Chungking Express

Tony Leung Chiu-wai stars as a lovelorn cop in Wong Kar Wai’s candy-coloured film full of chance encounters, romantic infatuations and sweet daydreams.

From the opening seconds of Chungking Express, we’re plunged into a frenetic world where plot gives way to an enthralling study of people and place. Its inhabitants are a mysterious trench coat-clad gangster (Brigitte Lin), a canteen attendant dreaming of California (Faye Wong) and two handsome and heartbroken cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung Chiu-wai).

During a break from production on the epic period drama Ashes of Time, Wong Kar Wai worked guerrilla-style to make an unrelated film in under three months. In an interview he said, “working with a very tight budget, we called ourselves CNN, just bring the camera and shoot it; no permits, no licence so every day it’s like planning a robbery!” This anarchic energy is infused throughout the film, from Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Christopher Doyle’s startling camerawork to the editing, completed simultaneously by Wong Kar Wai and William Chang, taking one storyline each.

Despite the improvised production, the central performances – especially those of Wong and Leung – are pitch perfect. As they each navigate the world in their own heartsick way, it’s impossible not to fall for them both, making the final moments of Chungking Express hopelessly romantic and unforgettable.