Lust, Caution

But somehow, it all just doesn’t add up to a seamless, knockout whole. It’s the core relationship that undermines it, I think. Such an improbable development of feeling — deeper than playing predator and prey by turns, getting caught in one another’s webs — requires evidence by way of thorough character analysis that’s just not there. I just don’t believe — even as I enjoy the cinematic spectacle — that she and he both <spoiler spoiler spoiler>. I suppose the sex scenes which earned the film a NC17 rating in the US are meant to be shorthand for that (repression, passion, a shared fundamental psychology?), but there’s not much narrative or character development in them, and they’re repetitive in tone and content. Not for a moment do I believe Lee filmed the scenes merely for their own sake, merely as titillation, but whatever he did intend fell flat for me. I just don’t believe these characters’ actions half the time.

So what that leaves is a fiery erotic thriller and uncommonly beautiful war piece. That’s still plenty by any standard — just not quite the whole package.