Long Day's Journey into Night (2018 film)

 

Written and directed by Bi Gan, Long Day’s Journey into Night is the story of a man who returns to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral while going on a search for a former lover whom he remains haunted by having not seen her for many years. It is a film that explores a man who had ventured himself into the world of crime as he hopes to make amends with the woman he had loved for so many years. Starring Tang Wei and Huang Jue. Long Day’s Journey into Night is a ravishing and evocative film from Bi Gan.

The film follows a man who returns to his hometown of Kaili to attend his father’s funeral as he thinks about a former lover whom he hadn’t seen for many years. It is a film with a simple premise though it has a very odd structure as its first half is a non-linear film that plays into flashbacks as a man laments over his past as well as returning home as so much has changed. Bi Gan’s screenplay doesn’t have a conventional structure as its first act is set in various parts of Kaili as it play into Luo Hongwu (Huang Jue) who returns home as he thinks about his past as a young man who had lost his best friend and has engaged into an affair with his best friend’s girlfriend Wan Qiwen (Tang Wei). Throughout its first half, Luo thinks about his time with Wan but also his encounters with a gangster whom his best friend had gotten into trouble to as well as why he left Kaili only to return many years later for his late father as well as a few other things including a picture he found in his father’s clock. Its first half is this journey for Luo to find Wan as it relates to her disappearance while its second half marks a massive narrative shift that is even more mysterious.

Gan’s direction is entrancing in the way he captures a man’s journey into dealing with his past and confront the world he’s re-entered to. Shot on location in Kaili, Gan would create some unique compositions of the locations that include some mining hills, lakeside restaurants, and ruined places including flooded homes as it adds to the atmosphere of the film. The usage of wide and medium shots do play into the richness of the locations as well as these recurring images of water and cigarettes as well as images of green that includes the green dress that Wan wears. There are also some close-ups and unique camera angles that Gan has to play into some of the dream-like imagery that also include some unique and intricate tracking shots in the film. That’s all in the film’s first half and before the film’s title card would emerge as that moment would occur when Luo would walk into a porno theater wearing 3D glasses to watch something as it suddenly changes.

The film’s second half is this 59-minute sequence that occurs in unbroken continuous shot where the camera moves along endlessly only to stop when some dialogue happens. Yet, the shot is never broken as Gan utilizes all sorts of visual language to keep things going and moves whenever the scene calls for it. It is where reality and fiction blur as it play into Luo going on this journey to see if Wan is alive as it largely takes place in this small village where they’re having karaoke. There are moments that are surreal and dreamlike yet Gan doesn’t reveal what is exactly going on as he lets everything play out through the wide shots or in a close-up. There is a lot happening through in what Gan is presenting as it feels like something is unfolding while it never reveals itself into whether this is a dream or reality. Overall, Gan crafts an intoxicating and rapturous film about a man’s return to his hometown in search of his long-lost lover.

Cinematographers Yao Hung-I, Dong Jinsong, and David Chizallet do phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the scenes in the film’s first half as well as low-key colorful lighting for the scenes at night while emphasizing on neon and vibrant lighting for many of the scenes in the film’s second half as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Qin Yanan does excellent work with the editing with its usage of straight-cuts and a few rhythmic cuts for much of the film’s first half along with some low-key invisible cutting for the film’s second half to maintain that continuous presentation. Production designer Qiang Liu, with set decorators Yonghua Li, Dong Li Wang, and Changhua Wu, does brilliant work with the look of the old home that Luo lived in as well as a hotel that Wan used to stay in as well as the village in the film’s second half.

Costume designers Hua Li and Chu-Chen Yeh do fantastic work with the costumes with some of it being casual with the exception of the gorgeous green dress that Wan wears as well as some other stylish clothes the women wear including a woman that Luo meets in its second half. The sound work of Danfeng Li and Zhonglin Si is amazing for its mixing and sound design in maintaining an eerie atmosphere into its locations and how sound is presented from afar and up close as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Lim Giong and Hsu Point is incredible for its mixture of ambient textures with western-style guitars and somber electronic pieces with a soundtrack filled with Asian pop music.

