Chungking Express Review

Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised at the philosophical, comical tale of jilted cops and curious on screen emoting. A lot of the impact of the movie struck me on initial viewing, particularly the usage of repetition and memorably energetic cinematography. However, I dismissed a lot of the emotional content of the movie only seeing perhaps the charm of the second story as its key to feel-good success.

It was only later that the images and, all importantly, the feel of the film sank in. And it left a feeling of curiosity which lingered, and tempted to me to view other Wong Kar Wai films. Having seen several of his other movies I returned to Chungking Express, perhaps with new understanding and new appreciation. This time around, the characteristic themes and tropes and stylisms all made much more sense, things I had initially dismissed as random style and haphazard accident all added to the overall design recurrent in all of Wong Kar Wai’s work.

Though often referred to as the first part of a diptych which concludes with Fallen Angels, there is much in Chungking Express which relates and coincides with the film Wong Kar Wai was working on before (and at the same time) - Ashes Of Time. Both feature lovelorn characters who seem doomed to hold on to their pasts, both feature new opportunities opening requiring some stimulus to reach.

In a wider context encompassing most of Wong Kar Wai’s films, there is the inter-weaving narratives, physically crossing (though often failing to interact), the usage of imagery and physical places as nodes giving a connection to points in the story or, where the narrative becomes less distinct (as often happens), the points of change in the characters, the places where multiple characters may connect in the viewers minds, yet merely pass by on screen. This works excellently on the viewer’s memories and feelings, creating recognition and emotional distinction based on the elements of pure cinema - images of things and places, sounds - meanings of which are secondary (though not meaningless) to our ability to recall their form, and the characterisation (and perhaps our own feelings) based around that moment. For Ashes Of Time, though it contrasts with Chungking Express’s urban setting, these nodes are equally true, be it the inn itself, a birdcage, references to peach blossoms, or the synthy Morricone-esque soundtrack variations. For Chungking Express there are the more conceptual ideas of expiry dates, together with the direct physical connections of landmarks like the Midnight Express stall, to (again) the use of music, and many small details, be they rubber gloves or chef salads.

This is not to say that all these references always grab attention. It is just the very nature of Wong Kar Wai’s films that not everything can be absorbed in one viewing. Some people may even tire and miss the ‘connection’ which the filmmaker attempts to make (within the film and out to the viewer). But the richness and depth is there if one wants to see it. On the variances between Ashes Of Time and Chungking Express, the latter has a far more playful tone, so that Wong Kar Wai’s usual obliqueness appears more as a series of conceits, creating a lyrical feel. This was one of the factors which helped make Chungking Express a local success (rather than an expensive flop like some of Wong Kar Wai’s other films) - eventually leading to worldwide recognition via a certain Quentin Tarantino. Wong Kar Wai appeared to find a niche whereby he could philosophize and even indulge in knowing absurdity without alienating that section of the audience who didn’t want to ‘dig’ his way of seeing things.

And compared to its darker ‘sequel’, Fallen Angels, Chungking Express manages to lyrically capture its concepts and feeling without an over-emphasis on style, and with perhaps less a sense of obvious tragedy than any of Wong Kar Wai’s other works. That is not to say that Wong Kar Wai has jettisoned his unique empathy with the more introspective side of the human condition - far from it, the hint of underlying loss and regret is very much tangible, but also there is an overriding sense of the force of life and hope. In comparison, Fallen Angels, though exhilarating and overwhelming in its sheer atmosphere and emotion, appears as the pessimistic counterpart of Chungking Express: a place where hurt people pass by and fail ever to connect, or even if they meet and interact they are at cross purposes and ultimately nothing true is really requited. Fallen Angels is very much a counterpart to Chungking Express, but this is less true the other way around. For the most part, Chungking Express is referred to, parodied, expanded and reflected upon - Fallen Angels appears to presume a knowledge of Wong Kar Wai’s earlier film, but this is no negative point, as the film addresses some questions, possibilities and alternatives which Chungking Express raised but did not need to intimate. Chungking Express stands alone and has its own particular balance: Fallen Angels is an expansion acknowledging Wong Kar Wai’s ability to perceive beyond the deliberate confines of Chungking Express into less defined and less controlled territory.

There is always a danger when embarking on an analysis of Wong Kar Wai films of overdoing things. These films are as hard to analyse traditionally as they are to comprehensively categorise. People tend to try to find traditional symbolisms in everything, when perhaps the feel was more important. Though Wong Kar Wai does often tend to the literary side (references and influences), his mastery is in the language of cinema, so cutting things down to pure symbolism and simple archetypes rather loses the natural depth given by the feel. That is not to say that Wong Kar Wai doesn’t use symbolism and archetypes, but these are never for traditional ends of moving the plot or making a definitive point or statement of intention. Even if, say, Yuddy in Days of Being Wild is an archetype of reckless youth he still develops a depth and intensity that has a life of its own and that we can feel.

A cathartic experience: though WKW’s movies are always more slyly ironic than po-faced serious, the lyrical humour of Chungking took many by surprise. Again, WKW plays with genre, perhaps simply because he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed, commenting that the cop context was because ‘many HK films are about cops and gangsters’ - he forgets to mention the HK tradition of screwball comedy as well. Chungking combines these ideas, but comes up with something unique, showing that the WKW touch isn’t dependent on a particular genre