MarieGabrielle Jeremy Irons portrays a terminal man in Hong Kong at the period when British rule on that province is terminated.There are assorted disparate characters and plot points reflected in the frenetic city itself.Gong Li as Vivian portrays a woman from "North China" (wrong side of the tracks) who cannot marry a Hong Kong businessman due to her lower station. She alternately flirts with Irons,even as she herself works part time as an escort,apparently a role she likes for its escapism.Maggie Cheung as Jean portrays a displaced street-walker,with a marring scar on her face. Irons takes an interest in filming her and the disjointed scenes of the Hong Kong streets. The visceral sense of Hong Kong and its people is captured brilliantly. The constant camera movement reflects uncertainty and unpredictability.Ruben Blades as Irons temporary house-mate also adds to the storytelling aspect. His ballads softly underline Irons' despair,and the unrest of Hong Kong itself.Recommended.

endlessrain The players in this film, Ironsd, Li and Cheung, all have symbolic roles.Gong Li represents Hong Kong. She is a whore that every man wants.As someone even says in the film; "Hong Kong is a whore and now it has a new pimp".Irons represents, of course, Britain, and doesn't have long left, symbolized by his having cancer. Irons tries to win over Li, but to no avail. The handover is happening and nothing can stop it.Maggie Cheung (in a great and convincing performance) is the jilted lover, the part of Hong Kong that has been tricked by Britain's promises of democracy and a western way of life.When Maggie meets her former lover, the Brit doesn't even remember her... it is a poignant and believable moment.Irons is a bit flat but Gong Li is a simmering sex goddess. Perfect for her allegorical role.

wenlan I felt that it's an incomplete story. Some of its scenes have a lot of potential to be better developed. And some of its metaphors are either too ambiguous to understand or too obvious to think much of. But I dont dislike it. They got great actors and actresses there. Maggie is my favorite one.

darkwing_duck The movie was OK, and does give an interesting depiction of Hong Kong. Whether the depiction is accurate is another thing.Jeremy Irons I like, but Gong Li? I just don't know what all the fuss is about her, except that she is very beautiful, I didn't find her acting anything special in this movie anyway.The strange thing I don't understand is why does Gong Li hire the 2 prostitutes to spend the night with Jeremy Irons, then later on in the film have sex with him? If her love is unrequitted, one would think the 2 prostitutes would be more than enough. The love scene between Gong Li and Jeremy Irons was done very tastefully, with no nudity even, though it is implied that they do it.