As Tears Go By (1988) User Reviews

'Mean Streets' in Hong Kong

[funang · 8/10 · 17 September 2003]

Wong Kar Wai's debut effort as a feature film director already showcase flashes of talent from the would-be auteur. ALthough not as groundbreaking or innovative as some of his better known films (eg. Chungking Express/ Fallen Angels), nevertheless it displayed some of his distinct signature styles, (eg. naturalistic & idiosyncratic dialogue, character driven films) and themes(eg. love,urban environment, world in turmoil and chaos)

Obviously inspired by Martin Scorsese's early effort 'Mean Streets', which was in turn partly inspired by 'beat' filmmaker John Cassevetes debut film 'Shadows'; 'As Tears Go by' is 'Mean streets' set in Hong Kong. The harsh depiction of traid and street gang culture is in sharp contrast to the stylish gun-totting hoods from John Woo's 'A Better Tomorrow'. In many ways, Wong's depiction came accross as more bittingly realistic, helped by its many on-location filming (another WKW style). Hong Kong's neon lit streets/dark dingy alleys/fluorescence interiors/late night piers, blended in perfectly with Wong's story set in contemporary urban HK. Very interesting camera work and lighting that is different from the other HK films coming out from that era. It displayed an early WKW visual flare, again evident in Chunking Express and Fallen Angels, which utilizes similar locations and settings, as well as ferentic camera movements and stylised composition. Credit should be due to art director Chang Shu Ping, who collaborated with Wong in all of his subsequent films. Of note too is cinematographer Andrew Lau, who will go on to helm the 'Young & Dangerous' series that bears several visual & subject matter influences from this film.Though I must add that Young & Dangerous portrayal of heroic gansters is more glorifying than Wong's pathetic bloodied characters.

Excellant performances from all three leads, which bagged Jacky CHeung(doing a Robert de niro) the best supporting actor and Andy Lau a nomination for best actor at that year's HK film awards. Maggie Chueng claimed that this was the first time she discovered the true potential of screen acting. Also unforgettable is Alex Man's supporting turn as the most sadistic villian imaginable.

'As Tears go By' is probably the only WKW film that is fully scripted (WOng served as a scriptwriter in other generic HK movies for several years before this effort), and it shows. Some clever and subtle original touches in the first act, that translates Scorsese's tortured characters and ethnic Itlian dispora to local HK flavor and motivations. However, the conflict dragged on by the second act, and the film seems indecisive as whether to focus on the Andy Lau/Maggie Cheung love story arc or on his dillema with his understudy pal Jacky Cheung and their conflict with bad ass Alex Man. Scorsese's 'Mean Streets' works because it manages to stay focus on the main protaganist POV and motivations. The whole film is centered around Harvey Keitel's character, and the other characters serves as his burden to his climb up the mafia ranks. That direction seems lost in Wong's version. The last act/conclusion seems rushed, cliche and definitely predictable. What I suspect, and logically seems plausible, is the interference of the producers and financiers on 'As Tears go by'. WOng had claimed in interviews that his early work was being hampered in many ways by others, hence his firm decision and insistence to be the producer in all his subsequent films. He wants to and achieves total artistic control over all of his later films.

Nevertheless, 'As Tears Go by' is without a doubt a milestone of WOng's career as well as Hong Kong cinema. The visceral on-screen violence, realistc seedy portrayal of HK's underworld and streets locale, and cosmopolitan loves and relationships was never before seen on HK screens during its day. It is preceded only by John Woo's 'A Better Tomorrow', which in many ways is a different kind of film with very different themes. Definitely worth catching for fans of Wong Kar Wai and those who love Hong Kong cinema.

7/10 from me.

The Anti-Melville

[boblipton · 8/10 · 10 July 2021]

Andy Lau is a hood who has no time for life, just brief respites. His last girl friend had her pregnancy terminated before even telling him about it, because he hadn't called in a while. "You could have called me!" he says, but three years with him have yielded her neither money nor marriage. So he gets drunk and comes home to his bare apartment where his distant cousin, Maggie Cheung is staying while doctors run tests to see if she is going to die. Then she turns out to be ok, and goes home, while he stays and deals with the gangs of Hong Kong, particularly his inept "little brother" Jacky Cheung, and the competing gangs, and the ugly messiness that is his life.

Then he shows up at Miss Cheung's. When he has to go back to Hong Kong to deal with Jacky's messes, she says nothing, but calls his phone service and leaves a message. "Come back safely."