The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Ming Dao as a traffic cop who gives Luo a message from a prisoner, Yanmin Bi as a prisoner who used to know Wan, Chun-hao Tuan as Wan’s ex-husband who runs a hotel, Chloe Maayan as a pager who runs a club, Yongzhong Chen as a crime boss named Zuo that terrorizes Luo and Wan, Hong-Chi Lee as Luo’s childhood friend Wildcat in the film’s flashbacks, and Sylvia Chang in a dual role as Wildcat’s mother that Luo meets and a mysterious red-haired woman that carries a torch as she is considered insane by the locals at the small village.

Huang Jue is incredible as Luo Hongwu as a man who returns to his hometown for his father’s funeral as he reflects on his past as well as his memories of Wan as it is this restrained and somber performance of a man haunted by the past as well as dealing with what he could remember as well as this reality that he contends with though he isn’t sure with what he’s encountering is real. Finally, there’s Tang Wei in a sensational performance as Wan Qiwen as this mysterious yet beautiful woman who was Wildcat’s lover as she engages into an affair with Luo as it is a performance full of intrigue and restraint though her character only appears in the film’s first half while Wei would appear as a completely different character in the film’s second half that is a little more fiery.

Long Day’s Journey into Night is a tremendous film from Bi Gan that features two great leading performances from Tang Wei and Huang Jue. Along with its haunting music soundtrack, ravishing visuals, offbeat narrative structure, and its exploration of memories and desires. It is an unconventional film that plays into a man’s lament over a former flame and ponders her existence in a world that has changed. In the end, Long Day’s Journey into Night is a magnificent film from Bi Gan.

© thevoid99 2023

Decision to Leave

 

Directed by Chan-wook Park and written by Park and Seo-kyeong Jeong, Heojil gyeolsim (Decision to Leave) is the story of a detective who investigates the murder of a man on a mountaintop where that man’s wife is the suspect whom the detective falls for. The film is a suspense-drama in which a man tries to make sense of a murder on a unique location while he also deals with his own issues and the woman he has fallen for despite the fact that she is the prime suspect. Starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. Heojil gyeolsim is a ravishing yet gripping film from Chan-wook Park.

The film revolves around an insomniac detective who is tasked to investigate the death of a mountain climber as he and others believe it wasn’t an accident with the climber’s young wife being a major suspect as the detective falls for her leading to all sorts of trouble. It is a film that plays into a man who is married but distant from his wife while is fascinated by this Chinese-born woman who is married to a man much older than her with people questioning whether she was at the mountain despite her fear of heights. The film’s screenplay by Chan-wook Park and Seo-kyeong Jeong is largely straightforward in its narrative yet has an offbeat structure in its approach to drama and suspense. The first act is about this case but also other cases that Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is taking part in with his young partner Soo-Wan (Go Kyung-pyo) to these cases including the death of Ki Do-soo (Yoo Seung-mok).

Ki’s wife Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) is an emigrant from China that works as a senior citizens caretaker is initially the suspect due to scratches, bruises, and such on her body believing that it’s a domestic abuse situation but Soo-Wan and others are suspicious. Even as Jang learns about Song’s family background and other things about her while imagining being in her home and getting to know her though she is aware that he’s watching her. The first half plays into this investigation and Jang’s growing attracting to Song as they get to know each other despite the fact that he’s married the nuclear power plant worker Jung-An (Lee Jung-hyun) and still cares about her. Yet, Song would help Jang deal with his insomnia until the case is closed where Jang does make some unsettling discoveries as the film’s second half then shifts to thirteen months later where Song is engaged to another man while Jang moves from Busan to Ipo to be with his wife as he’s also getting treatment for his insomnia and growing depression. Yet, Song is also in Ipo as it would complicate things as does another death with Song being the suspect.

