Chungking Express
Chungking Express DVD Cover
Directed by	Wong Kar-wai
Produced by	Chan Yi-kan
Written by	Wong Kar-wai
Starring	Brigitte Lin Tony Leung Chiu Wai Faye Wong Takeshi Kaneshiro Valerie Chow
Music by	Frankie Chan Roel. A Garcia
Distributed by	North America: Miramax Films Rolling Thunder Pictures United Kingdom: Artificial Eye Hong Kong: Ocean Shores Video
Release date(s)	15 December 1995 (UK) March 8, 1996 (US)
Running time	102 min. (US) 98 min. (HK)
Language	Cantonese Mandarin English
Preceded by	Ashes of Time (1994)
Followed by	Fallen Angels (1995)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese:	重庆森林
Traditional Chinese:	重慶森林
Pinyin:	Chóngqìng Sēnlín

Chungking Express (traditional Chinese: 重慶森林; simplified Chinese: 重庆森林; pinyin: Chóngqìng Sēnlín; literally "Chongqing jungle") is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a Hong Kong cop and his relationship with a woman. The first story stars Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin and the second stars Tony Leung, Faye Wong and Valerie Chow. DVD cover for Chungking Express This is a DVD cover. ... Wong Kar-wai (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Gà Waih; Shanghainese Latin method: Wan Kawe; born July 17, 1958) is a Hong Kong film director known for his visually unique, highly stylized art films. ... Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Leung (梁) Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-TVB actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Takeshi Kaneshiro (Japanese and Chinese: 金城武, Hepburn: Kaneshiro Takeshi, Pinyin: JÄ«nchéng WÇ”), (born October 11, 1973) is a male actor and model. ... Valerie Chow （周嘉玲, pinyin: Zhōu Jiālíng (born 16 December 1970 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese actress. ... Miramax Films is a film production and distribution brand that was a Big Ten film motion picture distribution and production company headquartered in New York City before being bought out by The Walt Disney Company. ... Former film distribution company founded by Quentin Tarantino specializing on re-releases of rare, cult or foreign films together with Grindhouse Releasing. This company is a child of Miramax. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Hong Kong (香港; Cantonese IPA: ; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2; Yale: heūng góng; pinyin: Xiānggǎng; Wade-Giles: Hsiang-kang) is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the Peoples Republic of China. ... This article is about all of the Cantonese (Yue) dialects. ... This article is on all of the Northern and Southwestern Chinese dialects. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Ashes of Time (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: , literally The Heretic East and the Venomous West) is a 1994 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Wong Kar-wai, based very loosely on four characters from the Louis Cha novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Fallen Angels (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a 1995 Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Charlie Yeung and Karen Mok. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Chongqing (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Postal map spelling: Chungching, also Chungking) is the largest and most populous of the Peoples Republic of Chinas four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in the less densely populated western half of China. ... The year 1994 in film involved some significant events. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Wong Kar-wai (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Gà Waih; Shanghainese Latin method: Wan Kawe; born July 17, 1958) is a Hong Kong film director known for his visually unique, highly stylized art films. ... Takeshi Kaneshiro (Japanese and Chinese: 金城武, Hepburn: Kaneshiro Takeshi, Pinyin: JÄ«nchéng WÇ”), (born October 11, 1973) is a male actor and model. ... Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Leung (梁) Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-TVB actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Valerie Chow （周嘉玲, pinyin: Zhōu Jiālíng (born 16 December 1970 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese actress. ...

The Chinese title translates to "Chungking 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 Wong works. Chungking Mansion Chungking Mansions is a famous building in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ... The Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui is a famous landmark of Hong Kong. ...

Plot outline

The movie comprises two different stories, told one after the other, each about a romance involving a policeman. Aside 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 appears during the first.

