SE, JIE
Tony Leung, Wei Tang, Joan Chen, Lee-Hom Wang
Cinema 5, Power Plant Mall
The thing I remember most from watching this film are the very panoramic shots of the city of Shanghai during the WWII era. Ang Lee succeeded in capturing the scenic essence of the city. It had such a European ambiance except that it was populated with Chinese. Great cinematography!
Other than that, I wasn't overly impressed with this movie. It was dragging. Ang Lee took his time getting to the more gritty parts. I am not talking about the sex scenes, I'm referring to the entrapment operation. Franky, the much touted sex sequences were too mechanically rehearsed to merit such a fuss. I didn't get emotionally invested with the characters. The film just didn't live up to my expectations.
Having said that I must admit it was a good character study of two contrasting individuals. A young girl sidetracked into becoming a patriot. This distraction turned her into a woman. One who had to grapple with her feelings of affection for her 'prey'. A woman who had to experience lust at its most brutal form all for a more noble cause. The chance to expose a traitor to his country. Towards the end, you get a feeling that her love overruled her love for her country. Yet you cannot really know for sure. In this regard, kudos goes to the young Chinese actress Tang Wei for portraying such a complex role. A rather complicated yet still left with much to be desired role. For one thing, a lot of questions abound regarding the way that her character behaved during certain aspects of the film.
I still have a lot to say about this film but duty calls so ... tTo be continued
Other than that, I wasn't overly impressed with this movie. It was dragging. Ang Lee took his time getting to the more gritty parts. I am not talking about the sex scenes, I'm referring to the entrapment operation. Franky, the much touted sex sequences were too mechanically rehearsed to merit such a fuss. I didn't get emotionally invested with the characters. The film just didn't live up to my expectations.
Having said that I must admit it was a good character study of two contrasting individuals. A young girl sidetracked into becoming a patriot. This distraction turned her into a woman. One who had to grapple with her feelings of affection for her 'prey'. A woman who had to experience lust at its most brutal form all for a more noble cause. The chance to expose a traitor to his country. Towards the end, you get a feeling that her love overruled her love for her country. Yet you cannot really know for sure. In this regard, kudos goes to the young Chinese actress Tang Wei for portraying such a complex role. A rather complicated yet still left with much to be desired role. For one thing, a lot of questions abound regarding the way that her character behaved during certain aspects of the film.
I still have a lot to say about this film but duty calls so ... tTo be continued
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