Park’s direction is definitely mesmerizing as it is shot largely on location in Busan as well as additional locations in Ipo as it play into this world in South Korea that includes mountains including this part of a mountain where Ki died. The usage of the locations do add a lot to the visual language of the film as well as the usage of wide shots including intricate crane and drone shots that includes a chase where Jang goes after a criminal on top of the apartment buildings. Even for the scenes in the mountains including this one key place where Ki would film things on Go-Pro to showcase how to climb this particular mountain where Jang would climb it himself just to understand what would happen if Ki did get murder. The usage of close-ups and medium shots add to not just the intimacy of some scenes at the homes of both Jang and Song but also in the former of as the attention to detail is key to the film’s visual language. It is all about what characters are looking at and seeing in grand detail as Jang is just trying to make sense of what is going as well as Song’s own background as her grandfather was a Korean independence fighter during the Manchurian period.

Park also maintains this air of fantasy within Jang as he often imagines himself in a situation as if he is trying to understand Song through his surveillance bits as an attempt to curb his insomnia. Song would know about this as she would follow him during one of his cases where he fights a criminal with a metallic glove while helping with another case where he chases one on top of buildings. In the film’s second half where it’s set in Ipo, the film definitely changes from this big metropolis that is Busan to something smaller but still rich in its locations. However, things become more unsettling where Jang is dealing with Song again as she is distant but also in some trouble relating to her new husband. It would force Jang to look again at everything around him as well as reflect on his time with Song back at Busan forcing him to confront things in his life but also his feelings for Song. Overall, Park crafts a chilling yet evocative film about a detective who falls for his prime suspect in a mountain accident case.

Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on shooting in misty weather for some scenes as well as emphasize on natural lighting with some heightened filters to give the film a dream-like feel along with some unique lighting for the interior scenes at night. Editor Kim Sang-bum does excellent work with the editing as it has some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense as well as some of the chase scenes in the film. Production designer Ryu Seong-hie and art director Lee Eun-jin do amazing work with the look of the apartment home that Jang lives in at Busan as well as the home he and his wife have at Ipo as well as the home that Song lived in at Busan. Costume designer Kwak Jung-ae does fantastic work with the costumes that is most notable for some of the clothes that Song wears including a blue-green dress in the film’s second half.

Makeup designer Song Jong-hee does nice work with the design of the makeup in a few dead bodies that would be key to Jang’s own investigation as well as the look of Song later in the film’s second half. Visual effects supervisor Scott Seungje Lee does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely bits of set dressing for some scenes in the mountains as well as some dream sequences from Jang’s perspective. The sound work of Suk-won Kim is superb for its mixing as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as some of the way phone recordings and such are presented. The film’s music by Jo Yeong-wook is incredible for its discerning yet rich score that is filled with these unique string arrangements that add to the suspense and drama with some soaring and lush themes to more pluck-based themes as it is a highlight of the film as well as a famous Korean pop song from the 1960s that is used in the film that also features a modern-day cover.

The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Jung Young-Sook as an old woman Song takes care of, Seo Hyun-woo as a man named Slappy who has issues with Song’s new husband in the film’s third act over money, Joo In-young as a caregiver company director who talks about what Song does, Choi Dae-hoon as a sleep clinic doctor who brings a comical moment in how to wear a sleeping mask, Jung Yi-seo as a police investigator who helps Jang in dealing with Song’s case at Busan, Park Jeong-min as a criminal in San-oh whom Jang is trying to capture as his motive for the crime proves to be something that Jang would sympathize with, and Yoo Seung-mok as Song’s first husband Ki Do-soo who is a mountain climber/immigrant official who is the subject of the murder case where Song is the major suspect.

Park Yong-woo is fantastic as Song’s second husband Im Ho-shin who is a famous financial analyst that becomes suspicious about Song in their encounter with Jang and his wife leading to trouble. Kim Shin-young is excellent as Yeon-su as Jang’s partner in Ipo as she is a comical figure of sorts as someone who is sort of a novice yet is aware that Jang is becoming a liability in the investigation as it relates to Song. Go Kyung-pyo is brilliant as Soo-wan as Jang’s young partner in Busan who is suspicious towards Song as he is also someone that is green when it comes to being an investigator as well as being physically unfit in chases. Lee Jung-hyun is amazing as Jang’s wife Jung-an as a nuclear power plant worker who is in a distant though loving marriage with Jang as she often talks about divorces while becoming concerned for her husband and his insomnia.

