Wong Kar Wai’s scintillating debut feature is a kinetic, hyper-cool crime thriller graced with flashes of the impressionistic, daydream visual style for which he would become renowned.
Set amidst Hong Kong’s ruthless, neon-lit gangland underworld, this operatic saga of ambition, honour, and revenge stars Andy Lau as a small-time mob enforcer who finds himself torn between a burgeoning romance with his ailing cousin (Maggie Cheung, in the first of her iconic collaborations with the director) and his loyalty to his loose cannon partner in crime (Jacky Cheung) whose reckless attempts to make a name for himself unleash a spiral of violence.
Marrying the pulp pleasures of the gritty Hong Kong action drama with hints of the head-rush romanticism Wong would push to intoxicating heights throughout the 1990s, As Tears Go By was a box office smash that heralded the arrival of one of contemporary cinema’s most electrifying talents.
In the Mood for Wong
Renowned for his expressive use of colour, music, cinematography and fragmented storytelling, Wong Kar-wai transforms familiar genres such as romance and crime cinema into deeply personal reflections on human relationships.
Director Wong Kar-wai
Year 1988
Duration
1h 35m
Language Cantonese with English subtitles
Cast Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung