Movie Loner

I dig this movie for superficial reasons. I love Gong Li. She’s one of the most beautiful women in the world. Okay, I’ll stop now. Truth be told, I like Chinese Box for several reasons. In addition to Gong Li, it also stars Jeremy Irons who is one of the few legit actors working. Unfortunately, this is the last good film he’s done. Sorry, Eragon and Kingdom of Heaven don’t make the cut.

Irons plays John, an English photojournalist based in Hong Kong at the time of England’s transfer back to China. John pines for the good ol’ days but realizes those days are numbered. He fears Hong Kong will never be the same. He also pines for Vivian (Gong Li), a former prostitute turned bartender, whom he’s known for years. Vivian loves Chang, a wealthy businessman, who stays with her even though he never intends to marry her.

John falls gravely ill and decides to spend his last days documenting Hong Kong before the turnover. He meets an odd young woman (Maggie Cheung) who joins him in making a video diary of the city. This subplot distracts from the central storyline, John and Vivian’s relationship. Will he admit his feelings? Will she reciprocate?

Director Wayne Wang shoots Hong Kong with a poetic lens. Chinese Box is a love story, but not between a man and a woman. It is a love story between a man and a city. John’s physical death is not nearly as tragic as is the death of an era, and the death of memories.

I recommend this film to anyone unfamiliar with Gong Li. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s also quite an engaging actress. She’s famous for being in director Yimou Zhang’s Chinese period films during the 1990’s, but she’s beginning to venture into more mainstream fare, including 2006’s Miami Vice.

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