For his followup to the international hit "Farewell, My Concubine," filmmaker Chen Kaige has chosen a more muted, less ambitious melodrama in "Temptress Moon," one that emphasizes visual texture over character and story.
As a result, this one is more aloof than what Western audiences — even art-house audiences — are accustomed to and probably won't ring the earlier film's success around the world.
The story focuses on Ruyi and Zhongliang, two cousins of decidedly different social standing in the wealthy Pang clan. (As adults, the characters are played by Chen's "Concubine" stars, Gong Li and Leslie Cheung, respectively.)
We first meet them as children in 1911, on the eve of the Revolution that turned imperial China into a republic. Ruyi is already an opium addict when her younger cousin arrives on the scene. A country boy, he is treated more like a servant than a family member, especially by his older sister (He Saifei). But he will get revenge on her, and then he'll run away.
At this point the film leaps forward 20 years and we see that Zhongliang has become a gigolo in Shanghai, working for a Chinese godfather. But he hasn't forgotten Ruyi, and when she becomes the head of her household, he is urged by his boss to return there and see what mischief he can make.
Instead of any moneymaking ventures, however, Zhongliang falls even harder for opium-addled Ruyi, and they begin an affair that is, of course, doomed.
Leslie Cheung is outstanding as the tortured Zhongliang, and Gong Li is also quite good, though she is too old for the role and never quite seems as addictive a personality as we might expect her to be.
Not that any of this matters, since co-writer/director Chen doesn't really seem to care much about the story or his characters. He's more interested in atmosphere, going for a strange, off-kilter, almost opium-induced feel, and the film is visually mesmerizing from start to finish. (This is a real showcase for Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle, whose vast resume of Chinese films includes "Chungking Express.")
Sadly, that's not enough to keep the audience awake beyond the first hour. And after that, the picture's energy begins to seriously flag and never quite recovers until the final reel.
By then, Western moviegoers may have checked out.
"Temptress Moon" is rated R for violence, sex, profanity and drugs.