I went to see this mainly because of heart throb Tony Leung. He plays a chinese collaborator with the occupying Japanese in world war 2 Hong Kong and Shanghai, opposite screen newcomer Tang Wei. He is meant to be a hard and cruel man and at times he acts this out in steamy sex scenes with Tang Wei but we know, partly because he is cast in the role, that underneath really he is sensitive and sad. The thin violin melodies that play through much of the film are reminiscent of In the Mood for Love and the ‘forbidden love’ theme is similar to both films. At 2 hours 40 minutes or thereabouts the film is long. The pace is slow and sometimes lugubrious, the sex scenes perhaps indulgent and the period street scenes rather staged but the acting of the leading couple is strong and holds the film together as it did in Mood for Love. There is a short trailer here. The film is worth seeing.