Kar-Wai Wong's first feature as a director can be viewed as a gloss on Melville's LE SAMOURAI, but it is not an admiring one. Lau is all professional when dealing in the underworld, but outside of it he needs to be human, wants family and love, things barred to him by his trade. Melville's romantic impulses are based on violence, the thought of the smooth, dangerous man in a beautiful and clean world populated by elegant adults, like a shark swimming through the clean ocean. Wong's world is crowded and garish ad ugly, populated by psychopaths and would-be psychopaths. Wong's sense of beauty lies in the respites, in Miss Cheung's arms, in people who care. I find it far more believable.

Dated, but a well thought out story of taboo romance and complex sibling rivalry.

[tntokmenko · 7/10 · 1 February 2013]

Kar-Wai's first film is more in line with the cinematography of other late 80's Hong Kong movies rather than his renown obscure style, seen later on in films like Chungking Express or In the Mood For Love. The characters are also normal in comparison to his later films too, as they take on archetypes seen in many Triad flicks from this era. The writing is classic Wong Kar-Wai however, and what he does with the characters is more interesting then their personalities themselves. In other words their actions speak volumes louder than their dialogue. Andy Lau plays a low-level Triad thug who in hopes of climbing the underworld's ranks becomes held down by his younger brother played by Jacky Cheung. The pair work well together and you begin to like the dynamic bond between them. Trouble ensues between the pair and their gang, and many hard decisions await Andy Lau as he tries to straighten out both his reckless brother and forbidden romance on the side. The ending has a real impact and Wong Kar-Wai's direction is responsible for such a memorable story. Although it feels Kar-Wai wasn't fully at the reigns of this one with some mediocre moments, overall his efforts can be felt wholeheartedly and the passion shines through to deliver a good experience. -7/10

Streets of Mean

[tedg · 12 June 2005]

No better one day film school can be found in watching "Mean Streets" and then this.

Superficially they seem the same and Kar-Wai has told us that he patterned this, his first feature after Scorsese's first.

Here's the lesson: Scorsese belongs to a school of thinking where actors create characters, real extreme and powerful characters. These characters literally create the situations around them. The filmmaker's job is to attach the camera to the characters. Nearly all Italian and Italian-American filmmakers believe this. This is fine if you can live on espresso, but most of us in a film life need something to sustain us.

Kar-Wai in his later films is clearly in another camp. He literally starts with no script. He creates a cinematic tone. Into that tone is spun a place and his actors are expected to find their way within it. Only then do we see characters, and the camera is never, ever glued to personalities.

It is a world of difference, as different as people who can talk only about other people contrasted to those who can create another world in a conversation.

Sooner or later, all lucid watchers must make a choice about how big their film universe can be. This was Kar-Wai's beginning. It is hard to see unless you know his later stuff. But it is there, like the pollen in the air.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

An average film with some nice touches

[mob61uk · 6/10 · 26 July 2002]

For me, Kar-Wai is one of the great contemporary directors. This is his first feature, and is rather a conventional Hong Kong gangster movie. However, it already has elements of the visual style and technical flourish that are utilised so well in his later more complex films. An average film with some nice touches, but certainly worth watching for Kar-Wai fans.

Hard to describe...

[sirkevinho1 · 7/10 · 17 December 2005]

My feelings towards this film was mixed. In a way it seems to be overrated, just because it was Wong Kai Wei's first film and it was probably his only commercial and gangster film. It was very typical of Hong Kong gangster film in the 80s, with the same overplayed message of loyalty and the main characters trying to prove their value being the central theme. The story was plain and dull, and truthfully, it was another one of the gangster films made in the 80s that is influence by John Woo. Still, I feel this movie deserved some credit for being raved about in certain circles. First of all, this was one of the better gangster films out there, and even though the subject of loyalty seemed overplayed, it was still touching to see the friendship of a boss and his follower. Secondly, and very interestingly, the movie was filmed with an artistic touch. I have rarely seen a gangster film incorporating artistic techniques, such as the distortion of time or using shots of nature, signatures of Wong Kai Wei's latter films, but these artistic scenes became memorable. How could I ever forget the scene where Maggie was walking gingerly through the door, stopped, hesitated for a moment, but continued and slowly, but with class of a true lady, make her way up the stairs? That scene was unforgettable. Although the viewer could only see her back, but from her back, she was still able to project the feeling of uncertainty, but in the end, bravery for going after her love. Usually a scene like this would only be seen in art films, and rarely in a gangster film. In this film, however, the artistic touch only added to the movie's special appeal. A lot of Wong's artistic shots were unforgettable.

The performances by the two lead actors, Andy Lau and Jackie Cheung, were solid and touching, but far from spectacular. A lot of times I feel their expressions, especially Lau, were forced. Jackie Cheung seemed more natural in his acting, but his expressions were exaggerated, probably exaggerated to enforce his aura of cockiness, an aura that was not believable. Future films of the two stars, especially the recent ones, had better performances, and the viewer could see their vast improvements. The performance of Maggie Cheung must be complimented. Her sweet naiveness was so convincing that I had a hard time linking her with the ditsy roles she took before, such as in the Police Story. One could tell big things were ahead for her, and her future success proved it.