Park Hae-il is incredible as Detective Jang Hae-jun as a police investigator dealing with insomnia as he is entranced by Song whom he falls for as he deals with the severity of his cases that contribute to his insomnia and obsession with Song where he displays an anguish and desperation of a man that is in love but also knowing he is putting himself in trouble. Finally, there’s Tang Wei in a phenomenal performance as Song Seo-rae as a Chinese emigrant who is married to this immigrant official who is older than her as she becomes a suspect due to her lack of emotional reaction towards his death where Wei brings in a sense of restraint but also someone who is also cunning and vulnerable as someone who is dealing with a lot of resentment and bad choices. Wei and Hae-il together are a joy to watch as they play into this sense of tension but also a sense of longing towards one another as they are an immense highlight of the film.

Heojil gyeolsim is an outstanding film from Chan-wook Park that features tremendous leading performances from Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visual, study of temptation and desire, a chilling music score, and its intense approach to dramatic suspense. The film is definitely an unconventional yet engrossing suspense-drama that is more of a study of two people who are tailing each other as it is also one of Park’s most accessible film to date. In the end, Heojil gyeolsim is a magnificent film from Chan-wook Park.

Chan-wook Park Films: (The Moon is… the Sun’s Dream) – (Trio (1997 film)) – Judgement (1999 short film) - JSA: Joint Security Area - Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - (If You Were Me-Never Ending Peace and Love) – Oldboy - Three... Extremes-Cut - Lady Vengeance - I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK - Thirst (2009 film) - (Night Fishing) – (60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero) – (Day Trip) – Stoker - The Handmaiden - (The Little Drummer Girl (2018 TV series)

© thevoid99 2022

Blackhat

Directed by Michael Mann and written by Morgan Davis Foehl, Blackhat is the story of a convicted hacker who is asked by U.S. and Chinese government officials to aid them in uncovering a cyber-terrorist following a series of cyber-terrorist activities. The film is an exploration into the world of cyber-terrorism as it is becoming prevalent in the 21st Century where a hacker is asked to find the criminals as he copes with some of his actions. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Holt McCallany, Wang Leehom, and Viola Davis. Blackhat is a riveting and compelling film from Michael Mann.

With the news of cyber-terrorism finally coming into the forefront of the public, the film is about the dangers of cyber-terrorism when a Chinese nuclear power plant was attacked prompting a Chinese government official to work with the American government to get an old friend out of prison so he can help uncover these acts of cyber-terrorism. It’s a film that plays into the idea of what is a new world order as well as the dangers of technology in how it can create chaos where the enemy itself are faceless individuals who are wreaking havoc on the world of economics which makes countries vulnerable. There’s a lot of intriguing ideas that goes on in the film as it relates to the world of cyber-terrorism but it has elements in the script by Morgan Davis Foehl that doesn’t work.

Part of the flaws in the screenplay involves some of the conventional dramatic elements involving its protagonist Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth) and Chen Lien (Tang Wei) as the latter is the younger sister of China’s cyber warfare official in Captain Chen Dawai (Wang Leehom) who was a former college roommate of Nick and was the one that got him out of jail so that Nick can be helpful. The romance between Hathaway and Lien feels like it’s part of another film as it doesn’t really seem necessary to the story as a lot of it involves intrigue and what needs to be done. Especially as the trio are working with two FBI agents in Carol Barrett (Viola Davis) and Jessup (Holt McCallany) to find out who are the hackers and why they’re creating chaos. The eventual reveal of the villains themselves do come to ahead but their motivations aren’t very clear other than money as it is very ambiguous where it is among some of the conventional elements of the script that doesn’t really work.

