Chungking Express (1994)
"Chung Hing sam lam" (original title)

Wong Kar-Wai's movie about two love-struck cops is filmed in impressionistic splashes of motion and color. The first half deals with Cop 223, who has broken up with his girlfriend of five ... See full summary »

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar Wai Wong

Stars:

Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Faye Wong

9 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Wong Kar-Wai's movie about two love-struck cops is filmed in impressionistic splashes of motion and color. The first half deals with Cop 223, who has broken up with his girlfriend of five years. He purchases a tin of pineapples with an expiration date of May 1 each day for a month. By the end of that time, he feels that he will either be rejoined with his love or that it too will have expired forever. The second half shows Cop 663 dealing with his breakup with his flight attendant girlfriend. He talks to his apartment furnishings until he meets a new girl at a local lunch counter.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | hong kong | love | expiration date | date | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English Japanese Hindi Mandarin

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chungking Express

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Gross:

SGD 167,000 (Singapore)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jet Tone Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 102 min (international)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was shot, edited and released while Kar Wai Wong was on hiatus from the shooting of his epic Ashes of Time.

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Goofs

The woman in the blonde wig had no apparent opportunity to get the beeper number except from Cop 223 himself the night before, and he wouldn't have started to abandon his beeper as useless if he had just given someone new the number.

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Quotes

Cop663: I thought we'd stay together for the long haul, flying like a jumbo jet on a full tank. But we changed course.

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Connections

Referenced in He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Baroque"
by Michael Galasso

User Reviews

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)