Overall, very interesting film, but just another one of the 80s gangster film.

7/10

"A promising debut"

[Laitue_Gonflable · 6/10 · 29 April 2007]

There is an inherent danger in looking retroactively at early films from established directors. As with Jarmusch's "Permanent Vacation", Bertolucci's "The Grim Reaper" or even Kubrick's "Killer's Kiss", it can be difficult - after garnering an admiration for a director - to look back at their less refined beginnings.

Such is the case with Wong Kar-Wai's As Tears Go By (Wong gok ka moon). During the film's early stages, it feels somewhat like an unhappy coupling between a flashy Hong Kong martial arts film and those really cheesy Chinese serials where the emperor's daughter accidentally falls pregnant to the chief eunuch warrior (or whatever, I've never watched one with subtitles). Having said that though, it doesn't quite reach the extremes of either: firstly because the action and violence, although the driving force of the film, are not in the least stylised but are in fact quite confronting; and secondly because the cheese of the soap opera elements is really only apparent through the use of dodgy 80's music. But this is simply dated, not inappropriate - after all, the same could be said about Blade Runner, although the montage about halfway through this film set to a Cantonese version of "Take my Breath Away" is just embarrassing.

As Tears go By also happens to get better as it progresses. Perhaps this is because the romance between Ah-Wah (Andy Lau) and Ah-Ngor (Maggie Cheung), which seems ready to overpower the film early on, becomes sidelined to the underground-crime half of the plot, which is certainly the most successful and believable half. Wong craftily creates a hard-boiled atmosphere and there is a lot of emotional resonance in the relationship between Wah and his young protégé, Fly (Jacky Cheung). Unfortunately, the same cannot really be said of the male-female relationship between the two stars. It manages to gain a small amount of credibility purely through the fact that we have seen the quiet girl-bad boy romance explored to greater depths in other films. Put this small amount of believability aside however, and it has a very tacked-on, Michael Bay kind of feel to it.

Although the film is easily criticised, one can nevertheless see Wong's style making its first appearance here, and I can certainly see the justification behind one reviewer's quote on the DVD case: "A promising debut". I would like to particularly single out his clever use of intimate but skewed, 'Dutch' camera angles to highlight the (forgive me for this expression) humanistic dehumanisation which would foreground his more recent and more famous films, "In the Mood for Love" and "2046". He also drives the film at an excellent pace, in spite of the fact that alternations between the subplots give it a slightly episodic, fragmented feel.

Ultimately, my major complaint is simply that while both the romance and the action have a great deal of potential, used together in this way they don't work. Personally I think Wong could either expand on the romance more or eradicate it entirely, and he would have a more complete film.

And while hoping not to contradict myself, I have to say that the above comments, which pervaded my thoughts for 90 minutes of this film, were quite rocked by the superb conclusion - framed within criminal violence but so much 'about' the romance - let me just say, whatever I may have thought about most of this film, it was definitely worth it for the ending. Overall, interesting mainly for being Wong's debut and definitely a taste of things to come.

6/10

Visually Arresting Debut

[clark-carpenter · 8/10 · 9 June 2006]

One of my favorite film viewing pastimes is going back to the early films of some of my favorite directors and getting a feel for where they've come from to get to where they are. In the last year or so, Wong Kar-Wai has firmly ensconced himself as my favorite contemporary filmmaker, and tonight, I treated myself to his 1988 debut feature As Tears Go By.

What makes this film fascinating is the startling degree to which Wong's instinct for visual poetry and his ability to translate the almost physical pain of longing onto the screen are both already finely honed, though the languid pacing and narrative inventiveness of his later works (like undisputed masterpiece In the Mood for Love) are notably absent.

As Tears Go By wears the clothing of a straightforward Hong Kong street opera of the type made famous during the 1980s by John Woo, though Wong also tips the cap to Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets. It features swaggering bravado and staccato violence one expects of such fare, and is both Wong's most accessible film and his only commercial success to date.

As Tears Go By centers on Wah (Andy Lau), an up-and-coming Triad gangster trying to balance his own ambitions against his loyalty to his feckless "little brother" Fly (Jacky Cheung), whose impulsivity represents a constant danger, not only to himself, but to Wah as well (though he also provides an otherwise tense film with much needed humor). Wah's life is further complicated by a growing love for his cousin Ngor (frequent Wong collaborator Maggie Cheung in her first major dramatic role), a beautiful girl whose existence he was totally unaware of before she came to stay with him while seeking medical treatment in Hong Kong.