First story

The first story concerns Taiwan-born cop He Qiwu, also known as Cop 223 (played by Kaneshiro). Qiwu's girlfriend May broke up with him on April 1st (April Fool's Day). His birthday is May 1 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 May 1. 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 woman in a blonde wig (played by Brigitte Lin) tries to survive in the drug underworld after a smuggling operation goes sour. On May 1, Qiwu, looking for romance, approaches the woman in the blonde wig at a bar (the Bottoms Up Club). However, she is exhausted and falls asleep in a hotel room, leaving him to watch movies alone. She leaves in the morning and shoots the drug baron (played by Thom Baker) who had set her up. Qiwu goes jogging and then visits his usual snack food store where he collides with a new staff member, Faye. At this point, a new story begins. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... Bottoms Up Club - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Second story

In the second story, the unnamed Cop 633 (played by Tony Leung) is similarly dealing with a breakup, this time from a flight attendant (Valerie Chow). He meets Faye, the new girl at the snack bar (played by Faye Wong). She falls for him in secret, and frequently breaks into his apartment during the day to redecorate and "improve" his living situation. Gradually, her ploys help Cop 633 to cheer up, and he eventually realises that Faye likes him and arranges a date at the restaurant 'California'. However, Faye stands him up after a last-minute decision to see the world before settling down; she leaves him a fake boarding pass with a date a year from now. In the last scene, Faye arrives back in Hong Kong, now a flight attendant; she finds that Cop 633 has bought the snack bar and is converting it into a restaurant. They seem to have a future together. Valerie Chow （周嘉玲, pinyin: Zhōu Jiālíng (born 16 December 1970 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese actress. ...

Production

Wong made the film during a two month break from the editing of his wuxia film Ashes of Time. He has said, "While I had nothing to do, I decided to make Chungking Express following my instincts."^[1], and that "After the very heavy stuff, heavily emphasized in Ashes of Time, I wanted to make a very light, contemporary movie, but where the characters had the same problems." Originally, Wong envisioned the two stories as similar but with contrasting settings: "One would be located in Hong Kong [that is, Hong Kong Island] and the other in Kowloon; the action of the first would happen in daylight, the other at night. And despite the difference, they are the same stories."^[1] Wǔxiá (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: , Mandarin IPA: , Cantonese Pinyin: mou5 hap6), literally meaning martial (arts) heroes, is a distinct quasi-fantasy sub-genre of the martial arts genre in literature, television and cinema. ... Ashes of Time (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: , literally The Heretic East and the Venomous West) is a 1994 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Wong Kar-wai, based very loosely on four characters from the Louis Cha novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. ... The night view of the Island side as seen from the Kowloon side - the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Island (Traditional Chinese: 香港島; Simplified Chinese: 香港岛; Cantonese Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 dou2; Mandarin Pinyin: Xiānggǎngdǎo) is the island where the colonial settlement of the Hong Kong territory... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and...

On the screenplay, Wong has said

"When I started to film, I didn't have it written completely. I filmed in chronological order. The first part happened during the night. I wrote the sequel of the story in one day! Thanks to a brief interruption for the New Year festivities, I had some more time to finish the rest of the script."^[1]

He kept on writing and developed a third story. However, after filming the first two stories, he found that the film was getting too long so he relocated the third segment, about a love-sick hitman, to an entirely different movie titled Fallen Angels (1995).^[1] Fallen Angels (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a 1995 Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Charlie Yeung and Karen Mok. ...

Wong had specific locations in mind where he wanted to set the action of the film. In an interview, he has said: "One: Tsim Sha Tsui. I grew up in that area and I have a lot of feelings about it. It's an area where the Chinese literally brush shoulders with westerners, and is uniquely Hong Kong. Inside Chungking Mansion you can run into people of all races and nationalities: Chinese, white people, black people, Indian."^[1] This is the setting for much of the first story. As Wong explains, Chungking Mansion is famous for The Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui is a famous landmark of Hong Kong. ... Front door of Chungking Mansions Chungking Mansions (重慶大廈) is a famous building in Hong Kong. ...

