Coming soon to an arthouse theater near you... in the year 1994.
I've watched Chungking Express three times since it was released on Blu Ray by the Criterion Collection. It's a movie that is clearly better in its first segment, as Brigitte Lin steals the show as the woman in a blonde wig, a mysterious drug smuggling femme fatale who comes to the attention of love forlorn cop, He Zhiwu, played by Takeshi Kaneshiro.
What really makes the film stand out, however, is Kar Wai's vision of Hong Kong. Immediately recognizable to the western viewer- with its city populated by bars, convenience stores, fast food chains and kiosks. The characters themselves really come to life in this setting, making their longing that much more immediate and believable.
In Chungking Express, even the women have a western look to them.
My favorite scene in the film is the non-love scene between the Woman in a Blonde Wig and He Zhiwu. On the eve of He's 25th birthday, he meets the Blonde Wigged Woman at a bar. He approaches her with one of film's great pickup lines, "Do you like pineapple?"
In the world Kar Wai creates here, time is both finite and limitless. While He's love for May has an expiration date, he romanticizes about a love that lasts forever. The Blonde Wigged Woman is walking a tightrope, trying to find runaway drug mules. For her time is ticking down, and she must negotiate the labyrinthine corridors of Hong Kong in a cat and mouse game pulled straight out of high-noir.
The second half of the film features another cop, a nameless character known only by his badge number #663. played by the handsome, Tony Leung, and a quirky free-spirited girl, played by Faye Wong, who is saving her money to fly to California. This section of the film is punctuated by the Mamas and the Papas' song "California Dreaming".
Chungking Express is a Generation X love story, that is, specifically, a non-love story. Kar Wai offers no assurances as to the outcomes for any of these characters, but does offer, for a brief moment, a sense of belonging and honest to goodness living life out loud. This is the best kind of feeling to get from a movie and I can't wait to go back.
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