Chungking Express (1994)

Two melancholy Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.

Director:

Kar-Wai Wong

Writer:

Kar-Wai Wong

Stars:

Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung

10 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brigitte Lin	...	Woman in Blonde Wig (as Ching-hsia Lin)
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung	...	Cop 663 (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
Faye Wong	...	Faye
Takeshi Kaneshiro	...	He Zhiwu, Cop 223
Valerie Chow	...	Air Hostess
Jinquan Chen	...	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:

hong kong | daydream | spoken inner thoughts | drug smuggling | expiration 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:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Veteran actress Brigitte Lin came out of retirement to have a starring role in the film as the drug smuggler in a blonde wig. She was very eager to work with Kar-Wai Wong.

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Goofs

In the part where Faye leaves the apartment and the camera shows her going out, a portion of the camera is seen in the mirror for a brief moment.

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Quotes

Cop663: Would you let a person on board with a boarding pass like this? It's dated today, but it got blurred in the rain. I don't know where it's taking me. Do you?
Faye: No idea, but I'll give you another.
Cop663: Great.
Faye: Where do you want to go?
Cop663: Wherever you want to take me.

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Alternate Versions

The original Hong Kong release ran 98 minutes. 'Kar Wai Wong' made several changes to the international version, bringing the running time to 102 minutes:

• The international version expands the scenes where The Blonde prepares for the smuggling trip and later searches for the smugglers.
• Indian music plays during the smugglers' arrival at the airport in international prints; in the Hong Kong version, the title theme plays.
• The international version includes the kidnapping of an Indian girl, which does not occur in the Hong Kong version.
• The sequence with Zhiwu loitering outside his girlfriend's window appears earlier in international edit.
• In the Hong Kong version, the Faye Wong cover of "Dreams" plays over the shot of 663 drinking coffee. The international version strips out the music (leaving only ambient noise), although "Dreams" still appears at the end of the film. The international cut is Wong's preferred version and has been used for most home video releases. The Hong Kong cut was released on VHS/laserdisc by World Video and on VHS/LD/DVD by Mei Ah.

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Connections

Featured in The Truth About Jane and Sam (1999)

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Soundtracks

Know Oneself and Each Other
Written by the Cocteau Twins
Performed by Faye Wong
(cover of "Bluebeard" by the Cocteau Twins)

User Reviews

ChingkingnExpreess Review

Randomly found this at a Barnes and Noble for only $30 with the online price going for close to $60 so I figured I should get it. I've always like Wong Kar Wai and his movies. Very indie, very 90's and very good.

Chungking Express follows the lives of 2 police officers in Hong Kong and see their love lives. The first is love sick over an ex-girlfriend of his, and eats more diced pineapple than Rick Ross. He meets a blond headed woman at the bar he goes to and hits on her. She leads some kind of Indian drug ring. Midway through its switches viewpoint to another police officer who's in love with a waitress at a local food stand who listens to the song California Dreamin' constantly.

This movie is well made and well structured. The acting is great and believable. The soundtrack doesn't distract from the movie. My problem with the movie is the lack of progress and the loose ends of the 1st story.

Overall me memorable movie from Wong Kar Wai, and one of the best foreign movies of the last 20 years

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English Japanese Hindi Mandarin Punjabi Urdu

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chungking Express

Filming Locations:

Chungking Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,779, 10 March 1996

Gross USA:

$600,200

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,149,542

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jet Tone Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1