Last updated on 28-Sep-02

Distributed by:

Rolling Thunder Pictures

Runtime: 102 minutes

Language: Cantonese, Mandarin

Subtitles: English

 

 

 

 

Chungking Express is directed by Wong Kar-Wai, and stars Tony Leung, Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Faye Wong. The movie comprises of two love stories. The first story deals with an undercover officer played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, who has broken up with his long-time girlfriend. His way of dealing with this? Each day he would purchase a can of pinepples with an expiration date of May 1 for an entire month. If his girlfriend does not return by that date, then just as the can of pineapples, he will accept the fact that his love has expired and move on with his life. To complicate things, Kaneshiro meets up with a mysterious blonde woman, played by Brigitte Lin, who has her own secrets. The second half of the story is my favorite. It stars Tony Leung as another police officer who is also dealing with his breakup with his girlfriend. His way of coping? Talking to his apartment furnishings and thinking back about the failed romances he had with his ex. That is until he meets up with Faye, played by Asia's favorite pop-singer Faye Wong.

So why do I like this movie? Well it's a Wong Kar-Wai film for crying out loud! He directed "Ashes of Time" and the more recent, "In the Mood for Love." Coincidently, both movies star actor Tony Leung who in my opinion is currently one of the greatest actors in Asia. He has an array of films under his belt and among my favorites are "Hard Boiled" and "Love Me, Love my Money;" one is a hard-core action movie, the other a romantic comedy. Playing opposite of Leung is Faye Wong who also starred together in the recent "Chinese Odyssey 2002." An interesting note is that these two actors are currently making another film together with director Wong Kar-Wai. The unofficial title of the movie is called "2046," releasing sometime next year (2003). Including the two that I've mentioned, it stars a mega-star cast of Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, and Carina Lau.

Now back to Faye Wong. Faye is currently Asia's top singer who's only western counterpart in terms of both talent and popularity is Madonna. The media just adores her. I adore her! I'm just mad that I never got the chance to see her in a live concert! If you're curious about her work, she sang the title song for the hit video game "Final Fantasy 7" and she also sang the Cranberries remake "Dreams" in this movie. "Chungking Express" is Faye's acting debut and I think that she did a wonderful job.

I'm not going to say much about Takeshi Kaneshiro. I've seen him around in many movies, and the only thing that I have to say about him is that he wasn't really that good in any of them. Girls dig him for some reason. His father is Japanese and his mother is Taiwanese. He speaks Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Most recently he was the spokesmodel for the Capcom video game Onimusha:Warlords.

Finally Brigitte Lin. She made over a hundred films in her career, but this film is to be her last. She's most known for her martial art movies which she usually portrays as a man. A few of her more famous movies are "Bride with a White Hair" and "Dragon Inn."

Summary: Really great movie. One of the few that I recommend buying.

 

 

Overall Score: A