Chungking Express Is the Pick of the Week

I am definitely interested in Wong Kar Wai’s work, yet I have seen one of his films. However, it was enough to hypnotize me and I want to seek out more. Chungking Express (1994) was it. An exhilarating portrait of complicated romance, the film stars Hong Kong cinema icons Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro as two lovestruck cops, who cross paths at a take-out food stand. Cop 223 (Kaneshiro) tries to get over his lost love while becoming obsessed with a mysterious woman wearing a blonde wig (Brigitte Lin). Cop 663 (Chiu Wai) deals with a breakup. A charming pixie waitress (the adorable Faye Wong) breaks into his apartment with his ex’s keys and cleans up his life.

I wouldn’t say that the premise is particularly memorable, but the Kar Wai’s delirious camerawork and attention to modernity, not to mention the magnetism of his actors, makes you forget that. When you watch the film (assuming you don’t mind subtitles), it feels like you’re in a dream, one that you want to relieve over and over again. It also makes you nostalgic for the past where you reminisce about the good times before you have to deal with the trauma that those times may have brought you. It’s a stunning film that feels so alive and never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve seen it. That’s the essence of good filmmaking.

Still available in the World of Wong Kar Wai box set and now being released in an upgraded and standalone release on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray, the film doesn’t include any new supplements, but still has some decent vintage ones, including a 2002 interview with cinematographer Christopher Doyle; 1996 episode of Moving Pictures from featuring interviews with Wong and Doyle; deleted scenes; and trailer. It also includes an essay by film critic Amy Taubin.

If you happen to be a fan of Kar Wai and are enraptured by his filmmaking style, then this release is just right for you.

Other releases:

The Eel (Radiance): Shōhei Imamura’s audacious 1997 drama about a businessman (Koji Yakusho) who kills his cheating wife and is sent to prison. When released, he opens a barbershop where he meets new people but talks to no one except his pet eel he found while in prison.

Baby, It’s You (Fun City Editions): The 4K restoration of John Sayles’ 1983 romantic indie dramedy where an aspiring lounge singer woos a rich girl (Rosanna Arquette) in 1960s New Jersey.