Throughout Ang Lee's career, he has proved himself to be an uncompromising director. When he took on the story of The Incredible Hulk, he didn't resort to the whiz-bang theatrics that have accompanied films of its ilk, but dealt in psychological underpinnings and motivation. This could be the very reason that so many fans of the comic book have dismissed that film and why they clamored to remake the story for a film coming out this year.

I bring all this up because I found all the furor surrounding the explicit sex scenes in his most recent movie, Lust, Caution, to be fairly surprising. Yes, those scenes are there within the film, but they are not without context nor are they simply exploitative. They speak to voracious needs of the two characters and their attempts to tear at the facades that they present to each other. To that end, the scenes are staged in a fashion not unlike in nature films, with Tony Leung and Tang Wei bending and twisting themselves around each other like praying mantises. These moments aren't titillating, but feel absolutely integral to the plot.

The fuss about these scenes has overshadowed what is actually a very well put together thriller. Wei plays Wong Chia Chi, a young student who gets caught up in the resistance movement against the Japanese occupation of China in World War II. She and her fellow students decide to worm their way into the lives what they consider a traitorous bureaucrat, Mr. Yee (Leung) and kill him in the name of their country. To achieve this, they use Wong to play on his emotions and desires in hopes of letting his guard down just enough so they can strike.

The fuss that should be made is over the performance of Wei. In her first film role, she beautifully captures both the inner torment of her character, shifting between the brave mask she puts on for Mr. Yee and the troubled student underneath. The scene where, over dinner, she finally gives herself over to the idea of being a seductress is a wonder to behold. Leung is also a revelation in this film, giving the sinister Mr. Yee just the right amount of steely-eyed brutality. It is unlike any performance I have ever seen him give and it is certainly one of his most memorable.

Lust, Caution is a worthy successor to Lee's Oscar winning triumph that was Brokeback Mountain, and proves that the director can handle sweeping melodrama and political intrigue (not to mention comic book action) with masterful ease. I can only hope that he continues to stand his ground and make the movies that he wants to make, the way he wants to make them.

Focus Features, again, does not disappoint. It is a lovely transfer, full of lush reds and equally impressive grays. It really allows the film to become even more engrossing.

The sound too is given top notch treatment, bringing out every nuance of the hustling street scenes as well as the brutal moments that give them film its tension.

Tiles of Deception, Lurid Affections: A feature-length making of documentary.