A charming and thoughtful view on modern romance, Chungking Express follows the love lives of two different cops in Hong Kong. The first story finds cop #223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) bemoaning the loss of his girlfriend. Desperate, he goes to a bar and ends up spending the night with a mysterious murderess (Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia). In the second half, cop #663 (Tony Leung Chi-Wai) receives a "Dear John" letter from his lover. Brokenhearted, he chats daily with a girl (Faye Wang) who works in a fast-food restaurant. But he doesn't know she's been sneaking into his apartment every day and redecorating. Ultimately, the plot has little to do with the success of writer/director Wong Kar-Wai's film; his characters are chockfull of endearing quirks. Cop #223 buys only cans of pineapple with the expiration date of May 1, and cop #663 has long conversations with soap, hand towels, and stuffed animals. Both sweet and intelligent--a rare combination in romantic comedies. (L. Russo)
Chungking Express
(Miramax, 104 min., R, avail. Jan. 21) Vol. 12, Issue 1
Chungking Express
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: