During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.
- Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 28 wins & 56 nominations total
- Mr. Yee
- (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
- Old Wu
- (as Tsung-Hua Tuo)
- Lai Shu Jin
- (as Chih-ying Chu)
- Liang Jun Sheng
- (as Ko Yu-Luen)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Ang Lee made Tony Leung Chiu-wai study the performances of Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris (1972), Humphrey Bogart in In a Lonely Place (1950) and Richard Burton in Equus (1977), to give him a sense of wounded masculinity, which Lee felt was right for the character of Mr. Yee.
- GoofsIn the café scene where Mak Tai Tai is calling her comrades the ringer heard through the phone both times is a modern ringer, which wasn't used until the 1970s/early 1980s.
- Quotes
Old Wu: Don't tell me what to do! You listen to me! Yee murdered my wife and both my children. But I could still eat with him at the same table! That's what an agent must be able to do! I'd like nothing better than to kill him with my own hands. But if letting him live another few days is valuable, then we must! Keep him hooked, and keep me informed. Don't do anything without my order. Remember... For an agent there is only one thing... Loyalty. To the party, to our leader, to our country. Understand?
Wong Chia Chi: Don't worry. I'll do whatever you say.
Old Wu: Good. Very good. All you need to do is keep him trapped. If you need anything...
Wong Chia Chi: What trap are you talking about? My body? What do you take him for? He knows better than you how to put on an act. He not only gets inside me... he worms his way into my heart like a snake. Deeper. All the way in. I take him in like a slave. I play my part faithfully... so I, too, can get to his heart. Every time... he hurts me until I bleed... and scream. Then he is satisfied. Then he feels alive. In the dark... only he knows it's all real.
Old Wu: That's enough.
Wong Chia Chi: That's why... That's why I can torture him until he can't stand it any longer... and still I go on until we collapse from exhaustion.
Old Wu: Enough!
Wong Chia Chi: And when he finally comes inside me, I think maybe this is it. Maybe this is when you'll rush in and shoot him in the back of the head... and his blood and brains will cover me!
Old Wu: Shut up!
- Alternate versionsAn R-Rated version was made for the home video market for sale in places that doesn't carry NC-17 films (e.g. supermarkets). The run-time of the R-rated version is only ~30 seconds less but features ~70 seconds of alternative footage to soften the rating.
- SoundtracksKlavierstücke Op. 118 No. 2 Intermezzo
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Alain Planès
(p) 2007 Decca Label Group
Ang Lee is a genius. He's so good at capturing the emotions of his characters and actors. It's like he unfolds them so that everything on the inside is laid bare. From The Ice Storm to Brokeback Mountain to Lust, Caution he shows you real people and how they love and damage and betray each other, and more specifically how it feels. That's true talent. Anyone can point a camera. This is something else entirely.
The film itself is the best espionage film I've ever seen, but that's not all it is. It's very much like a noir and a war film and romance is probably the genre that is represented least. I've read a few reviews mentioning love and falling in it. There is some of that but I think maybe those people might want to give this one another go. They might have missed the point.
Who should see this? Adults. But I'm not saying that because of the sex scenes. I'm 33. I don't know if I would have completely grasped the emotional complexity of this film 10 years ago. I think you need to have been kicked around a bit by life to fully appreciate what's happening here. Anyone who likes old movies, sad movies, good movies. Bogart fans, noir fans, costume design fans should all enjoy it. I sincerely hope it gets some recognition around Oscar time. It's my favorite this year so far.
- the_Poppuns
- Oct 5, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sắc, Giới
- Filming locations
- Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia(students on the tram: Jalan Chung On Siew)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,604,982
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $63,918
- Sep 30, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $67,091,915
- Runtime2 hours 37 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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