Chinese Box
1997 · Movie · 110 min. · United States
New Year's Eve 1996. John (Jeremy Iron) is an English journalist moving among the Chinese business elite and British officials at expensive nightclubs. However, the politics of transition are seen through the prism of his personal relationships. He is in love with Vivian (Gong Li), a woman he meets in Beijing who's now working at a club owned by Chang (Michael Hui), the man she wants to marry. But Chang wants to become respectable and won't marry her because of her checkered past. After a personal crisis, John goes out with a camcorder to capture images of the last days of British rule. He becomes fascinated by Jean, a mysterious woman who hides half her face behind a scarf as she darts through the streets aggressively selling strange items. Played with a manic verve by martial arts star Maggie Cheung, Jean comes to represent everything that is strange and enigmatic about Hong Kong.
Direction Wayne Wang
Cast Jeremy Irons · Gong Li · Maggie Cheung · Ricky Hui · Rubén Blades · Jared Harris · Josie Ho · Ralph Lister · François Chau · Ken Bennett · Winston Ellis
Soundtrack Graeme Revell
Screenplay Jean-Claude Carrière · Larry Gross · Rachel Ingalls · Paul Theroux · Wayne Wang
Cinematography Vilko Filac
Original title Chinese Box
6.3
2K votes (FilmAffinity)
Add to lists
Share