Chungking Express- Hong Kong

Chungking Express is a film comprised of 2 very similar story's that support each other in theme. The story's are about police officers who are struggling with their love lives. The first, Officer 223 is brokenhearted after his girlfriend, May, leaves him. In the second story it is officer 663 who is facing a similar issue with a flight attendant he loves. Essentially its a story of how both men cope with being let down by the person they love most. Part of the film deals with officer 223 purchasing cans of pineapple dated may 1st as a way of waiting for his girlfriend May to come back. There is a scene where the officer expresses his feelings to the clerk about expiration.
Here is the scene:

Don't pay attention to the first subtitle about Bruce Willis I don't know why the person who posted it added that in)


The symbolism that I found in this clip is that he makes a point that not only is it a waste of food but he is concerned about the cans feelings. This says that he feels like the expired can. That to May he has expired and she has discarded him in the same way.

While your are seeing the officers stories unfold you are also seeing the lives of the women who will change the officers situation later in the story. Although the storylines themselves do not interwind like other movies presented by Quentin Tarantino both stories do share a common location, The Midnight Express. This is where the officers go to get food and they are both friendly with the manager. He knows of thier love struggles and is always willing to give them advice as well as try to set them up with his employees. The woman that officer 223 ends up meeting is trying to make it in illegal business like drug smuggling. She has a operation that goes bad so while she is dealing with her own crisis she meets the officer at the bar the she doesnt do much for the officer except keep him company and wish him a happy birthday and that was all that the officer needed just to know that someone else besides his ex-girlfriend cared enough to tell him happy birthday. Instantly taking away the feeling of an expired canned pineapple.

Officer 663 on the other hand meets Faye a girl who is working at the Midnight Express. She has a letter for him that he has been delaying to pick up. She likes him and begins to start sneaking around his house and cleans it for him. He eventually catches her in his apartment one day and realizes who has been making all the improvements in his house. Now realizing that she likes him he invites her to dinner at a restuarant called California. This is symbolic because when he first meets her she is working at the Midnight Express while blasting the song "California Dreamin", she ends up standing him up at the bar and instead leaves for California. Faye sends the owner of the Midnight Express to tell officer 663 and give him the letter she has for him. It is a boarding pass that she drew for him dated one year from the day. The Film ends with Faye returning months later and going to the Midnight Express where she finds the officer inside remodeling the place when he tells he that he has purchased the business. It sets up a great ending with potential of a great future together for the two of them.


Overall, I feel that the film was an excellent film. It possessed many elements and they were especially well used throughout the production. I enjoyed the use of symbolism and the way the symbolism was reference in the film especially with the canned pineapple. I definately would recommend this film to anyone looking to watch a chinese-language film. It was very much like an American film but differed enough to make it something new and different.