I almost can’t be objective about this film. Wong Kar-Wai is one of my top five favorite directors. Tony Leung is probably my favorite actor working today. Takeshi Kaneshiro is just darned pretty. But, screw it. Who wants objectivity in the first place? So I will say this: the only reason Chungking Express isn’t one of my top five (or even ten) films is because WKW followed it with Happy Together and In the Mood for Love. Also, Chungking Express itself is probably best viewed as a double feature with Fallen Angels, the third linked story.
As it is, Chungking Express is a film in two halves, two linked love stories. Kaneshiro’s cop is trying to stop time, one month after his girlfriend broke up with him. Faye Wong is cleaning up Leung’s life and her own, waiting until they’re ready for each other. It’s all set among bright lights and rain and the bustle of the city, impressionistic & quirky in the best of ways.
A beautiful, funny, romantic movie. Thank you, Metro Classics, for showing it.
wicked jaws 