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For me Ang Lee has a mixed track record. With the Hulk an obvious black mark on his resume, his earlier films (that I’ve seen) being nothing extraordinary, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon being overrated, I’m pleasantly surprised that his two most recent films have been love stories so eloquently strung together they’re a joy to watch.

Lust, Caution is a film adapted from a short story yet it’s a lengthy 150 minutes long. Quite a few critics and writers say that it could’ve done the same thing in 2 hours, and I’m tempted to agree; two and a half hours is a long time to sit in front of a slow moving film.

I was never bored however. Maybe during some parts of the film I was nearly bored, but not totally. The visuals kept me captivated throughout. Sweeping scapes of 1940s Shanghai, beautifully orchestrated moments of tension and of course the slightly unnerving, raw sex scenes are all reasons to see this film.

The espionage-based plot is stitched together nicely and pretty much comes in two halves. The contrast between these two halves is refreshing, especially so given the speed at which the film progresses. The first half is full of student-patriotism, naivety of youth and one large build up. The second half is ultimately the best, where the film gets serious. Tension, lust, love and betrayal is all played out tremendously, and somehow despite its excitement manages to maintain the steady pace the first half set.

I wouldn’t say is a cinematic masterpiece, but it’s definitely worth braving the discomfort of watching such raw sex scenes in a public place. Great film, good for a Sunday evening I reckon.