During World War II a secret agent (Tang Wei) in Shanghai must seduce and assassinate an official (Tony... (Learn more)
Starring: Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Wang Lee-Hom (View All)
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Starring: Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Wang Lee-Hom
Shanghai, 1942. The World War II Japanese occupation of this Chinese city continues in force. Mrs. Mak, a woman of sophistication and means, waits for a call at a cafe, as she remembers how her story began several years earlier, in 1938 China: she is not in fact Mrs. Mak, but shy Wong Chia Chi. With WWII underway, Wong has been left behind by her father, who has escaped to England. As a freshman at university, she meets fellow student Kuang Yu Min Kuang who has started a drama society to shore up patriotism. As the theater troupe's new leading lady, Wong realizes that she has found her calling, able to move and inspire audiences--and Kuang. He convenes a core group of students to carry out a radical and ambitious plan to assassinate a top Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee. And each student has a part to play; Wong will be Mrs. Mak, who will gain Yee's trust by befriending his wife and then draw the man into an affair. Wong transforms herself utterly inside and out, and the scenario proceeds as scripted--until an unexpectedly fatal twist spurs her to flee. Shanghai, 1941. With no end in sight for the occupation, Wong--having emigrated from Hong Kong--goes through the motions of her existence. Much to her surprise, Kuang re-enters her life. Now part of the organized resistance, he enlists her to again become Mrs. Mak in a revival of the plot to kill Yee, who as head of the collaborationist secret service has become even more a key part of the puppet government. Reprising her role, Wong is drawn ever closer to her dangerous prey, as she finds her very identity being pushed to the limit.
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US Release Date
9/28/07
MPAA Rating
Rated NC-17 for some explicit sexuality.
Running Time
157 mins.
Locations
- China
Language
- Cantonese
- Chinese (unspecified dialect)
- English
- Japanese
- Mandarin
Box Office Total
$4,602,512
Awards
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Film award at the 2007 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Most Promising Performer award at the 2007 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 2007 Golden Satellite Award [Festival/Award Awards.
- Winner of the Golden Lion award at the 2007 Venice International Film Festival [Fe Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Cinematography award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards [Festival/Aw Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Original Score award at the 2007 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2007 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2007 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2007 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Male Lead award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards [Festival/Aw Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Female Lead award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards [Festival/Aw Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2007 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Costume Design award at the 2007 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Composer award at the 2007 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 2007 Golden Satellite Award [Festival/Award Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2007 Golden Satellite Award [Festival/Award Awards.
Distributor
- Focus Features
- River Road Entertainment
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
