The Chungking Express
Director: Kar-wai Wong

Starring:

Brigitte Lin – Woman in blonde wig Tony Leung Chiu Wai – Cop 663 Faye Wong - Faye Takeshi Kaneshiro – He Zhiwu, Cop 223

Valerie Chow – Air Hostess Chen Jinguan – Manager of ‘Midnight Express’ Guan Lina – Richard

Chungking Express tells two stories loosely connected by a Hong Kong snack bar. In one story, a cop who's been recently dumped by his girlfriend becomes obsessed with the expiration dates on cans of pineapple; he's constantly distracted as he tries to track down a drug dealer in a blond wig (played by Brigitte Lin, best known from Swordsman II and The Bride with White Hair). Meanwhile, another cop who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, from John Woo's Hard-Boiled and A Bullet in the Head) mopes around his apartment, talking to his sponge and other domestic objects. He catches the eye of a shop girl (Hong Kong pop star Faye Wang) who secretly breaks in and cleans his apartment. If you're beginning to suspect that neither of these stories has a conventional plot, you're correct. What Chungking Express does have is loads of energy and a gorgeous visual style that never gets in the way of engaging with the charming characters.

The movie was shot on the fly by hip director Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Ashes of Time), using only available lighting and found locations. The movie's loose, improvisational feel is closer to Jean-Luc Godard's A bout de souffle (Breathless) than any recent film--and that's high praise. Quirky, funny, and extremely engaging, Chungking Express manages to be experimental and completely accessible at the same time.

Awards:

1995 Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Film 1995 Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Director (Wong Kar-Wai) 1995 Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Editing (William Chang Suk Ping)