Review: "Chunking Express" (1994)

Two tales of love and loss unfold in Wong Kar Wai’s whimsical, romantic drama, “Chunking Express”. Each vignette features a lonely Hong Kong policeman dealing with the break-up of a relationship.

Taking its cue from classic film noir, the first story stars the handsome Takeshi Kaneshiro as a young detective who’s given himself 30 days to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. He marks each night alone by consuming a can of pineapple with a specific expiration date. Eventually he encounters Brigitte Lin’s femme fatale, a player trying to survive in the drug underworld after a smuggling deal goes wrong.

The second story stars Tony Leung as a patrol cop recovering from a break-up with a flight attendant. His coping ritual involves conversations with inanimate objects in his apartment, such as an old towel, a bar of soap and a stuffed bear to whom he pours out his sadness. Every day, he goes for coffee at the same snack bar where he meets up with the new counter girl, played by Hong Kong pop singer Faye Wong,

While in the vein of simple boy-loses-girl-meets-new-girl stories, the unique visual style in which the stories are told is anything but ordinary. Wong uses his trademark impressionistic style to create a restless energy and evoke strong emotions while painting a realistic portrait of people coping with loneliness, despair and boredom. His hand-held camera is frenetic, always moving. The action sequences feature unusual angles and stop-motion jumps.

The Hong Kong setting stands out as its own character, contributing a bustling energy that contrasts sharply with the solitude of the two cops as they muddle through their days.

All the lead actors are compelling to watch onscreen and manage to make their idiosyncracies believable. Faye Wong is a revelation here: she imbues her character with an appealing quirkiness and optimism. And it's that hopeful spirit that lingers on after the closing credits.

Review: "Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman" (2003)

“Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman”, directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a visually stunning samurai action drama that brings a whimsical, contemporary sensibility to the iconic Japanese superhero. Blind masseur by day and master swordsman by night, Kitano’s hero sports a platinum-blonde shock of hair and a blood-red cane that conceals his weapon.

The story is in the vein of traditional samurai drama: Zatoichi, an outsider, comes to the defense of a town caught up in a Yakuza gang war. While battling the gang members who are forcing the farmers and shopkeepers to shell out protection money, Zatoichi befriends two geisha (a brother and sister) seeking revenge against the gang for the murder of their parents years ago.

What distinguishes this flick is the stylish, lightning-quick fight sequences, colorful production design and whimsical spirit. I can’t think of any other movie that manages to seamlessly combine violent action and a lively tap dance number reminiscent of a Broadway musical.