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Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution

2007
Romance, Drama
2h 37m
Shanghai, 1942. Japan's World War II occupation of this Chinese city continues in force. Mrs. Mak, a woman of sophistication and means, walks into a café, places a phone call, and then sits and waits. She remembers how her story began several years earlier, in China in 1938... (Focus Features)
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Lust, Caution

2007
Romance, Drama
2h 37m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.08% from 960 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(960)
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Rated 11 Nov 2007
70
42nd
There's nothing wrong with the execution of this picture - the acting, the direction, the sets are all strong. But this story has been done to death and I don't feel there was anything remarkably profound or interesting in it. The explicit sex, while not exactly gratuitous, doesn't really elevate the film above the standard sex, politics, and espionage formula.
Rated 22 May 2009
72
65th
Lust, Caution, set in Shanghai during the WWII occupation by Japan, revolves around a woman infiltrating in the life of a hated collaborator. Though very well acted by Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Wei Tang, Lust, Caution fails to captivate as much as I thought it would, despite some good direction, nice imagery, and some very revealing sex scenes. The screenplay just doesn't deliver what it could have.
Rated 04 Mar 2008
78
56th
Though well acted and with good direction, Lust Caution never seems to take off full-fledged despite a two and a half hour running time. It is intense and times, and the story itself is well plotted, but it seems to meander around the subject content and never really pin-points the emotional weak-spot an account like this should. This may be selling it short, though, because the movie has an aura of beauty with its rich sense of history. That being said, the trailer was better than the movie.
Rated 25 Mar 2009
84
71st
The film in no way sets up the conclusion, giving us little insight into the main characters. Acting, directing etc all good, but the ending is ridiculous, didn't make sense in the context of the film and has been done to death.
Rated 13 Jan 2008
68
48th
It gives anything but lust. But it's still a solid work.
Rated 26 May 2019
60
32nd
Kinda dry but it held my attention surprisingly well for being nearly 3 hours. Sex scenes were a bit excessive.
Rated 14 Jun 2014
88
83rd
WOW. everything about this movie is amazing. The plot is dark, dangerous, deep and beautiful. Draws you in and leaves you breathless and asking for more. Truly a masterpiece.
Rated 08 Sep 2009
95
94th
Probably one of Ang Lee's best; he doesn't pull any punches with the violence or sex, and the intensity involved turns out so well.
Rated 11 Oct 2009
78
80th
Easily one of Ang Lee's best. Beautifully shot and performed, it only suffers from it's pacing, as it's a little too long.
Rated 13 Jun 2010
63
41st
handsome, endless
Rated 29 Aug 2014
87
70th
Very impressive mise en scene. Amazing exploration in the field of visual pleasure, in which the film is famous for. Great pacing although it's 2.5 hours long.The script can be slightly over-dramatic and incoherent at times but it's an easy-to-understand film. Lee Ang also strived to add more depth to his direction but it isn't enticing due to the film's linear core storyline. Not recommended to underage audience of course :)
Rated 01 Jul 2009
87
56th
Well done even if the ending still has me scratching my head.
Rated 13 Aug 2010
85
85th
Harrowing. There's this quiet yet relentless undercurrent of melancholy that flows throughout the film, stealthily eating away at your insides until you've got that hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach. Ang Lee has a gift for making even the simplest of stories completely mesmerizing.
Rated 09 Nov 2012
4
55th
A bit of a bloater. One of those films that tries to put equal emphasis on characters, period, decor, plus a few underlying themes, but never feels sufficiently realized. I don't really care about the erotic/romance angle, but Tony Leung is just phenomenal enough to pull it through.
Rated 03 Aug 2008
88
90th
I thought this was extremely underrated. I guess all the hype was about the graphic sex scenes and people thought they didn't deliver.
Rated 16 Dec 2008
75
72nd
Could have been a bit shorter but there isn't really anything bad in it. It's just missing something that would have raised it into greatness.
Rated 13 Dec 2010
25
61st
"Ang Lee seems to want to butt-**** Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, slightly amending that film's sketchy sexual politics but flattening its stirring socio-cultural purview, ending up similarly half-cocked." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 23 Mar 2009
73
49th
Impressive, but dull in storytelling. Acting is great. Good sex scenes.
Rated 31 May 2009
70
75th
Disturbing sex scenes (kama sutra) and long time (158 min). Tell me, do you want all of us die, Ang lee?
Rated 21 May 2017
82
81st
LUST, CAUTION is a magnificent war epic that has no trouble turning on a dime to become an intense erotic thriller. Ang Lee creates an emotional tapestry that's as sumptuous as his visuals, thanks to the film's two main stars: Tony Leung and Tang Wei. Their smoldering performances deserve much credit--not just for their passionate physicality, but also for their ability to invest us in their ferocious romance with just a single look.
Rated 02 Oct 2013
79
61st
78.500
Rated 25 May 2009
80
41st
Long movie about fight for ideals without fear or selfish.
Rated 17 Oct 2008
90
83rd
[You commented on this movie] Review: Very beautiful film. Ang Lee has created another fine film to add to his heralded list of cinematic achievements. Tony Leung is good as always but the pleasant surprise is Tang Wei's performance, her character has many layers to her and she is a beautiful woman. My only gripe with the film is its runtime, some edits could have been made but still a wonderful noir-ish styled thriller with some very initimate, hot sex scenes that were necessary to show the aud
