Chungking Express
| Chungking Express | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Traditional | 重慶森林 |
| Simplified | 重庆森林 |
| Mandarin | Chóngqìng sēnlín |
| Cantonese | Cung4 Hing3 Sam1 Lam4 |
| Literally | Chungking Forest |
| Directed by | Wong Kar-wai |
| Produced by | Chan Yi-kan |
| Written by | Wong Kar-wai |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Frankie Chan Roel. A Garcia |
| Cinematography |
Christopher Doyle Lau Wai-Keung (Andrew Lau) |
| Edited by |
William Chang Kai Kit-wai Kwong Chi-Leung |
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Production
company |
Jet Tone Production
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| Distributed by |
Ocean Shores Video (HK) Miramax Films Rolling Thunder Pictures (US) |
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Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language |
Cantonese Mandarin English Japanese Hindi |
| Box office | $600,200 (US) HK$7,678,549 (HK) |
| Chungking Express | |
|---|---|
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Film score by Frankie Chan & Roel A. Garcia |
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| Released | 8 March 1996 |
| Genre | Film score |
| Label | Block 2 Music Limited |
Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman. The first story stars Takeshi Kaneshiro as a cop who is obsessed with the break-up of his relationship with a woman named May and his platonic encounter with a mysterious drug smuggler (Brigitte Lin). The second stars Tony Leung as a police officer who is roused from his gloom over the loss of his flight attendant girlfriend (Valerie Chow) by the attentions of a quirky snack bar worker (Faye Wong). The film depicts a paradox in that even though the characters live in densely packed Hong Kong, they are mostly lonely and live in their own inner worlds.
The Chinese title translates to "Chungking Forest/Jungle", referring to the metaphoric concrete jungle of the city, as well as to Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui, where much of the first part of the movie is set. The English title refers to Chungking Mansions and the Midnight Express food stall where Faye works.
The film comprises two different stories, told one after the other, each about a romance involving a policeman. Except for a brief moment when the first story ends and the second begins, the two stories do not interconnect. However, the three main characters from the second story each momentarily appear during the first.
The first story concerns Taiwan-born cop He Qiwu, also known as Cop 223. Qiwu's girlfriend May broke up with him on 1 April (April Fool's Day). His birthday is 1 May and he chooses to wait for May for a month before moving on. Every day he buys a tin of pineapple with an expiration date of 1 May. By the end of this time, he feels that he will either be rejoined with his love or that it will have expired forever. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman in a blonde wig (played by Brigitte Lin) tries to survive in the drug underworld after a smuggling operation goes sour.
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Wikipedia