Ang Lee’s follow-up to Brokeback Mountain is flawed, but
Lust, Caution (an erotic spy thriller set in 1940s Shanghai) is
so ambitious and detailed that you’ll never be bored. From the
clinking of lacquered nails against mah-jongg tiles to the thrill
of a first cigarette, Lee envisions a world where sensuality is the
engine that fires not just youthful rebellion, but politics,
assassination plots, maybe even torture. It’s provocative by
design. (See Movie Times for details.)

Annie Wagner is The Stranger's former film editor. She was born and raised in Capitol Hill, but has since lived in such far-flung locales as Phoenix, AZ, Charlottesville, VA, and Wedgwood. After graduating...