World of Wong Kar Wai @ Historic Howell Theater

As Tears Go By

Expired January 15, 2021 4:59 AM
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Wong Kar Wai’s scintillating debut feature is a kinetic, hyper-cool crime thriller graced with flashes of the impressionistic, daydream visual style for which he would become renowned. Set amidst Hong Kong’s ruthless, neon-lit gangland underworld, this operatic saga of ambition, honor, and revenge stars Andy Lau as a small-time mob enforcer who finds himself torn between a burgeoning romance with his ailing cousin (Maggie Cheung, in the first of her iconic collaborations with the director) and his loyalty to his loose cannon partner in crime (Jacky Cheung) whose reckless attempts to make a name for himself unleash a spiral of violence. Marrying the pulp pleasures of the gritty Hong Kong action drama with hints of the head-rush romanticism Wong would push to intoxicating heights throughout the 1990s, As Tears Go By was a box office smash that heralded the arrival of one of contemporary cinema’s most electrifying talents.

  • Year
    1988
  • Runtime
    102 minutes
  • Language
    Cantonese
  • Country
    Hong Kong
  • Director
    Wong Kar Wai
  • Screenwriter
    Wong Kar Wai, Jeffrey Lau
  • Producer
    Alan Tang
  • Cast
    Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung
  • Cinematographer
    Andrew Lau
  • Editor
    Cheong Bei-Dak, Kai Kit-Wai
  • Production Design
    William Chang