Beneath the familiar aspects of genre film, however, lurk the seeds of Wong Kar-Wai's later mastery. As Tears Go By could have been just another bullet ballet, but it is instead a searing, romantic work of art, despite occasional clichés. Always something of an actor's director (and famous for leaning heavily on the improvisational talents of his stars, despite his own background as a screenwriter), he coaxes from his cast performances that are uniformly excellent. Jacky Cheung, in particular, stands out, and he imbues Fly with a reckless machismo that only serves to highlight the self-doubt that gnaws at his soul. The Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor trophy which Cheung won for this role was well-deserved.

But it is Wong Kar-Wai who really dominates As Tears Go By, as the visual and emotional style that characterized his later works is already in evidence. His signature thematic concerns of longing and memory, and the master iconography he associates with these concepts (slow burning cigarettes and torrential downpours, respectively) figure prominently in As Tears Go By, and while his mastery of the basic visual style he introduces in this film would increase with later films, he was already a powerful cinematic poet.

The only elements of his mature style that are missing are the characteristically recursive and self-referential narrative structures of his later work and the constant weight of emotional isolation that so perfectly captures the disassociative rootlessness of modern existence (though the latter is not completely lacking, and is especially apparent in the opening scenes of the movie). This has the effect of slightly lessening the impact of some of the imagery, but it cannot keep As Tears Go By from being an immensely powerful debut film.

8/10

a start for greater follow up

[pranay_misra · 7/10 · 21 July 2020]

Movie was debut feature of WKW. And it shows. It has few elements of 80s asian action movies. But still, it successfully captured the essence of important scenes. It is not great as WKW other flicks but it is not a bad flick. It kept me up although i had already seen Mean streets(and its one of my favrts).

Acting wise, all did a good job. Maggi C. was beautiful.

Neon lights, atmosphere, everything was enigmatic.

WKW - We love you, hope treat us of few more movies in your lifetime.

As Tears Go By Movie Review

[crogerlin · 8/10 · 10 March 2017]

"As Tears Go By", which was the directorial debut of director Kar-Wai Wong, doesn't look like a movie that was filmed by a rookie at directing. On the contrary, the movie is filled with director's personal style, which includes fast editing and slow motion with blurred images.

Sometimes, the editing of "As Tears Go By" was so fast that I felt like it had jumped to another part of the story, which is quite different from other movies I've watched, and confused me a little bit. However, there were still some great scenes that were made by fast editing, which excellently enhances the emotions and thoughts of the characters and the plots.

When filming the action scenes, director Kar-Wai Wong used slow motion with blurred images, which I think is a genius idea to express the mess in actions, and in characters' minds as well. Nonetheless, when it came to the crucial parts of the plots, the picture became clear, revealing not only to the characters in the movie but also to us watching it what really happened.

The acting in "As Tears Go By" is also brilliant, especially Jacky Cheung starring as Fly, and Maggie Cheung as Ngor. The point that this movie touches me the most is the brotherhood between Wah and Fly. Thanks to Jacky Cheung's great performance, I literally felt the rage, disappoint, sadness and many other kinds of emotion from Fly. Moreover, Ngor is another character that amazed me. Although she looked calm on the outside, her expression gave me a feeling that deep inside, there were more than that. And finally Maggie Cheung let the audience go inside her heart and delivered a performance I will never forget.

Like tears in rain.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

'As Tears Go By (1988)' is remarkably assured and, I suppose, fully-formed for a feature debut, displaying many elements which director Wong Kar-Wai would become known for later on in his career. Perhaps its only obviously unrefined element is its music, which - though satisfyingly atmospheric and periodic thanks to its heavy use of synths - is relatively haphazard in its placement and often overbearing in a slightly cheesy way. The picture focuses on a triad member whose attempts to leave his life of crime and live happily ever after in a romantic relationship with his cousin are constantly thwarted not by his lifestyle's unforgiving nature or the insistence of its authoritative members but by his desire to protect his reckless protégée from the life-endangering actions he constantly takes to prove himself. That's where the real tragedy of the piece lies and it's rather potent. The narrative plays out almost like that of a John Woo heroic bloodshed picture, with a focus on brotherhood and loyalty and the inherent risks associated with a criminal occupation. The difference, of course, is that this feature doesn't break its tension with lead-slinging, high-octane, brutally romanticised action; its moments of violence are fast-paced and impressionistic, unrelentingly brutal and more convinced with chaos than choreography. There's nothing romantic about the lives of its characters, nor the destruction they both inflict and have inflicted upon them. It avoids glamorising crime in any way shape or form, emerging as a truly tragic experience overall. Of course, it also has moments of melancholic beauty. The inevitable darkness of the story is made all the more biting by the genuine, visually distinct happiness provided by the brief moments of respite the hero finds with his enigmatically elegant and mundanely beautiful lover. The fact that the pair are related in some way does definitely dampen the success of their relationship, but it's undeniable that Wong's expert presentation of their dynamic is rousing and effective (it helps that the young Maggie Cheung is as alluring as ever). Ultimately, this is an entertaining and engaging experience throughout. It's also rather funny on occasion, despite being desperately sad overall. It's a brutal yet somewhat beautiful story of brotherhood, loyalty, love and longing.

Truly Enigmatic

[jay4stein79-1 · 8/10 · 27 December 2005]

What an utterly strange film this is.

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful this movie made me feel. I can equate it, on a visceral level, with listening to Daft Punk's Discovery. You know, that moment in "Harder Better Faster Stronger" when you get to the real break down replete with amazing vocoderized chanting? I had this stupid grin on my face the first time I heard that and immediately stopped dancing at this club in Cork, Ireland. It was jaw dropping. So is As Tears Go By.

It travels paths upon which many a film has journeyed (Mean Streets, most notably), but it contains such vibrancy and life that a rather bittersweet quasi-gangster movie is transformed into something more. It transcends the dour catholicism of Scorsese's breakthrough film and achieves a sense of joy and rapture that rivals some of the greatest, most buoyant films of all time (such as Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain).

The other reason to admire this film derives from its fight scenes. Compare the fisticuffs here to the work of more highly-regarded Asian action directors. Look at Crouching Tiger, Hero, or Hard Boiled and tell me that the fight scenes in those films are more brutal than the ones here. They're not. I will not go so far as to say that As Tears Go By contains better fight scenes, but I will say that I found that they hurt to watch; you could actually feel the blows. That's more than I can say for the fight scenes in those other films. The only thing that this film resembles, as far as eliciting a visceral reaction from a fight scene, is the fight in the trailer in Kill Bill 2 (or really the Uma/Vivica fight in Kill Bill 1). As Tears Goes By achieves a brutality that most directors try to avoid. And yes, that's admirable (insert rant about the desensitizing power of violence in media...).

This is a great movie, but not quite as great as Happy Together or Chungking Express (it is an improvement upon In the Mood for Love). This was one of Wong Kar Wai's earliest feature films and there is an immaturity to the direction at times that almost always accompanies the work of a young director. Wong Kar Wai is one of the greatest living directors (as good a filmmaker as Herzog, Jarmusch, Spielberg, or Leigh) and should be more highly regarded. As Tears Go By is a great place to start, as it is a tad more accessible than some of his later work and offers viewers a nice portal into this filmmaker's world.

Wong is the man

[alansabljakovic-39044 · 6/10 · 28 March 2020]

A lot of thing to love about this movie (Maggie Cheung ofc) but As Tears Go By, like many debuts, feels like Wong trying to find his own style. It has his techinques, dialogue, western music... but it's unpolished unlike his later work. Still impressive debut.

a strictly cosmetic Hong Kong crime melodrama

[mjneu59 · 5/10 · 5 November 2010]

The romantic (and likely mistranslated) title says a lot about this busy but empty underworld drama, in which the false glamour of crime and punishment is dressed up with plenty of teenage angst and no shortage of cosmetic style. The lack of any larger then life heroics (so common in Hong Kong action epics) is refreshing at first, but after a while the mean street poses and back alley beatings all begin to look alike, although the physical violence is, apparently, more punishing to watch than to receive, since nobody is disabled for longer than a scene or two. Never mind the mechanics of the actual plot, following a self-reliant young hood forced to risk his small empire to protect a reckless, troublemaking 'brother'; the general thrust of the narrative is slanted more toward the martyrdom so dear to an alienated, lovelorn teenage rebel's heart. Legible subtitles (and a better Cantonese-English dictionary) might have made an improvement.

Strong debut by Kar-Wai

[MarcoParzivalRocha · 7/10 · 28 June 2021]

Wah, a criminal who aspires to be a gang leader, falls in love with Ngor, a mysterious and attractive girl, who happens to be his cousin. Between forbidden love and his criminal life, Wah must save his best friend, Fly, from a terrible fate.

The debut film by Wong Kar-Wai, the mythical Hong Kong director, who showed his genius and irreverence right at the start. Few are the directors who, since the start of their career, have known the path that his work will take over the years, as in the case of Kar-Wai.

In As Tears Go By the topics for which he is known, such as everyday life in the city, love or disappointment are already present. With strong inspiration in Scorsese's Mean Streets, but with its own touch, it's a very adult and thoughtful film, although it gets a little lost in the transition between acts, which weakens the narrative at some levels.

