Wong Kar Wai’s film about loneliness is, to simply put it, pure genius. It is one of those rare films where you can’t pin point why you love it so much but you just do.

The film is broken into two parts. Two separate stories about two different cops, who each seem to fall for a woman that is very different from them after splitting up from there long time girlfriends. The first cop, number 223 played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, falls for drug dealer Brigitte Lin who is on the search for a group of immigrants that are carrying her drugs. He meets her in a bar after he promises himself that he’ll fall in love with the next woman that walks in. While the second cop, number 663 played by Tony Leung, eventually falls for a shy girl that works in his local fast food stand, who acquires his house keys when his ex returns them and redecorates his house little by little when he is at work. But the cop is too depressed about his girlfriend leaving him that he doesn’t even notice.

The Brilliant Brigitte Lin In Chunking Express

What stands out in Chunking Express is the music. Just try and count how many times “California Dreaming” by The Momma's And the Poppa's is used in Faye Wong’s scenes. You will never hear the song in the same way again after seeing this movie, because Faye Wong with be dancing around in your head. Tony Leung (Bullet in the Head) is outstanding as the depressed cop who enjoys conversations with his household items to try and dilute his loneliness. Like when he picks up a bar of soap and says “don’t let your self go” as he thinks it is getting fat but it’s just that Faye has replaced it for him and he doesn’t realise.

But the best performance of the movie goes to Faye Wong as the girl with a secret crush on Leung. There is something that grabs you every time she is on screen, a true screen charisma that is sure to take her far. She gives off an aura of pure innocence that is sure to make you root for her character and make you a fan of her. Wong Kar Wai’s directing and Christopher Doyle’s cinematography is beyond breath taking, as they combine breath-taking visuals with the hustle and bustle of every day Hong Kong life. Most notably in a short scene where Leung stands outside of the fast food stand drinking coffee in slow motion and it looks like everyone else is passing by him that much faster as if they are showing that he is oblivious to anything else but his depression.

The inspiring Faye Wong in Chunking Express

There is not a single bad thing that I can say about this masterpiece. It stands as one of my favourite films ever made. It is a truly inspiring piece of cinema that reminds me every time I watch it that Hong Kong cinema is undoubtedly some of the best in the world and can beat mainstream American garbage any day of the week. Although in every review you read of Chunking Express it will say the same thing, that a plot summary does the film no justice. So if you have any interest in movies whatsoever then you should see Chunking Express as soon as possible.

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