I'm a loudmouth about my own opinions if I have a strong one. In this case... not so sure. Speaking very generally I'd say I prefer international posters to American ones. They take more chances and they are less beholden to the "sell the star!" mandate --either that or I'm just not as inured to their dominant clichés. Both posters feel less satisfying than hoped for what must be seen as one of the Fall's most promising features.
They use similar diagonal lines but aside from that they differ quite heavily. The Asian poster definitely casts Tony Leung as the protagonist. Even though he's backgrounded, the obscuring of Tang Wei's face and the emphasis on her body pushes her into the "lust" portion of the title and reads like a typical example of cinema's male gaze.
...so you're in Tony's shoes there. He's your proxy. You're lusting for Wei together. Unfortunately the general composition makes me think of the Basic Instinct 2 poster. That's not a pleasant field of vision for the mind's eye to have strolled into while its guard was down. Look away! Look away!I like the stylized more postery feel of the American version better except for that it feels so hesistant. There might be lust and/or caution between the man and woman but it's not coming through. They could just as easily be casual acquaintances in an elevator with unusually moody lighting. Or maybe they're business rivals/partners waiting to enter a boardroom for a big presentation. Whatever they are, an arm crossing the body doesn't invite the onlooker like, say, a womanly silhouette leaning backwards.
Do you know what either of these posters are selling? Are you buying?
