Chungking Express

I rated this film a three, because I enjoyed it as an art film but couldn't rank it higher because of its limited use in the classroom. It has sex scenes and violence, which would probably prohibit its use in any class lower than college. The three plots are hard to follow, with their only tie in being characters who frequent the Chungking Express fast food joint. College use would probably be as effective or more so in a study of films rather than as an introduction to Chinese culture. Quenten Tarantino's name is emblazoned on the cover because he brought the Hong Kong produced film to the US as part of a series of art films in his "Rolling Thunder" presentations..Mandarin, Cantonese and English are intermixed in the film, with English subtitles.The film's best use is as an introduction to film producer Wong Kar-Wai and to actors who are well know stars in China. Tarentino discusses this in his "Introduction" and "Wrap Up," which should definitely be viewed along with the film itself. Although we do not see any familiar Hong Kong landmarks, we do get to see the modern, fast paced culture of Hong Kong and are reminded that Chinese can be just as strange/compulsive as Americans.
Watch this film for fun, not for erudition.