (Se, jie) is directed by Ang Lee and stars Tang Wei, Wang Lee-Hom, Joan Chen.
Government security censorship classification
R 18+ (High level sex scenes, some violence)
Surveillance time
158 minutes (2:38 hours)
Not for public release in Australia before date
Film: 17 January 2008
Cinema surveillance images