Michael Mann’s direction is very entrancing as it is set in various locations in order to make the film play into this feeling of a new world that is being torn apart by modern technology. Much of Mann’s direction has him playing into a world that is chaotic where he uses a lot of hand-held cameras for some of the film’s action and gunfight sequences while creating elements of suspense in other scenes to convey this sense of a new world order. Shot in various locations in places like Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Kuala Lampur in Malaysia, and Jakarta, the film does have this sense of a feel that this worldwide where Mann’s approach to wide shots add to a film where it’s taking place around the world. Even as Mann creates feels very intimate in some of the drama with his usage of close-ups and medium shots to play into these characters embarking on something that they don’t really know.

Much of that intimacy and frenetic approach to action and suspense is shot on digital where Mann definitely aims for something that is not very polished but rather grainy as if it adds to this dark tone of the film. Especially for scenes set at night where Mann seems at home in displaying these elements of gunfights as well as in the action that includes its chilling climax in Jakarta. The usage of sequences inside the computers add to the air of suspense as well as the feeling that this is a new world and terror could come from anywhere. Even as the weapon is a simple laptop can trigger a nuclear power plant meltdown as it adds to the sense of a world that is far more dangerous than what it was. Though not everything in Mann’s direction works as well as the flaws that are present in the film’s script. The overall results still showcase Mann creating a very engaging film about the world of cyber-terrorism.

Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh does brilliant work with the film‘s very wobbly yet entrancing cinematography with its element of blurry images as well as the use of lights for many of the scenes set at night in the film‘s many different locations. Editors Joe Walker, Stephen Rivkin, Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and Mako Kamitsuna do excellent work with the editing with its usage of montages to play into the effects of the hacks as well as some intense rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, with set decorator Victor J. Zolfo and supervising art director Tom Reta, does fantastic work with the set designs from the FBI and Chinese government offices to the quaint apartments in Hong Kong where the main characters do their work.

Costume designer Colleen Atwood does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the uniform that Dawai wears in China as well the stylish clothes that Lien wears. Visual effects supervisors Phil Brennan, Joe Farrell, and John Nelson do superb work with the visual effects for the computer hacking sequences as well as a few moments in the action scenes. Sound editor Victor Ray Ennis and sound designer Tony Lamberti do terrific work with the sound to play into the way computers and their codes hack into certain places as well as the moments in some of the film‘s action scenes. The film’s music by Harry Gregson-Williams, Atticus Ross, and Leo Ross is wonderful for its score as it is largely electronic-based courtesy of the Ross brothers with a few orchestral flourishes from Gregson-Williams while music supervisor Gabe Hilfer brings in bits of traditional Asian music, electronic, and rock music into the mix.

The casting by Bonnie Timmerman is incredible as it features small performances from William Mapother and Jason Harner Butler as FBI officials, Andy On as a Hong Kong police inspector, Ritchie Coster as a mysterious figure named Kassar, and Yorick van Wageningen as another mysterious figure who is connected to the acts of cyber terrorism. Holt McCallany is terrific as FBI Agent Jessa as someone who is keeping an eye on Hathaway while knowing what is at stake as it relates to the mission at hand. Viola Davis is fantastic as FBI Agent Carol Barrett as this no-nonsense agent who knows about Hathaway’s reputation as she is reluctant to trust him while becoming aware that she and her team are facing an unknown enemy as Davis plays it straight with bits of humor into her performance. Leehom Wang is brilliant as Captain Chen Dawai as an old friend of Hathaway who asks for his help as he tries to uncover the mystery of the hacks as well as dealing with what he’s being asked to do by his bosses.

Tang Wei is excellent as Dawai’s sister Lien as she is also good with a computer as she aids in uncovering the mystery while dealing with her attraction towards Hathaway. Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a superb performance as Nick Hathaway as this accomplished hacker who is temporarily released from prison as he helps the FBI uncover the hacker attacks as he copes with returning to prison as well as the dangers of what he’s facing.

