 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|
|
 email this review to a friend
In love you can't bring on a substitute. I had to watch this film a couple of times before I dared comment on it. It is a highly original, almost visionary work, and should be judged as such. There is a tendency by some to compare Chow (Tony Leung) to Bogart's Rick from "Casablanca" or to Jimmy Stewart in "Vertigo," or to the astronaut of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris." That is because this neo-noir film features a damaged hero looking for a lost lost and there is a science-fiction element in it. But, that would not do the film justice. It is difficult to comprehend as it jumps back and forth in time and into different realities. 2046 is a symbolic number that is not only a room, but the title of the science-fiction novel Chow is writing, and it has significance for the Chinese. Kar Wai Wong is an art house director and writer. He blends Asian and Western influences and there is some of this film that is an extension of his previous work, like In the Mood for Love. It is a name you need to remember. I am so looking forward to his next release of My Blueberry Nights when he brings Norah Jones to the screen - but I digress. This is most likely his best work to date. Besides Chueng (Infernal Affairs, Je Li's Hero), the film features Li Gong (Curse of the Golden Flower) as one of Chow's flings; a brief appearance by Maggie Cheung (Jet Li's Hero) tying the film to their previous movie In the Mood for Love; Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha, House of Flying Daggers) as the prostitute (Bai Ling) in room 2046, who is in love with Chow; Faye Wong, who besides acting sung on the soundtrack for Get Carter. She plays the woman Chow is attracted to as Bai Ling is attracted to him. As he ignores Bail Ling, Wong ignores him - get it? There is also Carina Lau from the Infernal Affairs trilogy. Six different women play parts in Chow's life, but the most significant is Bai Ling (Li Gong; not to be confused with the real actress named Bai Ling). I cannot imagine a film with the best Chinese actresses available all together with Tony Leung, but Kar Wai Wong has given us one, so I'll just revisit it again and again to enjoy. All this and a score by Shigeru Umebayashi (Jet Li's Fearless, House of Flying Daggers) and cinematography by Christopher Doyle (Rabbit Proof Fence and many more). email this review to a friend
Comment on this Review:
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RSS | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | About MatchFlick® | Press | Contact Us | FAQs
Partnership and Advertising Opportunities | Movie Database | Merchandise ©2004-2009 MatchFlick®. All rights reserved. ©MOVIE IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS |
Jun 13, 2007 5:13 PM