Ryan McNeil
Confession time: when you are so tired that you fall asleep on the couch – and don’t even remember getting into bed, you probably shouldn’t start the next day with a slow-simmering foreign film. I’m not going to actually rate LUST, CAUTION in this reaction piece…but there are a few things I can tell you though.
The Scotiabank Theatre was packed again for a 9am screening – no small feat on a day when the subways aren’t running that early! The film is the latest offering from Ang Lee, and if I have a disappointment with it, it’s that It doesn’t have that “wow” visual moment that most of his films do. The story’s a bit complexed, about a college student sent to infiltrate the inner circle of an officer in Japanese occupied China, and try to set-up an assassination attempt.
The film is getting a lot of attention right now because it is staring down the barrel of an NC-17 rating…and so far, Ang Lee isn’t backing down. the sex isn’t what I’d call over-the-top…but the sex scenes do seem a tick more graphic/lengthy than what makes it to multiplexes these days.
The film hits theatres in the fall. I’ll give it a second look then.