***The Following is an Overview of the 2016 Director’s Cut Written and Posted on 10/19/24***

The director’s cut version of the film supervised by Michael Mann is a vastly different film than its 134-minute U.S. theatrical version and the 133-minute international version. At a slightly shorter running time of 132-minutes, Mann would create a version of the film that is not just paced better but also has a way to build up the suspense. Notably in making the film’s opening scene set in an empty room at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange where TV screens and computers are overseeing stock prices. It then cuts images inside a computer where microchips start to light up to raise the prices of soy stock. In the theatrical version of the film, it is a scene that comes early after the nuclear meltdown scene, but it is more effective in the director’s cut as it helps build the suspense slowly and give this sense of immediacy of a world thrown into chaos.

Mann does more with certain sequences and shortens some scenes from the theatrical version as the scenes of Nick Hathaway in prison is turned into one entire sequence while there are a few extended bits such as FBI Agent Carol Barrett looking into a suspect where she notices a tattoo on his body. The nuclear meltdown scene that opened the film is moved into the middle of it as all scenes relating to the nuclear site is turned into one entire sequence. Mann not only maintains a sense of consistency in where these characters are, but it also allows the suspense to move much slower to have the characters go on the search for clues. There is also a scene in Hong Kong where Hathaway, Chen Lien, and the U.S. Marshal Jessup arrive in Hong Kong as they realize they are being followed as they go to this posh hotel checking in. Yet, it turns out to be a ruse as it is this brief scene that has elements of humor but also highlights these people must do to not be seen.

The pacing in the director’s cut is much better as Mann’s new presentation does make the film easier to watch while he also adds more to what is at stake and brings more weight to the performances. Notably Hemsworth as Hathaway where has a lot more emotional weight into his situation while is trying to assess what is he trying to find even though he has a limited amount of freedom despite the leniency and trust he gained from Barrett and Jessup. The film’s third act remains the same in comparison to the theatrical version though it gains more context into everything that had happened in the previous two acts. Even in what is at stake and what Hathaway discovers which proves to be bigger than he realized as it relates to those that want to watch the world burn.

***End of Director’s Cut Overview***

Blackhat is a stellar yet flawed film from Michael Mann. While it has an excellent cast as well as compelling ideas about cyber-terrorism, it’s a film that falls short as it relates to being far more intriguing due to some of the conventions of the screenplay. However, it does play into a world that is becoming more uneasy as cyber-terrorism is becoming big news in the modern world. In the end, Blackhat is a very good film from Michael Mann.

Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile - Thief - The Keep - Manhunter - L.A. Takedown - The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - Heat - The Insider - Ali - Collateral - Miami Vice - Public Enemies (2009 film) - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2015

Lust, Caution

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/11/07 w/ Additional Edits.

In 2005, Taiwan-born director Ang Lee released Brokeback Mountain to the world and garnered a surprise reaction. The film about gay cowboys, drew rave reviews with critics as well as surprising smash in the box office along with a load of parodies all over the Internet. The film walked away with several Oscars nominations plus three wins including Best Director for Ang Lee. Despite the upset and controversial loss of Best Picture to Paul Haggis' race-relation drama Crash, Lee moved forward as he decides to return to his native Taiwan to create an espionage thriller that pushed the limits of his directing style entitled Se Jie (Lust, Caution).

Directed by Ang Lee based on Eileen Chang's story, the film tells the story of late 1930s/early 1940s Shanghai when a young woman plays spy in order to stop a man working with the Japanese only to be seduced by him. Reuniting with longtime collaborator and producer James Schamus who co-wrote the adapted screenplay with Hui-Ling Wang, the film reveals Lee's moody, harrowing tale of passion and suspense. Starring Tony Leung Chui-Wai, Tang Wei, Lee-Hom Wang, Anupam Kher, and Joan Chen. Se Jie is an eerie, provocative spy drama that is also seductive and hypnotic from Ang Lee.

