Oddly enough it is not before 2013 that I got around to watching "Chungking Express", despite being a huge fan of Hong Kong cinema and having lived and worked in Hong Kong as well. The reason for this? Well, I just never got around to it, despite having heard all the good things about this movie.
And now that I have seen it, I must say that this movie really wasn't one that stood out that much in my opinion. The movie just didn't leave that much of a lasting impression on me. Sure there were some really great scenes and some good ideas put to the screen, but overall the two stories told here were not just exceptional. The first story with the drug trafficking ring came off as too hastily put together, because there weren't any satisfactory ending to it, in my opinion. Whereas the second story with the police officer and the waitress turned out to be much more appealing for me, as it was funnier and had a more coherent red thread throughout its course.
"Chungking Express" is not the type of Hong Kong movie that will appeal just to anyone, it certainly didn't sit all that well with me, and I must admit that I have seen many more movies from Hong Kong that far outshines this one.
I am not saying that "Chungking Express" is a bad movie, far from it. It is just different - story-wise, that is.
As for the cinematography, well then they really did a good job here. The camera-work and the angles of the shots were just superb, and there was a very dynamic feel to the scenes in both the stories.
Which leaves me to comment on the acting. As a fan of Tony Leung, I must admit that the appeal to the second story had a big part of him being in it, as he always do great jobs with the movies he is in. But also noteworthy here was Faye Wong - also in the second story. Personally, I have never understood the hype about Brigette Lin, but hey, a matter a personal preference, I suppose. It was a bit strange to see Takeshi Kaneshiro in this movie, but he did a good job with his given character.
To me, "Chungking Express" was a fairly mediocre movie, though it did impress on the visual side, but it doesn't really stand out for me in an otherwise overwhelming market of Hong Kong movies out there. Hence I am giving it a 5/10 rating only.
And now that I have seen it, I must say that this movie really wasn't one that stood out that much in my opinion. The movie just didn't leave that much of a lasting impression on me. Sure there were some really great scenes and some good ideas put to the screen, but overall the two stories told here were not just exceptional. The first story with the drug trafficking ring came off as too hastily put together, because there weren't any satisfactory ending to it, in my opinion. Whereas the second story with the police officer and the waitress turned out to be much more appealing for me, as it was funnier and had a more coherent red thread throughout its course.
"Chungking Express" is not the type of Hong Kong movie that will appeal just to anyone, it certainly didn't sit all that well with me, and I must admit that I have seen many more movies from Hong Kong that far outshines this one.
I am not saying that "Chungking Express" is a bad movie, far from it. It is just different - story-wise, that is.
As for the cinematography, well then they really did a good job here. The camera-work and the angles of the shots were just superb, and there was a very dynamic feel to the scenes in both the stories.
Which leaves me to comment on the acting. As a fan of Tony Leung, I must admit that the appeal to the second story had a big part of him being in it, as he always do great jobs with the movies he is in. But also noteworthy here was Faye Wong - also in the second story. Personally, I have never understood the hype about Brigette Lin, but hey, a matter a personal preference, I suppose. It was a bit strange to see Takeshi Kaneshiro in this movie, but he did a good job with his given character.
To me, "Chungking Express" was a fairly mediocre movie, though it did impress on the visual side, but it doesn't really stand out for me in an otherwise overwhelming market of Hong Kong movies out there. Hence I am giving it a 5/10 rating only.