Chungking Express

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Chungking Express

PG-13

1994

1h 43m

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Every day, Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, symbolizing the day he'll get over his lost love. He's also got his eye on a mysterious woman in a blond wig (Brigitte Lin), oblivious of the fact she's a drug dealer. Cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is distraught with heartbreak over a breakup. But when his ex drops a spare set of his keys at a local café, a waitress (Faye Wong) lets herself into his apartment and spruces up his life.

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Critics Consensus

Even if all it had to offer were writer-director Wong Kar-wai's thrillingly distinctive visuals, Chungking Express would be well worth watching; happily, its thoughtfully drawn characters and naturalistic performances also pack a potent dramatic wallop.

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Robert Horton

Film Comment Magazine

Apr 10, 2018

What Chungking Express has are a couple of interesting situations, which don't quite justify a feature-length movie.

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Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

May 28, 2014

3/4

I've never been a big fan of technique that calls attention to itself, but Wong's frenetic blend of slow motion, pixilation, rushing backgrounds and frozen foregrounds (or vice versa) is as integral to this movie as its bubbly story and characters.

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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

May 28, 2014

[Wong's] hypnotic images of love and loss finally wear down your resistance as seemingly discordant sights and sounds coalesce into a radiant, crazy quilt.

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Rose Ho

The Asian Cut

Aug 2, 2025

4/5

An intimate and poetic ode to youth.

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Ellie Lucas

trans|cendental cinema

Apr 17, 2025

4/4

A haunting portrait of timely and timeless longing.

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Joshua Polanski

Boston Hassle

Jul 18, 2024

Wong Kar-wai is one of the best filmmakers from one of the most significant film movements... And, in my opinion, Chungking Express is his best film. Supposing one plus one still equals two, that makes this one of the best films ever made

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Johannes S

@johnny_cecotto_15 Oct 20, 2026

I enjoyed it a bit less than Fallen Angels. Still, the use of music, camera angles, and the weirdness of the movie are just a breath of fresh air from today's slop.

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Alan G

@RT25183689 Aug 23, 2026

A bit of a curates egg for me, interesting in parts. I liked the opening story and the male leads were good. The second story line was interesting in a way if you have observed how HK people interact and connect. However I found Fay Wong's character a bit annoying overall, although she may probably be typical of HK girlfriends. She didn't resonate with me at all. She was the type of girl you would dump pretty quickly. I guess she acted the part well but I found the men more relatable.

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Jonathan K

@aFIREintheattic Jun 14, 2026

You gotta start with the visual experience, there are so many cool shots in this movie. Such cool framing, coloring, smearing, and frame rates, with tilted angles and blurred depth of field. It’s hard to put the vibe factor into words. Maybe one way to say it is that you could imagine a lot of these shots as really cool 90s alternative rock album covers for a jewel CD case. It's just really cool to look at. The music is a vibe, too; it's basically two songs over and over again, and they really nail the mood. The second half, the second story, is far better and more captivating for me. It’s where most of what I’m going to remember from the film comes from. I think once the girl who plays Faye comes into the picture, it just starts to take on this iconic look, and a big part of it is her presence on the screen. It's funny to watch now because the 90s are back in style, which makes the look kind of... [continued on letterboxd]

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Owen K.

@NCR23 Apr 30, 2026

A wistful and melancholic movie with moments of happiness. It had cool cinematography and a very interesting story.

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Achille V

@RT91076551 Nov 23, 2025

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is dreamy, light and positive with some good acting in it

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O g

@RT76089177 Oct 27, 2025

Stylish but insubstantial

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Kar-Wai Wong

Director

Brigitte Lin

Woman in Blonde Wig

Takeshi Kaneshiro

He Zhiwu, Cop 223

Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Cop 663

Faye Wong

Faye

Valerie Chow

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Synopsis

Every day, Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) buys a can of pineapple with an expiration date of May 1, symbolizing the day he'll get over his lost love. He's also got his eye on a mysterious woman in a blond wig (Brigitte Lin), oblivious of the fact she's a drug dealer. Cop 663 (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is distraught with heartbreak over a breakup. But when his ex drops a spare set of his keys at a local café, a waitress (Faye Wong) lets herself into his apartment and spruces up his life.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong
Producer: Chan Ye Cheng
Screenwriter: Kar-Wai Wong
Distributor: Miramax Home Entertainment [us], Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Romance
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 8, 1994, Original
Release Date (DVD): May 21, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA): $114.9K
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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