It's 1942 in Shanghai as a young woman named Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei) under the guise of Mrs. Mak is playing mah-jong with Mrs. Yee (Joan Chen) as she later goes to an English restaurant to make a phone call to Kuang Yu Min (Lee-Home Wang). Wong sits down to think about how she's gotten herself into this role as spy. Four years ago, she was just a young student in Hong Kong who is also an aspiring actress along with friend Liang Junsheng (Ko Yue-Lin). After a successful performance in a play directed by Kuang. Things seem to go great for the young students as Kuang suddenly gets an offer to help the Chinese resistance in their war against Japan. After making contacts with the resistance, Kuang decides to organize a plan to help the resistance in aiding the assassination of Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chui-Wai), who is a high-ranking official working directly for a national traitor named Wang Jingwei.

Liang and Wong join Kuang with Wong playing the role of Mrs. Mak, the wife of an export-import salesman as she finds herself in the posh circle of Mrs. Yee. Rarely capturing a glimpse of Mr. Yee, they finally meet during a game of mah-jong as she helps him pick out clothes and such. Befriending the Yees became easy while she finds herself getting closer to the much-cautious Mr. Yee. Realizing that she might become a mistress of the man, she sacrifices her virginity in order to prepare for the role. Unfortunately, a chance to assassinate Mr. Yee fails thanks to Mr. Tsao (Chin Ka Lok) who destroyed their chance as things went awry with Wong leaving the team.

Three years later as she lives in Shanghai with her aunt and as a student learning Japanese, she meets Kuang who is now working directly for the secretive Chinese resistance. Kuang along with a spy named Wu (Ton Chung-Hua) who learned about her role. He gives her background files as Mrs. Mak where she would continue her role as another attempt to assassinate Mr. Yee was planned. Catching up with Mrs. Yee, she and Mr. Yee find themselves again in good company as eventually, a sexual-driven affair ensues. Realizing how close she is getting into her role, she starts to become confused by Mr. Yee's charms as their sexual affair troubles Kuang. Learning more of Yee's role, Wong realizes the dark position she's in as she suddenly finds herself in a comfortable, closer world that is a shock to the very guarded Mr. Yee. With the plan getting closer, it's all up to Wong to play her part as she becomes confused about her own loyalty.

While the film’s plot of a young spy trying to play her role while being seduced by her target is easy. The journey that screenwriters James Schamus and Hui-Ling Wang take through Eileen Chang's short story is mesmerizing. In reality, the film is about performance and how it can distort things including loyalty. The film is not really a thriller or fits into any kind of period drama but rather a character study and the character that is the heart of the film is Wong Chia Chi. Her development from this shy, quiet young student who exudes the kind of ideal innocence anyone is startling from that to in the film’s beginning and third act, a woman who is confused by her role and morals.

It's a very complex character and so is the target in Mr. Yee. Here's a man who is indeed a villain but also human. Despite what he does for the Japanese, he comes home feeling somewhat detached by his own wife who enjoys her time shopping and playing mah jong. In Wong as Mrs. Mak, he finds the cure he needs for his loneliness and companionship.

Ang Lee's eerie, observant direction definitely harkens towards not just some of the provocative style of Italian auteur Bernardo Bertolucci and 1940s cinema but also the internal moral conflict of the late Ingmar Bergman. Lee's vision of China and its occupation by Japan in those times is true that includes a line of Mr. Yee being aware that Japan's day in the countries are numbered. Lee definitely gets a lot of things right in terms of the time while the atmosphere plays to how the Japanese and working-class Chinese are defined in their environment. Still, it's all about character as Wong and Mr. Yee try to figure out their own worlds while figuring out how to take their relationship away from the politics.

Then there's the film's sex scenes which have garnered the film the very-dreaded NC-17 rating in the U.S. Yes, the sex scenes between Tony Leung and Tang Wei are very graphic indeed. Lots of flesh are shown and such to the point it's almost real that will also lead questions into whether the sex was simulated or not. Sex scenes are often used as an excuse to show naked body parts but through Lee's direction. There's layers in those scenes to reveal the complex emotions of both Mr. Yee and Wong and how they react to each other. The sex is complementary to those emotions that even in their Kama Sutra-like positions, are wonderfully presented. While for a film that's 158-minutes long, there's a few issues in pacing that does drag a bit. Still, Lee's direction and his approach to the story is solid throughout as he's starting to become a real cinematic master.

Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who worked with Lee on Brokeback Mountain, brings some amazing colors to the camera with its bright, evocative shots of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and parts of Malaysia for many of the film's exquisite exterior scenes. Prieto's camera in the exterior scenes are very intimate with low-lights and colors to convey the dark atmosphere of the film, notably the sex scenes that are wonderfully shot without being too polished. Production designer Lai Pan along with a team of art directors do amazing work in recreating 1940s Shanghai with its restaurants, cars, and such including a scene in a Japanese restaurant that is jaw-dropping to watch. Editor Tim Squyres does some fascinating, meditative editing to convey the tension of the film as well as its suspense throughout its 158-minute running time despite a few pacing issues in some scenes.

Sound editor Phillip Stockton does some great work with the sound to convey the different atmospheres of poor China and Japanese-occupied Shanghai with its sound effects and tone. The music of Alexandre Desplat is very enchanting with its chiming, majestic orchestral score. Desplat brings a lot of grand arrangements to convey the film’s suspense and drama with a lot of subtlety. The music also plays to the times with piano music and such including a traditional pop song called A Singing Girl At The Edge Of The World that is performed onset by Tang Wei in an amazing scene at a Japanese restaurant.

The casting of the film is wonderfully assembled with small performances from Johnson Yuen, Ying-hsien Kao, Chih-ying Chu, and Ko Yue-Lin as Kuang's fellow students who are apart of the early organization in Mr. Yee’s assassination plot. Other small roles from Ton Chung-Hua as Wu, Indian actor Anupam Kher of Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham fame as a jeweler, and the incomparable Joan Chen as Mrs. Yee are brilliantly performed. Notably Chen as a charismatic, mah-jong playing wife who cracks jokes and manages to steal a few scenes. Chinese pop singer Lee-Home Wang is great as Kuang, a director and resistance soldier who worries about Wong's life while dealing with the role she has to play for him as his performance is superb.

Tony Leung Chui-Wai, who is known by many for his work with Wong Kar-Wai, is brilliant as the very guarded, cautious Mr. Yee. Leung brings a lot of subtlety and brutality to his role as the government official who seems to deal with the loneliness of his work while having a relationship that's a bit brutal but also fulfilling. Leung is really solid in his role while proving that behind every villain, there's some redeeming qualities in him. In a true breakout performance, Tang Wei is phenomenal as Wong Chia Chi. A very multi-layered performance full of complexity, Wei brings a mixture of innocence and passion in the film's early sequences while in the second act, she is full of charm and wonder as she deals with reality as well as Mr. Yee. By the end of the film, she is confused, very flawed, and also older as her performance is very layered as if she's performing within a performance.

The chemistry between Leung and Wei are amazing to watch as they perform together in scenes that are so hypnotic, it's almost as if they're acting in an old-school 1940s film. For the sex scenes, both actors expose themselves not just physically but emotionally as it's very erotic but also eerie to watch. With Leung being a man with little charm, he also manages to be very relaxed with Wei acting with him. Notably a scene in a Japanese restaurant as she sings an old Chinese song that is amazing to watch. Overall, the performances of Leung and Wei make the entire film worth watching.

While Se Jie isn't a perfect film, it's still a powerful, provocative period thriller from Ang Lee and company with brilliant performances from Tony Leung Chui-Wai and Tang Wei. While the film might have something to offer for art-house film buffs for its amazing acting, great set pieces, and its observant, eerie direction. It's a shame that the film is not being widely accepted by a mainstream audience. Then again, a film like this won't really work with a general audience for three reasons. One, it's 158-minutes with a meditative pacing that won't get everyone's attention. Two, it's in subtitles that will annoy a general portion of American audiences. Three and finally, it's NC-17 for its graphic sex scenes. Despite all of those issues, Se Jie is still a solid film from Ang Lee who continues to amaze audiences with such provocative topics and themes.

Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee

(C) thevoid99 2011