movies

Chungking Express CLASSIC

In 1990s Hong Kong, two heartbroken policemen wander through the concrete jungle of the densely populated Tsim Sha Tsui district. The food at the Midnight Express stall connects the two separate stories in this stylised masterpiece by director Wong Kar-wai.

He Qiwu, Cop 223, is dumped by his girlfriend May on April Fool’s Day. He gives himself a month to get over her. Every day he eats a can of pineapples with an expiration date of 1 May. He promises himself that if he hasn’t heard from her by 1 May, then their love will also expire. He frequents a food stall in the claustrophobic working-class district where the owner gives him unsolicited advice on his love life.

Cop 663 is a regular at the same food stall. His story begins when the owner advises him to buy something different for his girlfriend than his usual Chef’s Salad. Bad advice: a week later, Cop 663’s girlfriend has left him to try ‘something new’. Consumed by grief, he doesn’t see that the food stall waitress has fallen for him.

Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece Chunking Express won critical acclaim around the world. With highly stylised shots and a distinct visual style, he created a dream world in which the policemen’s heartache is almost palpable.

The US distributor added a rather bombastic voiceover to the trailer below. It doesn’t fit the film, but it was the best trailer available online…