Visually it has a beautiful color scheme, with neon lights that give a sense of dystopian mood.

A gangster flick with a romantic heart, and a director in the ascendant

[LouE15 · 6/10 · 7 November 2006]

If you can see through the sheer eighties-ness of this film, you'll find hidden gold. I checked it out recently, being a big fan of Wong Kar-Wai's riotous "Chungking Express" and masterful "In the Mood for Love", and having been impressed by Andy Lau's performance in the excellent "Infernal Affairs".

Wah (Andy Lau), seething with energy and anger, is trying to juggle life as a small-time gangster 'soldier', with keeping his wayward 'little brother' Fly (Jacky Cheung) under control, plus holding onto his relationship with a girl who's looking for a security he can't give her. Into this messy world, Ngor (Maggie Cheung), a sick cousin from a quiet holiday island across the water, is unexpectedly thrust on him for a few days' stay. He's a moody night owl, asleep through the day while she perches on the periphery of his clouded vision. But despite his brusqueness, in her quiet attentions to him she wins his notice – and their bond is confirmed when she silently assists him after he crashes back into his apartment one night, badly injured from another scrape caused by the troublesome Fly. With his life starting to crash around him, Wah finally realises that what he wants and needs is right there, if he will only take it. But his lifestyle is incompatible with the simple happiness he finds just within his reach, and something has to give.

What might otherwise be a pretty run-of-the-mill Hong Kong gangster flick is elevated by the quality of its director and its stars. Lau was a huge star and pin-up even then, and co-star Maggie Cheung's simplicity and underplaying nicely offset Lau's electric energy. Stars and director are alike much improved with age. Wong Kar-Wai's romantic sensibility is irrepressible even in the midst of what can be quite violent fare. But I guess it's really his fundamental approach to film-making – his deconstructed storytelling and camera-work and his mastery of mood – that has earned him attention and accolades worldwide. Sorry if I frankly prefer the former. His style isn't quite fully fledged here, and isn't fully successful, but it has stirring moments. Recommended mostly as a glance back into time with the benefit of hindsight; a bit like looking at "The Duel" to see the germs of Spielberg's ascendancy.

Solid debut from Wong-Kar Wai

[aleksandarsarkic · 6/10 · 29 August 2016]

Wong Kar-Wai is currently became one of my favorite living directors, i just love his style, aesthetics, stories, just amazing visionary and artist. Because of that i wanted to watch his debut movie "As Tears Go By", this was one of the movies i didn't watch to this date, and in my opinion it is solid for debut movie. It reminded me more on the other Hong Kong Movies from that time (there is not that kind of atmosphere like in "Fallen Angels" and "Chunking Express") this movie is more action packed, there is romance also but i think it is secondary thing in the movie. Acting is okay but the worst from all of his movies, in some moments i found it even funny and comic but for some strange reason i found it adorable. Only good acting you can see from Andy Lau he is really great in his role and even in that time he was a major star in Hong Kong. The relationship between Wah (Andy Lau) and cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung) is not that interesting it is even somehow unbelievable if you compare it to Wong's other movies. The most i like about this movie is aesthetics they are so great, neon-lights and Hong Kong at night, citchy synth 80's music, and Cantonese version of "Take My Breath Away" how not to love this. I think that many fans of his movies "In The Mood For Love" and "Chunking Express" will not like this movie, they will hate it, but for me it is totally okay, as i say it is not perfect(it is full of flaws) but as a big fan of his later work, Hong Kong Cinema and Asian Cinema at all i somehow love this movie, and i found it interesting to see Hong Kong from that time. My grade 6/10.

Building Blocks to Greatness

[mllora3 · 10/10 · 26 December 2005]

As Tears Go By is the pure 'Ah Fei' offering from Wong Kar-wai. Stephen Teo writes that you take one part Scorcese's "Mean Streets," and you add one part Jarmusch's "Stranger than Paradise" (Teo 16) and you have one heck of a Triad film. A triad sibling Wah (Andy Lau) has his little brother Fly's (Jackie Cheung) back. Fly is constantly in trouble. Added to the mix is Wah's cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung) who needing a place to stay while getting a checkup at the local hospital stays in his flat. The Wah and Ngor mysteriously fall in love - sort of that charm of the bad boy business. However, in order to get anything on with Ngor, Wah needs to settle up for the ill will accumulated by Fly. That is the short of it. Being Wong Kar-wai's first film - it is understandable that he has not really developed his oeuvre. Andy Lau, convincingly played a triad brother, reminds one of the dysfunctional characters that Wong cultivates. One would not know it if one's entry into the labyrinth of Wong Kar-wai is through this movie but I guess this movie lays the framework for his adherence to genre in an effort to belong. Maggie Cheung is stunning. She will eventually develop into the forlorn lover in later movies like "Days of Being Wild" and "In the Mood for Love" and Jackie Cheung, plays the never do well 'Ah Fei' who is destined to bite it. Difficult to get too deep here but according to Stephen Teo we really do not see the promise that Wong Kar-wai eventually delivers. I have to disagree. I think, to some extent, we do see the promise that Wong-Kar-wai brings to cinema - the dark brooding characters who all too often defy time and identity are beginning to show themselves in this movie. The trick is to move forward from here to open new spaces of consideration in a movie world so eager to adhere to codes and rules that exemplify genre or worse formula. Kudos all around.

