Chungking Express (1994)

Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung
Runtime: 102 minutes

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

Performances: 9/10

Screenplay: 7/10

Editing: 8/10

Cinematography: 9/10

Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Enjoyment Factor: 6/10

Verdict: With a sequel being greenlit just a few days ago and a personal willingness to get more into Wong Kar-Wai's work, I found the timing to be ideal to seek out one of the most notable entries in his rich filmography: "Chungking Express".

Set in Hong Kong, we follow two policemen linked only by the themes of lost love and loneliness. The first half of the film is dedicated to Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) as he contemplates if, like nearly everything else, relationships come with an expiration date, while the second half switches to Cop 663's story in which a letter left by his ex-girlfriend at a snack store piques the interest of one of its employees in him. Each storyline can very much be viewed on its own, both from a narrative and stylistic point of view as Wong Kar-Wai even employed different cinematographers to shoot each half, and this is mainly the reason why I appreciated it more than I actually was invested in it.

A recurrent issue I find in such movies is that the quality of the storylines presented is rarely consistent. I tend to take pleasure in the viewing of one more than the other(s), and that was the case here. It's important to highlight that I didn't dislike any part of the movie but probably would've enjoyed them better had they been given each a movie of their own. As it stands, I was much more invested in the presentation of the first story depicted and was disappointed to see it end abruptly to be replaced by one I didn't find as interesting. I sympathized with the characters more, the use of red and blue was striking and appropriate to set the mood, there were bold stylistic choices that truly elevated the busy atmosphere, and the themes were more apparent and better developed. The second story, while still interesting and dominated by the colors white and yellow (as well as the song California Dreamin', which I hate), felt a bit more empty than its predecessor. The fact that it's impossible not to compare it to its predecessor also didn't help.

But one thing "Chungking Express" reignited in me is my interest in Wong Kar-Wai's filmography. With his most popular films out of the way, I'm now ready to dive into his other work. I'm eager to familiarize myself with a filmmaker whose projects I truly find fascinating, and I'll impatiently be waiting for whatever else he has in store for the future.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10