Kar Wai Wong once more immerses us in his hypnotic world of love and life in the packed side streets of Hong Kong with this wonderful little piece. Originally planned as one of the interwoven storylines of his earlier Chungking Express, the story was so open for development that it was instead deemed perfectly capable of sustaining a separate film. Mentions of out of date pineapples and the Chungking mansions are not the only common factors, with the theme again being coincidence, the nature of relationships and loneliness in the city.
Not much happens really, although that has never been a problem for Wong, who has such ability to infuse every scene with emotion, empathy and sheer visual splendour that story development often takes a backseat. A disillusioned hitman plies his trade through the rain soaked, neon glare of nighttime Hong Kong, relying on his partner who he never meets to set up hits for him. Just as she begins to fall in love with the enigmatic assassin, he decides he wants to quit and take up with an old flame. Meanwhile, his landlord�s mute son suspends his habit of breaking into shops to help a girl who is convinced her boyfriend is having an affair.
This is pretty much all that happens. There are no twists and everything happens at a very unhurried pace, but when waves of emotion regularly surge out of the screen and certain scenes retain the power to stay with you days after you first laid eyes on them you know that you are watching one of the most talented film makers in world cinema doing what he does best. Inspired. |
