DVD - Lust, Caution

Ang Lee has had an interesting career, hasn't he? From the indie darling The Ice Storm, to the universally panned Hulk, to the controversy stirring Brokeback Mountain, his career has had just about as many twists and turns and any one's, especially considering his limited output.

I just watched his latest, Lust, Caution, last night. This Lee film also brought controversy, because of its NC-17 rating, which originated from Lee and Focus Features refusal to cut the graphic sex scenes. And graphic they are... I can see why the film got an NC-17 rating. But let's get one thing straight - this isn't porn. The sex in these scenes doesn't play to some male fantasy of what sex should be. It simply portrays a naturalistic version of what sex is - sometimes awkward, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes painful, sometimes distant. If you don't like seeing sex in films, especially graphic sex, don't rent this film, but... you'll be missing out, and here's why - 

Lust, Caution is a top notch spy drama (and notice I said drama, and not thriller). It centers around a young woman, Wong Chai Chi, who joins a group of Chinese nationalist rebels when Japan invades China during World War 2 (now, for those of you that aren't sure about history, China is not a communist country at this point. That doesn't happen until well after World War 2.) Her mission is to get close to a Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee, played by the AMAZING Tony Leung (a favorite of master filmmaker Wong Kar Wai). Mr. Yee flirts with the young girl, who is going by the name Mai Tai Tai, but is hesitant to become involved with her, because he's married, and he knows there are people trying to kill him. When she is almost exposed, though, she disappears for several years, but eventually runs into the resistance again. They enlist her, yet again, to kill Mr. Yee, and she reconnects with him, only to have their relationship consummated in a violent way. She continues to have sex with Yee, waiting for the order to come through to kill him, and as she does this, she begins to fall in love with him. Will she be able to do the deed, though, when the time comes?

Lust, Caution is, like I said, top notch. The acting is spot on, the set design, costuming, lighting, cinematography, everything is excellent. Although it does have its slow moments, its intensity and craft make up for any of that. The only real problem I had with this film was having to keep up with the subtitles. The characters talk so fast, sometimes, that you lose part of the sentence, because another character is already talking. All in all, a great film, and its really disappointing that I didn't get to see this one in theaters. But, I live in a place where it is difficult, if not impossible, to see anything rated NC-17. People would probably have flipped out and protested if this film had opened here (without, of course, having actually seen it). I hope you do give Lust, Caution a chance. It's really beautiful.

DVD - Pierrepoint, The Last Hangman

Humanity is known for idolizing and demonizing people, and, occasionally, it's know for doing both to the same person. Pierrepoint, The Last Hangman, is the real life story of Albert Pierrepoint, a man who took on the solemn duty of an executioner, and formed it into a science. We meet Albert as a man who has just begun volunteering for the civic duty of hangman, and see his evolution, as he comes to define the job itself. Pierrepoint can look at a man, or woman, size them up, and know exactly how to hang a noose, so that his prisoners die instantly, and without pain. He does this secretly, often on weekends, while moonlighting during the week as his villages grocer.

When World War II comes to a close, Pierrepoint is asked by one of the top men in the British Army to come to Nuremberg and hang the Nazi's that will be found guilty and sentenced to death for war crimes. Pierrepoint accepts, still hiding his true profession from those around him. Upon his return from Nuremberg, however, a news reporter focuses an article on Pierrepoint and his job as the hangman of the most vilified men of the century, and Pierrepoint becomes a hero to the people of his village (people who were glad to see the Nazi's who were responsible for bombing England hang). Only a few years go by, though, before the tide turns on Pierrepoint, and the people want an end to executions in England. Suddenly, their hangman hero, is now one of the country's most reviled men, having attended to the hanging of some 600+ individuals.

Pierrepoint is a good film. A good film, but not a great film. Unlike most films, it would have been advantageous for the filmmakers to make it a little longer, and add in a little more detail of this man's life. The story takes place over, roughly, twenty years, and, at a lean and mean 90 minutes, we get the point, but not much else.  The film, in my opinion, would have benefitted from seeing an expansion of the storyline between Pierrepoint and his wife. Timothy Spall, as Albert Pierrepoint, plays the consumate English gentleman, a man who doesn't "kiss and tell" about his job, and believes in the sacred duty he is performing. Even when people are singing his praises, after the Nuremberg incident, he is still cautionary, and chooses not to revel in his new found glory.

Overall, Pierrepoint is worth a watch, but I wouldn't rush out to rent it.

Atonement

When I saw the first trailer for Atonement, I thought "Wow, there's a movie I'm not bothering with". I don't know, it just feels like I've seen SO MANY World War 1 and 2 era British love stories. Most of them tend to be long, drawn out, and boring, elliciting sympathy and romantic feelings for characters by using cliche's.

BUT, then it started getting all of these amazing reviews and garnering a bunch of advance awards, so, I became a bandwagon jumper, and bought my ticket. Well, it is safe to say that Atonement was considerably better than I thought it would be.

The story involves three primary characters - Celia Tallis (Keira Knightley), a teen/young adult from a rich family, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), one of the groundskeepers at the Tallis household, and Briony Tallis (played by multiple actors), Celia's younger sister, who has a talent for writing, and feelings for Robbie. Something has happened between Celia and Robbie, and, when Robbie tries to make it right, Briony realizes that his heart is for Celia, and not for her. Pierrot, Jackson, and Lola, the cousins of Celia and Briony, come to stay with the Tallis's, but their boredom and restlessness lead Pierrot and Jackson to run away. This leads to the evening's dinner party guests to have to break out and search the grounds for the young boys. Before they're found, though, Briony finds Lola being raped by a man who manages to get away before he can be identified. In her anger with Robbie, and his new found connection with Celia, she tells the police that she could positively identify Robbie as the rapist. 

Robbie ends up going to jail, being torn apart from Celia, and causing Briony to retreat into herself. Fast forward a few years, and we meet Robbie, Celia, and Briony in the midst of World War 2. Robbie has been let out of prison to serve England, but is MIA in France, Celia hasn't seen her family in years and is working as a nurse, and Briony is training as a nurse, and is trying to get back in touch with Celia to put things right. 

I can't really say anymore, otherwise too much of the plot would be given away, but, Atonement turned out to be a really well made, well acted film. There were several funny moments in it, which were surprising for this "sub-genre" of film, and the love story between Robbie and Celia was not completely un-original or cliche, though, the relationship between the three of them (Celia, Robbie, and Briony), can, at times, be a little cliche. The way the story is told, by telling Briony's version of certain events, and then showing a completely objective view of events was very interesting, and reiterates how subjective realities can destroy relationships and lives.

Atonement was well worth my two hours, especially at the matinee price. I'm not a huge fan of any of the actors in the film, but they all did a great job. The directing was superb, and the story, especially the last quarter of it, was very well written. Fantastic. And, you definitely want to see it on the big screen. Absolutely beautiful.