"its 200 lodgings, it is a mix of different cultures...it is a legendary place where the relations between the people are very complicated. It has always fascinated and intrigued me. It is also a permanent hotspot for the cops in HK because of the illegal traffic that takes place there. That mass-populated and hyperactive place is a great metaphor for the town herself."^[1]

The second half of the film was shot in Central, near a popular fast food shop called Midnight Express. "In this area, there are a lot of bars, a lot of foreign executives would hang out there after work," Wong remembers. The fast food shop is forever immortalized as the spot where Tony Leung and Faye Wong's characters met and became attracted to one another. Wong was also drawn to "the escalator from Central to the mid-levels. That interests me because no one has made a movie there. When we were scouting for locations we found the light there entirely appropriate."^[1] The night view of the Central as viewed from Tsim Sha Tsui on the opposite side of the Victoria Harbour Central (Chinese: 中環; Jyutping: zung1 waan4; Cantonese IPA: ; Pinyin: Zhōnghuán) is an area located in Central and Western District, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. ... An entrance to the Central-Mid-levels escalator. ...

Marketing

The film is marketed with the tagline "If my memory of her has an expiration date, let it be 10,000 years...". Historically, the number "10,000" was used to represent the concept of "forever" in China and many other Asian countries (see Ten thousand years). A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. ... Japanese name Kanji: Kana: Romaji: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Vietnamese name Quoc Ngu: Han Tu: The use of the phrase ten thousand years in various East Asian languages originated in ancient China as an expression used to wish long life to the Emperor, and is typically translated as long live...

Soundtrack

The song Baroque, composed by Michael Galasso, can be heard twice during the first part of the movie: during the opening and when Brigitte Lin's character takes the gun in the closer. This track does not appear on the soundtrack album, although three other tracks are similar to it: "Fornication in Space" (track 3), "Heartbreak" (track 8) and "Sweet Farewell" (track 9), played respectively on synth, guitar and piano. The first story also features "Things in Life" by the Jamaican reggae singer Dennis Brown, which plays in the American bar where Kaneshiro's and Lin's characters meet. Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... The Promised Land compiled by Blood and Fire Dennis Emanuel Brown (February 1, 1957 – July 1, 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. ...

The second story features Faye Wong's Cantonese cover version of "Dreams" by The Cranberries, which is also played over the end credits. "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas, is played numerous times as it is the favourite song of Faye Wong's character. "What a Diff'rence a Day Made", performed by Dinah Washington, is played during a scene between Tony Leung and Valerie Chow's characters. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... en:Cantonese (linguistics) ... The Cranberries are an Irish alternative rock band that rose to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. ... California Dreamin is a song by The Mamas & the Papas, first released in 1965. ... The Mamas & the Papas (credited as The Mamas and the Papas on the debut album cover) were a leading vocal group of the 1960s. ... What a Diffrence a Day Made is a popular song. ... Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was a blues, R&B and jazz singer. ...

Distribution

On March 8, 1996, the film began a limited theatrical run in North America through Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder distribution company under Miramax. The Region 1 DVD is distributed by Rolling Thunder. Tarantino is an admirer of Wong Kar-wai, and the DVD features lengthy bookended remarks by him. Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is a Palme dOr-winning American film director, actor, and an Oscar winning screenwriter. ... Former film distribution company founded by Quentin Tarantino specializing on re-releases of rare, cult or foreign films together with Grindhouse Releasing. This company is a child of Miramax. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... The following is an excerpt of the article entitled DVD. For the sake of convenience, the terms Region 0, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7 and Region 8 redirect to this page. ...

Responses

Box Office

Chungking Express earned HK $7,678,549 during its Hong Kong run. In the USA, opening on four screens, it grossed $32,779 ($8,194 per screen) in its opening weekend. Playing at 20 theatres at its widest point, it went on to gross $600,200 total.

Reviews

During its release in North America, Chungking Express drew generally positive, sometimes ecstatic reviews from critics. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, which collects film reviews, it currently holds a 96% approval rating, with only one negative review out of 25.^[2] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Influential film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, but was measured in his praise:^[3] Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

"If you are attentive to the style, if you think about what Wong is doing, Chungking Express works. If you're trying to follow the plot, you may feel frustrated...When Godard was hot, in the 1960s and early 1970s, there was an audience for this style, but in those days, there were still film societies and repertory theaters to build and nourish such audiences. Many of today's younger filmgoers, fed only by the narrow selections at video stores, are not as curious or knowledgeable and may simply be puzzled by Chungking Express instead of challenged. It needs to be said, in any event, that a film like this is largely a cerebral experience: You enjoy it because of what you know about film, not because of what it knows about life."

