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Nan guo zai jian, nan guo

  • 19961996
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
  • Crime
  • Drama
A glimpse at the lives of two petty criminals in Taipei.A glimpse at the lives of two petty criminals in Taipei.A glimpse at the lives of two petty criminals in Taipei.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Hsiao-Hsien Hou
  • Writers
    • T'ien-wen Chu
    • Jack Kao(story)
    • Jieh-Wen King(story)
  • Stars
    • Jieh-Wen King
    • Kuei-Ying Hsu
    • Annie Shizuka Inoh
Top credits
  • Director
    • Hsiao-Hsien Hou
  • Writers
    • T'ien-wen Chu
    • Jack Kao(story)
    • Jieh-Wen King(story)
  • Stars
    • Jieh-Wen King
    • Kuei-Ying Hsu
    • Annie Shizuka Inoh
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Photos8

    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Giong Lim in Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)
    Nan guo zai jian, nan guo (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jieh-Wen King
    Jieh-Wen King
    • Hsias Hsi
    • (as Hsiang Hsi)
    Kuei-Ying Hsu
    Kuei-Ying Hsu
    • Yingas Ying
    Annie Shizuka Inoh
    Annie Shizuka Inoh
    • Pretzelas Pretzel
    Jack Kao
    Jack Kao
    • Kaoas Kao
    Ming Kao
    Ming Kao
    • Mingas Ming
    Wu Lei
    • Kao's Fatheras Kao's Father
    Pi-tung Lien
    • Tungas Tung
    Giong Lim
    Giong Lim
    • Flattyas Flatty
    Vicky Wei
    Vicky Wei
    • Huias Hui
    Shih-huang Chen
    • Flatty's uncleas Flatty's uncle
    Kuei Li
    Ming Lei
    • Director
      • Hsiao-Hsien Hou
    • Writers
      • T'ien-wen Chu
      • Jack Kao(story)
      • Jieh-Wen King(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Considered by Cahiers du Cinéma to be one of the three best films of the 1990's, alongside The Bridges of Madison County and Carlito's Way.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Wschód (2008)

    User reviews8

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    How to watch this film? Don't fall asleep at the wheel.
    Those about to watch this modern masterpiece, be advised: you're going down a road of unexpected darkness and terror, cloaked in what appears to be the banal trappings of ordinary existence. But through the lens of Hou's camera, this is anything but ordinary.

    To see this, one has to rid oneself of conventional thinking of what it means for a movie to "take" you somewhere. So when a critic whines, "I'm dying for a change of scenery!", it's obvious that they've too accustomed to standard-issue Hollywood storytelling to appreciate something entirely different and new: the mysterious, inexplicable rhythms of REAL LIFE. A life that alternates between static, stagnant waiting for things to happen, and sudden moments of motion and . The first shot explains so much of this: people who are moving and standing still at the same time -- who pass through light and darkness with the same impassive, zonked out expression, waiting for SOMETHING to happen while letting their favorite punk tune release their pent up energy, ambitions and frustrations.

    So much of this film is like listening to a good song -- just allowing yourself to be bathed in sensation, to delight in little things that you notice but add so much to the overall experience. You simply can't demand standard point A to point B plot points on a movie that is interested in something entirely different. Because LIFE DOES NOT HAVE PLOT POINTS. What it does have are a multitude of wonders, in gestures, colors, and moments of surprising joy and terror. And what does it all lead to? Who knows. That's why it's life. So when someone says "Why watch a film if there's not a single worthwhile aspect to offer?" he's obviously dissassociated the experience of movies from the experience of real life.

    As I've re-watched and reflected on this film, I find it to be one of the essential statements on what it's like to live in the fast lane of modern-day, globalized civilization. This film may resemble American small-time gangster flicks (most notably MEAN STREETS and GOODFELLAS) but compared to this movie those movies, as great as they are, seem simple-minded in their narrative structure and explicated themes. This film gives you the feeling of what it FEELS like to be in the shoes of these sorry saps, with all their petty ambitions and fears that end up meaning quite a lot by the time we get to that terrifying last shot, where a big nothing moment amounts to everything.
    helpful•17
    8
    • alsolikelife
    • Apr 3, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 12, 1997 (Japan)
    • Countries of origin
      • Taiwan
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • Hokkien
    • Also known as
      • Goodbye, South, Goodbye
    • Production companies
      • 3H Films
      • Shochiku
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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