Chung Hing sam lam (1994)

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:

Pineapple | Flight Attendant | Hong Kong | Caught In The Act | Promise

Awards:

8 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lynne Langdon	...	Complaining customer (uncredited)

Directed by
Kar Wai Wong

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kar Wai Wong		writer

Produced by
Pui-wah Chan	....	executive producer
Yi-kan Chan	....	producer

Original Music by
Frankie Chan		(as Fan-Kei Chan)
Michael Galasso
Roel A. García

Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle
Wai-keung Lau

Film Editing by
William Chang
Kit-Wai Kai
Chi-Leung Kwong

Production Design by
William Chang

Art Direction by
Weiming Qiu

Costume Design by
William Chang

Makeup Department
Lee-na Kwan	....	makeup artist (as Guan Lina)
Zhenglin Li	....	hair stylist
Yuhao Wu	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jacky Pang Yee Wah	....	production supervisor (as Jacky Pang)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Johnnie Kong	....	first assistant director
Zeng Shaoting	....	assistant director

Special Effects by
Deng Weijue	....	special effects
Ding Yunda	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Xiaolong Cheng	....	visual effects

Music Department
Noor Jehan	....	playback singer (as Nurjehan)

Other crew
Keung Chan	....	script continuity
Ji-ling Ng	....	caterer
Yuen-Tai Ting	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Jet Tone Production

Distributors

• ARP Sélection (1995) (France) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (1996) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• JMM Invest (1996) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1996) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Rolling Thunder (1996) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Artificial Eye (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Homescreen (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)

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:

This film was shot, edited and released while Kar Wai Wong was on hiatus from the shooting of his epic Dung che sai duk (1994).

Quotes:

[223 leaves the store]
He Zhiwu, Cop 223: Somehow everything comes with an expiry date. Swordfish expires. Meat sauce expires. Even cling-film expires. Is there anything in the world which doesn't?
[223 gives a can of pineapple to a passing street person. The street person looks at the can and throws it on the ground]
Street person: It's expired. Don't want it.
He Zhiwu, Cop 223: You sure?

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Things In Life

Just beautiful.

Awesome. Amazing film; the second half of which far outweighs the first. Beautiful. Wong Kar Wai's film fills you with the kind of warmth that only Amelie can bestow. Fast-paced but with incredible cinematography and soundtrack. Well worth checking out; if only to say you've seen one of Quentin Tarrantino's favourite films. It's this type of film that puts others to shame. This is how a film should be; exhilarating, exciting and beautiful to-boot. The stories are told with such depth that you can't help but pick out new things every time you view it. A film like this is one that never gets boring; no matter how many times you've seen it. (I'm on my 8th)