Chinese Box
From acclaimed director Wayne Wang comes a gripping romantic drama set against the background of Hong Kong's recent return to Chinese rule.
Jeremy Irons stars as John, a British journalist living in Hong Kong. John has fallen in love with Vivian (Gong Li), a bartender with a jaded past. Vivian is eager to secure her position in Hong Kong society and wants her successful boyfriend Chang to marry her. When Chang proves to be indecisive about their relationship, Vivian turns to John. Giving into their feelings for a brief but passionate affair, they now face inevitable change and unexpected obstacles in this touching and compelling film.
Member Reviews
Chinese Box - Hollie
I really liked the film ,but at times it was a bit slow . The more i thought about it the more I think it deserves a four rating .Very unsusual movie ,it makes you think. I think the acting was amazing seeing Hong Kong was great . The markets I had heard about ,but seeing them was good . You got a good feel of the people and the place ,the overcrowding and the rushing around .amazing film - jupiter
this is one of my most favorite films. outstanding performances by three giants... irons, li and cheug. i'll let the cat out of the bag now because you will enjoy the film even more if you know that the character of irons represents britain, that of li represents china and cheug represents hong kong at this important time in hong kong history. having been to hong kong many times i find the richness of the characters and cinematography capture the place perfectly.Dull. Uninspired. - cathyottawa
This is one of those movies that thinks it's really deep and really clever, but it just isn't.
I didn't buy the love story between Irons and Li Gong. Nothing about it made much sense to me. And Li Gong's fiance? The reason her and Irons couldn't be together? He was hardly a catch. I didn't understand why she was supposedly so in love with him.
Then they gave Irons' character lukemia, for no apparent reason. It didn't serve the story at all.
Then they threw in Maggie Cheung, who is at least interesting, but I didn't know what her story was supposed to contribute to the film.
The descriptors for this film are always sure to point out that it takes place during the year Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule - but that really has nothing to do with anything in the movie.
This movie is well shot, and has some interesting visuals, but with no story, it's all for nothing.
Member Reviews
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Chinese Box - Hollie
I really liked the film ,but at times it was a bit slow . The more i thought about it the more I think it deserves a four rating .Very unsusual movie ,it makes you think. I think the acting was amazing seeing Hong Kong was great . The markets I had heard about ...amazing film - jupiter
this is one of my most favorite films. outstanding performances by three giants... irons, li and cheug. i'll let the cat out of the bag now because you will enjoy the film even more if you know that the character of irons represents britain, that of li represents ...Dull. Uninspired. - cathyottawa
This is one of those movies that thinks it's really deep and really clever, but it just isn't.
I didn't buy the love story between Irons and Li Gong. Nothing about it made much sense to me. And Li Gong's fiance? The reason her and Irons couldn't be ...