California Dreaming (Chungking Express (DVD))

Member Name: mmintfresh

Product:	Chungking Express (DVD)
Date:	13/06/03 (638 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Direction

Disadvantages: Not for all

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 expired. Meanwhile an unnamed female (Brigitte Lin) is preparing a group of Indians to help her smuggle drugs. She is errantly wearing sunglasses and a raincoat and wears a blonde wig. All is going fine until the Indians run of with the money and drugs. Meanwhile He Qiwu is in a bar trying to drown his sorrows and vows that he will fall in love with the next woman who walks in, who just happens to be the drug smuggler.
The second story again follows a policeman, this time Cop 663 (Tony Leung). The connection between the two is that they both eat at the Midnight Express, a fast food restaurant. 663 is also unlucky in love and hopelessly obsessed with his ex, a flight attendant. He fails to notice, however that the new employee at the Express, Faye (Faye Wong) is in love with him and secretly sneaking into his house whilst he is at work to tidy and decorate it.
Chungking Express is definitely not a film for the casual watcher. It demands attention and a second viewing. The first time I watched it I got totally confused because Wai does not make it clear when the second story starts. On the first viewing however I did appreciate that Chungking Express is a beautiful film and much more than your average popcorn movie (which is always nice to see). Upon the second film, however I realised that Chu
ngking Express is an important example of contemporary Japanese cinema and should not be missed by film fans.
The first thing to mention is the unusual narrative. Wai features two completely separate stories and the only link between them is the ideas and themes, like not being able to let go, love and also the idea of living in such a big and frantic city and connecting with thousands of people everyday but still being alone. The first story is a lot more kinetic than the first, both in cinematography and in story. The second story moves a lot more slowly and not a lot really happens but both parts are beautifully shot and the film will leave you feeling good and with the song California Dreaming in your head. Another little clever trick that Wai employees in the first story, and is a reason you should watch it again is his subtle nods to the second story.
The direction is one of the best things about this film. The cinematography is beautiful there are some beautifully constructed shots and wonderful camera movements. The camera also sometimes captures the atmosphere of the scene perfectly, for example when Faye is walking around 663’s house to the song California Dreaming there is some beautiful handheld shots that capture the moment perfectly. The colour used in this film is also breathtaking. The first story is often located in the dank and dirty back streets of Hong Kong and the second story is mostly set in the day either at the restaurant or in 663’s apartment.
The characters are all very odd and have funny little quirks. The smuggler in the first film wears the same outfit all the time and He Qiwu buys pineapple, Faye is obsessed with California Dreaming and 663 talks to his house. The acting also nicely backs this up most memorable are Lin’s and Wong’s performances. Lin makes her character both strong but vulnerable, whereas Wong creates a character that you have to love and fills the audience with energy and good fe
elings.
Overall I would highly recommend Chungking Express to fans of foreign and indie films but those who stay in Hollywood may not like this film.

Summary: