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I am not a big fan of Wong Kar-Wai, and I am not very good at appreciating the art of films, so the only thing I am able to comment on is the story. It is a very good story and I just love the way the ending comes together--ie Michelle Reis and Takeshi Kaneshiro meet and a certain spark flies. The plot is cleverly done and I particularly enjoyed the part where Leon gives Reis the coin for the jukebox. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | Perhaps absorbing some of the criticism leveled at his films, Wong Kar-wai has made Fallen Angels a little more accessible, with a relatively linear narrative structure where one can understand the relationships without racking one's brains. The dialogue, the even more emphatic MTV-style integration of sound and image, and the in-joke references to Chungking Express , are easy to digest. However, the film is more like an exercise for an auteur - the theme isn't profound even though it is developed. It is rare for a Wong Kar-wai film to go 'over' and 'under' so often (in monologue, acting, camera positions). Wong is still in a class of his own in his insistence on describing the solitary modern man and his angst, which in fact permeates through his narratives. His feel for the city is intimate, his vision unique, his direction of actors studded with many permutations | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | One can't praise Fallen Angels enough. I am filled with envy for anyone who has the luxury to indulge himself, play around with style to one's content. Although Fallen Angels hasn't the euphoria of Chungking Express (for such is the common opinion of most critics who like Chungking Express ), I believe because the former is a continuation of the latter (apparently it was one of the stories in CE ), repetition can't be avoided. I also feel that the sentiments about the hollow urban man expressed once and then twice in CE have become garrulous in Fallen Angels . That effort to really make the point come across is a rare feat. The video play about the relationship between Takeshi Kaneshiro and his father is most touching. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | Continuing the saga of unspoken, unrequited passion and the problem of communication between partners in the inner city, last seen to more spontaneous effect in Chungking Express . This is some kind of sequel to that earlier film (according to Wong kar-wai, some of the footage shot for that film but not used there are now incorporated here). In fact, Fallen Angels may more appropriately be described as the convex side to Chungking Express 's concave side. Both films share the same diptych structure featuring two male protagonists and their attempts to strike a lasting relationship with a female partner. Some of the spontaneous sparkle seems to have gone from Wong's style but the narrative substance is as freely conceived and as involved as ever. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | The self-isolation, self-pity and self-inflicted wounds of modern man are completely displayed in all their true colours by Wong Kar-wai. The killer is unwilling to make a choice, his manager would rather attach herself to inanimate objects than utter her love for the killer. The young woman disappointed in love avoid reality; and for the other, to live with a professional killer is to forever wallow in love. When life is dark and tragic, a mute displays his unrestrained individuality, driving an ice cream van in the night, filming his daddy with a video camera. These are rare moving moments in Hong Kong cinema. Christopher Doyle's camera work captures the film's substance perfectly. Only the use of the pop tune "Forget Him" isn't up to "California Dreaming" in Chungking Express | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | The images which induce vertigo, force one into a dance of life. This is one of the most invigorating movies of recent months. Each actor has the chance to show his or her mettle, and they are so good, they prick right into your flesh. The intensity of the images keep humans at a distance but enclose them within a space. The interior monologues and the cluttered atmospheric noise create an extremely rarefied, strange environment, but Hong Kong audiences would be familiar with the sounds and content emanating from the TV and radio. The local signs and symbols will lead Western experts to dig into their semiotics handbooks. As a Hong Kong film director, Wong Kar-wai has built up enough credentials to become a world-class filmmaker. He is both a master of technique and a visionary - no simple feat! | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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| | | | | When I first saw Wong Kar-wai's first movie As Tears Go By , I never imagined he would turn out to be such a stylist. The vast majority of directors follow the commercial track. If they were commercial directors to begin with, they become more commercial. If they started out as artists, they soon become commercial. Only Wong Kar-wai has turned out differently. He started out a commercial director and has now followed the artistic track. This is an even more difficult road to follow than if he were to become more artistic after starting out as an artist. He never fails to experiment within the commercial parameters and instead of being jettisoned by the industry, he has found greater fame on the international stage. He is clearly a role model for Hong Kong film artists. Like his previous movies, Fallen Angels is a highly impressive work, and full of humour. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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