Alright, I finally watched this controversial movie. It was a long long movie.

This is a love story, a very sad one, of a girl that never lived for herself. She first sacrificed everything for her first love Kuang Yu Min then she sacrificed her life and her comrade’s lives for Mr.Yi, a target, a trader.

I also see it as an actor’s story. An actress takes on a role that she has to be 100% devoted to all day long for a year. Not only she has to seduce him sexually, she also has to connect with him in a deeper level so that he would trust her. She can see herself sliding down to the bottom and fusing with the character she is playing. She doesn’t have anything or anybody to ground her. She cries for help but others just relentlessly tell her to hold on there and get more information. Her first love, a coward, claims his love to her and even tries to kiss her but never gives her a hand when she needs it most. At the end, she becomes the character and falls in love with the target because, as ruthless as he is, he said “You will be safe because I will be there”.

Mr. Yi, a despised traitor, who enjoys torturing, yet he sees his boss — the Japanese Militants — pathetic. He lives in an extremely stressful life. His boss keeps a spy (Secret Zhang) around him and uses him as a bait. He is so vulnerable when he tears for his lover but he still sentences her death without any doubt.

As to the much argued sex scenes. I see them as necessary to demonstrate these two people’s abnormal, twisted yet passionate love. Although certain shots are a little overdone.

I have to say, the directing and the editing of this movie are very good. Ang Lee really took the time to layout the movie frame by frame and rendered an old China in front of people. A China at that special time. Some people are crying “China cannot die” and others are playing Mahjong all day long and talking about diamond and stockings (they are playing a crucial part in their husband’s political and commerce life, but they still spend a lot of time on Mahjong). Corpse lay in the middle of the street. Workers pick dead people out of refugees to burn. Residents stand in line for hours to get little rice. Yet western luxuries are just around the corner: fur coats, imported jewelries, movies, coffee shops and night clubs.

Memorable scenes:

Lip-stick mark on the edge of a cup. Haven’t seen that for a long time. These days all you see are ads about lip-sticks that will not leave a mark. But Ang Lee chose to use this old fashioned indication to deliver the signal of lust and seduction.

The scene that those students kill Tsao. It was done so uncomfortably real. You can really sense the knife going into the man’s body along with the fear and madness of those students.
Wang’s first date in the restaurant with Mr. Yi. She is very careful about what she says, she plays a lonely and vulnerable wife yet she throws little tease and challenge at Mr. Yi.

Wang walks pass a group of Japanese militants in the night club. Most of them are drunk and hanging on to a prostitute. However, one of them is sobbing. In the room, Mr. Yi sits there all by himself, tells Wang that he chose to wait for her for once. Wang sings that traditional Chinese folk song about simple love between a girl and a boy. She doesn’t sing it with a particularly sweet voice or a seducing manner. Mr. Yi cannot control himself and bursts into tears. He really connects with her at that point. This battle, Wang wins.

The scene that Wang is to be caught. It is interesting that Ang Lee picked a guy with big smile as the tricycle-taxi driver. I wonder if he is doing this just for a contrast of the gloomy ending or for other reasons.

Acting:

Wei Tang (Wong Chia Chi ). I have to say I need to first show my regard to this girl. As a fresh graduate out of acting school, her courage to take on this movie is amazing. Her character was real. She delivered the innocence and sensitiveness of the character very well. Her lines with Mr. Yi were very good too. Those scene were like mini-battles. Very exciting. There are some other places that she could give more though. I am interested in seeing her future growth.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Mr.Yi) was good. Just hard to imagine this was the handsome, sunny and playful boy two decades ago.

Joan Chen (Mrs.Yi) was very good. She was the supporting character but she expressed everything. Mrs.Yi knows everything yet she assists the deal super smoothly.

Lee-Hom Wang (Kuang Yu Min) — oh, please. Do we have to use him? I couldn’t feel anything from his face or his voice.

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Overall, I would say this is a well made movie, very very Chinese. Ang Lee is so good with using the most delicate paint brush for rendering characters’ feelings. I thank Ang Lee for taking the risk to make this movie after all those big Hollywood hits.