Prolific web reviewer James Berardinelli awarded the film three-and-one-half stars out of a possible four:^[4] James Berardinelli (born September 1967, New Brunswick, New Jersey) is an online film critic. ...

"Like John Woo, Tsui Hark, and other directors who learned their craft in Hong Kong, Wong infuses his films with style and energy. His hand-held camera is restless, always moving and shifting. The action sequences are punctuated with unusual shots and stop-motion jumps. By filming Chungking Express in such rich, vibrant manner, the director uses visual images to underscore his themes. Once the viewer gets past bouts of confusion (the film demands more than one viewing), the result is a uniquely memorable look at the ties that bind all people, as presented through two deceptively simple stories." For other uses, see John Woo (disambiguation). ... Tsui Hark (Chinese: 徐克; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsü Ko) (born Tsui Man-kong (徐文光) on February 15, 1950) is a New Wave film director in Hong Kong who is also a highly influential producer, often likened to Steven Spielberg for a similar galvanizing effect on his countrys cinematic scene. ...

In addition, in a poll published by Sight and Sound (the monthly magazine of the British Film Institute) asking fifty leading UK film critics to choose the ten best films from the past 25 years, Chungking Express was placed at number eight, and was described as arguably one of the best contemporary Asian films. Sight and Sound is a British monthly magazine about film. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and...

Awards and nominations

• 1994 Golden Horse Awards
  • Winner - Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu Wai)
• 1995 Hong Kong Film Awards
  • Winner - Best Picture
  • Winner - Best Director (Wong Kar-wai)
  • Winner - Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu Wai)
  • Winner - Best Editing (William Cheung Suk-Ping, Kwong Chi-Leung, Hai Kit-Wai)
  • Nomination - Best Actress (Faye Wong)
  • Nomination - Best Supporting Actress (Valerie Chow Kar-Ling)
  • Nomination - Best Screenplay (Wong Kar-wai)
  • Nomination - Best Cinematography (Christopher Doyle, Andrew Lau Wai-Keung)
  • Nomination - Best Art Direction (William Cheung Suk-Ping)
  • Nomination - Best Original Film Score (Frankie Chan Fan-Kei, Roel A. Garcia)

This article needs cleanup. ... Hong Kong Film Awards (香港電影金像獎), is the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong. ...

Cast

• Brigitte Lin - Woman in blonde wig
• Tony Leung Chiu Wai - Cop 633
• Faye Wong - Faye
• Takeshi Kaneshiro - He Zhiwu, nicknamed Ah Wu, Cop 223
• Valerie Chow - Flight attendant who breaks up with Cop 633
• Chen Jinquan - Manager of the takeway restaurant 'Midnight Express'
• Kwan Lee-na - Richard
• Huang Zhiming - Man
• Liang Zhen - The 2nd May, who works at the 'Midnight Express'
• Zuo Songshen - Man

Brigitte Lin (Chinese: 林青霞; Pinyin: ) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born November 3, 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Leung (梁) Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; born June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-TVB actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Takeshi Kaneshiro (Japanese and Chinese: 金城武, Hepburn: Kaneshiro Takeshi, Pinyin: Jīnchéng Wǔ), (born October 11, 1973) is a male actor and model. ... Valerie Chow （周嘉玲, pinyin: Zhōu Jiālíng (born 16 December 1970 in Hong Kong) is a Chinese actress. ...

Notes

See also

• Cinema of China
• Hong Kong in films

The history of Chinese language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. ... While most of local Hong Kong movies are set in the Special Administrative Region, several foreign movies are also, at least partly, set in Hong Kong. ...

External links

• Chungking Express at the Internet Movie Database
• Chungking Express at Rotten Tomatoes
• Chung King Mansions
• Quotes from Chungking Express
• Essay: Identity and Chungking Express

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