Chungking Express is the film that introduced me to the work and world of director Wong Kar-Wai and since then I am a devoted fan to his films. Chungking Express tells two different stories, having Honk Kong as background, which are just slightly connected by the location where the characters mingle, the Chungking Express cafe (therefore the name of the film) and also because both stories follow broken-heart cops. In fact, I think that is one of the messages of this film: that everyone is connected somehow. The cast of well known Chinese actors, like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (In the Mood for love, Hero, "Lust, Caution"), is ...  Read the complete review

The mid-1990s were an incredibly important time for independent and foreign cinema in the US, thanks primarily to the Weinstein Brothers creating their "art house" label Miramax. With the likes of Clerks, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Chungking Express, the independent film began to gain a large following by the late 90s. Chungking Express is directed by Wong Kar-wai, a director now famous for his tender, visually stunning character pieces, frequently utilising narrative collage and juxtaposition to draw out stark differences between characters and situations. The film tells two stories told in sequence, each about a Hong Kong cop and his ...  Read the complete review

I love discovering films which surprise and captivate me, and ChungKing Express is one of those films. It surprised me because Wong Kar Wai's direction is skillful with a unique style, and it captivated me because of its charming story. The film is split into two parts, the first half, set in the Chungking mansions, follows Cop 223, as he falls in love with a mysterious woman, and frets over his past relationship. The second, and in my opin ion the better half, is the story of cop 663 and a girl who works at the Midnight Express takeaway. He, upset with the collapse of his last relationship, fails to notice her interest. The actions she takes to make ...  Read the complete review

Wong Kai-Wai is a far cry from the more commercial Japanese directors, for example John Woo and probably more akin to Nouvelle Vague directors such as Godard. Chung King Express shows this perfectly because it is clear that Wai is a lot more interested in the way you tell a story than the story itself. Chunking Express is a film that is divided into two smaller, but thematically similar plots. The first follows police officer He Qiwu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who has just split with his girlfriend May. He decides that he will buy 30 tins of pineapple that expire in May and if she hasn’t returned to him by the time he has brought the pineapple their love will have ...  Read the complete review

For those new to the world of Wong Kai War his films are some of the most stylized and experimental showing at the cinemas at the moment. Slow motion, strange colours, disturbing visual effects and elliptical narratives are a standard part of the mix. If only he spent as long worrying about the plot as he does the look of his films they'd be great. Chungking Express looks fantastic the repeated use of California Dreaming and some of the lines are absolutely inspired. The only problem is that the film starts well and never really goes anywhere. Two cops fall in love - wander about being love sick the end. ...  Read the complete review