Some directors you simply can't pin down, and none more so than Ang Lee. Lust, Caution sees the man who last gave us Brokeback Mountain, and was previously responsible for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk and Sense & Sensibility moving back to 1938 China. The story of Lust, Caution is essentially that of the relationship between Wong Chia Chi and Mr Yee. But, as you'd expect, it's not that simple. The former is part of a group planning to assassinate the latter, and this inevitably brings some dramatic conflicts to the fore, not least when the two of them become lovers as time moves on.
Delicately balancing this narrative against a backdrop of a China occupied by Japan, Ang Lee has once again delivered a terrific piece of cinema with Lust, Caution. Superbly shot, and terrifically acted (not least by the always-watchable Tony Leung, and newcomer Tang Wei), it's a skilfully put together movie with a very good script at the heart of it.
What's more, it finds its director in confident form, bringing to the screen three dimensional characters against a stunningly realised historical setting. What Ang Lee goes on to do next is anyone's guess, but Lust, Caution is yet another must-see on the man's curriculum vitae. --Jon Foster