Chung Hing sam lam (1994)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar Wai Wong (writer)

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

If my memory of her has an expiration date, let it be 10,000 years...

Plot:

Wong Kar-Wai's movie about two love-struck cops is filmed in impressionistic splashes of motion and color...

Plot Keywords:

Flight Attendant | Hong Kong | Pineapple | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | Whisky

Awards:

7 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Brigitte Lin	...	Woman in blonde wig (as Ching-hsia Lin)
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Cop 663
Faye Wong	...	Faye
Takeshi Kaneshiro	...	He Zhiwu, Cop 223
Valerie Chow	...	Air Hostess
Chen Jinquan	...	Manager of 'Midnight Express'
Lee-na Kwan	...	Richard (as Guan Lina)
Zhiming Huang	...	Man
Liang Zhen	...	The 2nd May
Songshen Zuo	...	Man

Also Known As:

Chungking Express (UK) (USA)
Chongqing senlin (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Chung King Express (Hong Kong: English title)
Chungking Jungle (literal English title)
Hong Kong Express (Europe: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

Hong Kong:98 min | 102 min (international version)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English | Japanese | Hindi | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (re-release) | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Jet Tone Production

Trivia:

Wong Kar-Wai modeled Brigitte Lin's character after Gena Rowlands in John Cassavetes's "Gloria", and actress Greta Garbo.

Quotes:

Cop663: [to new bar of soap] You mustn't let yourself go. You've gained weight so fast. She may have gone but life goes on. You must stop indulging yourself.
Cop663: [to new towel] You're a real disappointment to me. You've changed so much. You can't just switch personality like this. Her walking out is no excuse.
Cop663: [as it drips] It was such a relief when I saw it crying. It may look different, but it's still true to itself. It's still an emotionally charged towel.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

California Dreamin'

More than meets the eye in unusual tale of two HK cops

Wong Kar Wai triumphs stylistically in Chungking Express, a beautiful movie that places two fingers right on the throbbing pulse of what it means to be lovesick. Some viewers will not appreciate the director's decision to fracture the narrative into two distinct stories, but multiple viewings should cure any doubts. Hypnotic editing and camerawork capture a mood and tone that is equal parts Blade Runner and Breathless, and the principal performers are all delightful to watch. Memorable use of music additionally adds to the film's strength, along with a number of unique vignettes and quirks of character (think expired canned pineapple, a toy airplane and new additions to a fish tank, for example) that take unsuspecting audiences by surprise.