Chungking Express: Film Analysis

Chung King Express by Kar Wai Wong This is an inspirational films that covers the ideals of love and the mystery tat there is in the aspect of love. It covers the unspoken ideas of love which, as the film depicts, are some of the most important thing in the love circle. It also depicts the irony of love especially when one sets out to seek love.

The film also depicts the intricate struggles of life that people come across as they seek love, some of which may not be totally known to people outside. Chung King Express highlights the life of two policemen within the Hong Kong City, both of whom had been abandoned by their love and were struggling to have their love life straight once more. Tony Chiu also referred to as cop 663 in the film is seen to be struggling to get over the girlfriend who was a flight attendant.

He cannot seem to reconcile with the fact that the girlfriend left and hence keeps hoping that she would some day come back. He keeps looking at the former girlfriend walk up the stairs to the airport to report for work and this makes him harbor that hope that some day he will get back together with him. In the meantime, he frequents a lunch counter and keeps meeting a girl at the counter service with whom he seems to be slowly falling in love.

This is a set of honest policeman and hard working lady who just cannot seem to be breaking the ice and speaking out their minds. The lady at the counter also seems to like cop 663 since she sneaks into his apartment and does the cleaning and at one point seems to be jealous and even cries upon detecting the long hair of the former girlfriends on the bed of cop 663.

On the other hand, there is a hard working cop, Zhiwu also referred to as cop 223 depicted as well as love stricken policeman who has just broken up with his girlfriend of five years and he does not seem to reconcile with the fact that it is true they broke up. He employs self-pity and strange reassurance that the girlfriend will somehow come back. He decides to buy tinned pintails that are dated 1st May each day for a whole month.

This is a self reassurance tactic with the hopes that by the end of that expiration date, then he shall have been rejoined by the girlfriend or the love too shall find a way of expiring together with the pineapples. This is a strange coping mechanism.

This coping mechanism is not only restricted to this cop 223 alone but the lady at the restaurant, who is being eyed by cop 663 seems to be taking refuge in loud western music for the job that is stressful and social pressures of the world, including the fact that she is in love with cop 663 and there is no way to show him.

The apparent irony in the film is highlighted in two major incidences, first being the fact that cop 223 is looking for love and seems to be doing his best at work, hoping that the good work he does as a policeman will help him win over Chin Lin, the woman in blonde wig. Yet this is a criminal with unclear underground dealings of drug smuggling and killings.

Cop 223 seems to be in hunt of criminals within the streets of Hong Kong and arresting them, but at the same time is unaware that the woman whose love he is running after should not be sought for love but for crime. The second irony is on cop 663 who seems to be hoping for love gone with the planes and ever departing love yet ignores the close by love that the lady at the lunch counter has for him.

The film also depicts, away from the love life, the daily struggles of people within the streets who, due to financial problems, get lured into drug trafficking and eventually attempt to steal the drugs from the drug baron, lady in blonde wig, hence erupting a deadly chase that involves kidnaping of a child and ultimate killing of the fellows who stole the drugs. The director of this film brings out, with great success, the enigma of love.

He makes us understand that love is not only about the spoken words but the words unspoken or the gestures used, the reminding scent, the ignored little details and the inner suffering of the individual. This the director has succeeded in depicting through distant interaction of the characters who cherish each other but cannot seem to find each other on phone or in person to express their feelings.

The actions of the counter lady of cleaning the house seems to betray her intentions but she cannot get close enough to the man to.