Miguel Llora

Eighties Wong

[politic1983 · 7/10 · 21 July 2022]

It's hard to now watch Wong Kar-wai's debut "As Tears Go By" without considering it in the context of his body of work. In many ways similar to his other films, it is also very different; very much a product of its time. His only film released in the Eighties; this feels more akin to a John Woo action flick. But with "Days of Being Wild" acting as a bridge, it is clear to see the starting point of his evolution as a filmmaker.

While "Ashes of Time" and "The Grandmaster" are billed as kung-fu films, and "Chungking Express" and "Fallen Angels" are not without their weaponry, "As Tears Go By" is much more graphic and frequent in its violence. Wah (Andy Lau) and his little brother Fly (Jacky Cheung) frequently find themselves in back-alley scrapes with rival Tony (Alex Man) and his thugs.

The film's love interest comes in the form of Ngor (Maggie Cheung) who comes to stay with her distant cousin Wah in Kowloon. Having never met before, the longer she stays, the more and more Wah is attracted to her. But Ngor seems wholesome compared to Wah's street-wise entrepreneurship.

The crux of "As Tears Go By" is loyalty. Wah is a man clearly more intelligent and respected than his position as a mid-level criminal, and shows signs of wanting to start a quiet life with Ngor. But his loyalty to little brother Fly is his downfall. Fly is young and wild, continually looking for trouble he can't handle. He costs Wah a lot of time, money and beatings. But when the opportunity to walk away from him and start a new life with Ngor presents itself, he can only run to Fly when he is frequently in need.

And this is the essence of a Wong film, though in a less common scenario for him. His work always revolves around love that will remain unfulfilled; so easy to obtain, but is the tragedy of his characters. Wong likes his creations to get close, but never quite touch.

The look, however, is very much Wong, though a more Eighties version. A neo-noir style throughout, with neon lights across the night scene and smoke billowing in the air. The soundtrack too is very Eighties, and not as timeless as his others would become. This is where it is very much like a Woo film in its sounds, as the music soothes those who have just been beaten. The Cantonese cover version of "Take My Breath Away" comes layered in cheese, but fits the tone perfectly.

In look it is most similar to the Brigette Lin scenes of "Chungking Express", with its slowed-down frame speed for scenes of violence, with Andrew Lau's cinematography common to both.

As a debut, this is good, but perhaps many parts are reminiscent of many other Hong Kong action films of the era. The artistic style shows that Wong could break free of this mould and move on to bigger and better things; his flair for atmosphere and mood more original than his action sequencing.

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The start of something unique . For better or for worse

[dolce_knights43 · 8/10 · 16 May 2011]

Wong Kar Wai's films have been described by people in different adjectives. There are those who claim that his films are boring, pretentious, badly plotted etc. There are also those who claim that his films have been the highest incarnations of movie art and are the best amalgamations of cutting edge and innovative camera techniques and deep, rich and unusual characterizations. So after years of watching his films, which is really which? The answer is quite simple and it has to be both and in fact I can say that MOST of WKW's films exhibit those qualities. So, if you are not into those films mentioned described by both his critics and fans, then you should skip this particular director's films.

But one thing is still sure: there is such a thing as a good and a bad WKW film. How can you determine? It's relatively easy. Remember that I said that all of his films contained the trademark good and bad elements? If one of the bad elements overpowers the good ones then it is simply a bad WKW film. So what's the deal with Wong's first film?

"As tears go by" was one of the most unique films to come out of HK that year and what was more interesting about it was that it was basically a triad movie, a genre that was defined so well in movies like "The Club" and "Hong Kong Godfather" and refined and somewhat redesigned by "A Better Tomorrow". In general, these films were violently entertaining and each film left a permanent mark on the psyches of audiences everywhere, particularly on how they viewed triads. Watching "As tears go by" must have left a big "What the..?" impression on their faces. That can be justified because the plot is miles away from the usual triad formula of blood brothers having an enemy inside the ranks, the customary treacherous betrayal and of course the bloody revenge where everybody dies. Not in the case of this movie. This movie, like what other reviewers have noticed, is the unofficial HK version of Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets". Just like how Scorsese's movie was a documentary-like exploration of the life and times of Italian Mobsters in New York's Little Italy, "As tears go by" does the same with the exploration of the lives of triads in the crowded Mongkok District of Hong Kong. (You can also spot the similarities between the main characters in "Mean Streets" and "As tears go by")The plot is also basically more or less the same and what WKW's version gains more weight is in terms of its technical and visual aspects.

