Temptress Moon [1996]

Following the death of their parents, 13-year old Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung) is invited to live with his older sister and her husband, the heir of the wealthy Pang family, in their sprawling country mansion. He soon finds himself in the position of a virtual slave who has to wait on the two hand and foot. When his brother-in-law tries to force him into an incestuous relationship with his sister, he poisons him and flees to Shanghai where he becomes a gigolo who makes his living by sleeping with married women and then blackmailing them. Meanwhile, the head of the Pang family has died and since the heir has been reduced to a vegetable by Zhongliang’s poisoning attempt, his sister Ruyi (Gong Li) becomes head of the family in his place. Since she is only a 'weak' woman, her distant relative Duanwu (Kevin Lin) is appointed to be her servant in order to aid and effectively control her. Duanwu is, however, besotted with Ruyi and when she seizes control of the family’s fortunes in an unexpectedly assertive way, he supports her 'shocking' actions, bravely facing the family elders’ wrath. His hopes are dashed, though, when Zhongliang, by order of the triad boss he works for, returns to the Pang mansion and sets out to seduce the innocent (but very willing) Ruyi in order to lure her back to Shanghai with him. The cynical gigolo plays to her rebellious nature by educating her in Western culture but soon, to his horror, finds himself falling in love with her. Panicking, he tries to extricate himself from the web of deceit he has woven but it is too late and tragedy ensues.

Temptress Moon is one of the few films that allowed tragic Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung to display the full range of his impressive acting skills. He plays the doomed and damaged Zhongliang with disturbing intensity, from the dashing gigolo who is so full of hate that he won’t allow himself to feel any emotions to the tortured young man who, when he finally does fall in love, is forced to confront his inner demons and is destroyed by it. He shines even in the smallest scenes, for example when he slouches at a dancehall table and tries to seduce a young girl into dancing with him but abandons the idea when he realises that she is crying. Without saying a single word he conveys a wealth of conflicting emotions that many other actors wouldn’t be able to communicate if they had so many lines of dialogue to help them along. It is a pity that even today many people still seem to be unable to see past his 'pretty face' and realise what an exceptional actor he was underneath. As for the other lead actors, the great Gong Li is excellent as always in her poetic portrayal of the innocent but spirited Ruyi who tries to find her way in a hostile and oppressive environment and Kevin Lin gives an outstanding performance as the naïve Duanwu who, through betrayal and humiliation, turns from loyal and devoted servant into a devious brute.