Rated 16 Feb 2010
81
66th
A fairly conventional and somewhat thin story. There just wasn't enough substance to fill 2 hours and 38 minutes. If the movie was 45 minutes shorter, the pacing wouldn't have felt so stretched and it would have been much better. However, Ang Lee's top notch direction and the beautiful settings and costumes nearly redeem the entire movie and make it very watchable. The sex scenes don't hurt either.
Rated 15 Aug 2008
71
66th
Very beautifully shoot, directed and acted story. Prob. important work for Ang Lee; I did not warm up for it enough much. The story was interesting, but for me it stayed a bit distant. Something was missing. I did not get hold of it.
Rated 14 Apr 2010
85
66th
A few missteps (having all the students there at the end, come on), but overall a marvelous film. Tang Wei is a revelation, thankfully she's finally been unblacklisted by the Chinese government apparently.
Rated 30 Nov 2012
90
92nd
Lust, Caution is both a cannily constructed spy thriller and a grim kind of love story, but it harbors no illusions about the transformative potential of either revolutionary violence or sexual passion.
Rated 21 Dec 2012
87
81st
melancholic, elegant, beautifully directed and acted...
Rated 07 Mar 2009
70
47th
A pretty good noir-ish thriller. The notorious sex scenes were not the most interesting thing about the movie.
Rated 02 Nov 2007
75
53rd
02 Kasim 07 - 21:00 seansi, flyinn.ucretsiz girdim.salon 2de en on koltuklarin bir arkasinda izledim.-tek basima-
Rated 18 Dec 2009
68
57th
Lust, Caution, set in Shanghai during the WWII occupation by Japan, revolves around a woman infiltrating in the life of a hated collaborator. Though very well acted by Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Wei Tang, Lust, Caution fails to captivate as much as I thought it would, despite some good direction, nice imagery, and some very revealing sex scenes. The screenplay just doesn't deliver what it could have.
Rated 13 Dec 2009
80
79th
Sensual
Rated 16 Nov 2008
76
47th
This is an uneven work. Certainly it's an emotional film and can tug at heartstrings. But it does not delve deeply enough into the characters--we do not really know their motivations and why they do what they do (especially Yee.) The plot is also disjointed, not fully explaining the settings and crucial events to the actions the protagonists are taking. Ang Lee concentrates too much on emotion and too little on storytelling.
Rated 05 Mar 2014
83
68th
This was a sexy, sexy movie.
Rated 13 Dec 2008
70
76th
good movie
Rated 08 Apr 2010
80
91st
Another triumph for Lee, who delivers an intense story about womanhood and patriotism. The theme is quite heavy, with analogies about sexual identity and altruistic set of mind. The plot is simplistic yet elegant and the art direction is exceptional. Acting is top notch as well, Wei Tang is an incredibly talented actress with the rare ability of conveying sensuality with subtlety. She's being blackballed in China for her role in this film, and all I can say is that China can suck it.
Rated 20 Sep 2010
66
74th
It's less a spy thriller and more a brutal love story between two people drawn into a lacerating intimacy with each other they both know will ultimately destroy them. The entire movie is really focused on the none too easy task of making the ultimate decision of the heroine believable and sympathetic. Though it could probably be shortened, Tang and Leung are both outstanding.
Rated 02 Oct 2011
75
72nd
"Se, jie" is another elegant and suave film from the versatile Ang Lee, skillfully made as always, well-written and sharply acted. But the fact that it's unoriginal and overlong prevents it from being fully satisfying. Still, Lee's craft, impressive production design and several powerful performances trigger off plenty of emotionally potent or suspenseful scenes. As a result, this is a taut as well as sensual espionage drama that unfortunately misses greatness due to dragging on for too long.
Rated 02 Apr 2008
65
85th
Sexy and disturbing, which is probably allegorical. Oh, and by the way, also illuminates historical events that we rarely see in films.
Rated 19 Jan 2012
70
67th
I will admit, I had a little bit of difficulty keeping track of what was going on. Keeping up with the characters, especially with their strange (to an English speaker) and similar names. It was a pretty decent thriller though. A fair bit of graphic sexual content. The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, as were the costumes and set design.
Rated 17 Nov 2015
50
30th
it should be in category of best "erotic" movies
Rated 29 May 2011
90
89th
This is pretty much perfect, although the most crucial plot-point towards the end had me baffled. Apart from that, perfect. My god, the camera.
Rated 20 Feb 2016
61
28th
Too much caution, not so much lust. The first 40-50 minutes were greqt but then they tried to go to this really dark corners of humanity but they did it very timidly; so for me it didn't work. They tried to pushed the envelope with good intents but they kinda ripped it during the process. My take home message was, if you wanna be patriotic either be patriotic alone or with people who know what they are doing. Otherwise you get screwed.
Rated 26 Sep 2009
76
64th
This was a solid film. The acting was great. Wai especially, but Tang was fantastic too. Lovely cinematography, but it never blew me away. I was never convinced of the drama club's motivations, to be honest. I believed Kuang, but the others were so dedicated with seemingly so little I couldn't believe they'd stick to it through so much. The film never really cleared that up either and in the end, it never elevated itself beyond "just a spy movie". At least it's a good spy movie though.
Rated 06 Aug 2021
93
94th
2016.7.23/????????????????????????????"????????????????????"????

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