Scorsese's movie was shot in a down and dirty manner that reflected both its documentary aspirations as well as its very low budget. WKW's film is the actual opposite with its combination of dizzying camera shots as well as odd camera angles. (Cinematography by noted HK filmmaker Andrew Lau Wai Keung) Although WKW hasn't gone yet into full "Chungking" mode, most of the film is still shot in the relatively normal HK manner. (As far as Triad films are concerned that is). The action scenes are also surprisingly brutal, crude and none have any of the polish that makes the blows in other action films seemed less painful than they should be. (Courtesy of Action Choreographer Stephen Tung Wai of "A Better Tomorrow"/ "Reign of Assassins"/ "The Assassin" fame)When people get shot, slashed and smashed and they suffer the bloody consequences. Those statements might give other people the idea that this is a rocking triad action picture but it isn't. The scenes of violence might be strong and might pop out when least expected but they happen so infrequently that you will ultimately be focused on how all these tragic acts of violence affect and spiral the lives of these characters downwards

The acting, on most parts, is okay although I have to admit that in drama films what I focus on more of course would be the acting. (Simply because that is what it has to offer, right?) Andy Lau, as other reviewers have noticed, looks like he was simply phoning in his lines and is simply lazy. Although I can very well see what they mean (especially in the scenes in the beginning with Andy Lau's girlfriend), it is redeemed by some minor scenes like the scene where he pours a bottle of whiskey on his stone-cold, world-weary face. The strongest role in the movie is portrayed by Jacky Cheung as Lau's protégé Fly. Cheung's manic acting style compliments his role pretty well; a role that has several parallels with Robert De Niro's Johnny Boy in "Mean Streets" but one that takes a new and even more drastic turn plot wise. Alex Man is superb again as (what else?) the bad triad, a role that he owned in Taylor Wong's "Rich and Famous" and "Tragic Hero".

A bad note in the film comes in the form of overused soundtrack, in this case the Cantonese version of "Take my Breath Away." While it was very surprising to hear it the first time, it soon proved to be quite annoying. I like 80's music, but I believe that it was relatively used for too long.

Overall, the whole experience was a great WKW experience, even if there are some aforementioned pitfalls, but then they are covered more than enough by the striking visuals and some good acting, and not to mention the level of ambition displayed here. Overall, a great merge of a Triad film and a later WKW film. Those expecting a triad movie ala "Bloody Brotherhood" or "The Killer" should probably adjust their individual tastes first before approaching the movie. For better or for worse, WKW has opened the floodgates, inviting several other filmmakers to the "new" style of film.

A rather enjoyable late 80s Hong Kong movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 3 March 2023]

Of course I have seen the 1988 Kar-Wai Wong movie "Wong Gok Ka Moon" (aka "As Tears Go By") before, given my love of the Hong Kong cinema and also because Maggie Cheung is my favorite actress. But as I had the opportunity to revisit it again here in 2023, of course I did so.

And I will say that writers Jeffrey Lau and Kar-Wai Wong did write a script and storyline for the movie that proves every bit as enjoyable and watchable today, 35 years later, as it did back in the day. If you haven't already seen "Wong Gok Ka Moon", then it is a movie that I can recommend you to do.

The storyline in "Wong Gok Ka Moon" is one that deals with a handful of different issues; such as being a small time gangster on the streets of Kowloon, one of brotherhood, and also a love story. Kar-Wai Wong, as the writer and director, manages to balance all aspects of the storyline quite nicely, so there is something for just about anyone here.

The acting performances in the movie are good, and of course they are, with the likes of Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung and Jacky Cheung on the cast list.

"Wong Gok Ka Moon" is a movie that can be watched more than just once, which is a good accomplishment from writers Jeffrey Lau and Kar-Wai Wong.

My rating of "Wong Gok Ka Moon" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

Neon lights and cigarettes; Gritty crimes and a tender romance

[Dunkaccino · 8/10 · 15 May 2023]

Wong Kar Wai's feature debut is decently confident; Beautifully directed, even if the film itself is held back a lot by the basic gangster formula. As Tears Go By is an intimate film with a structure I can almost compare to Blue Velvet. Both films interwine two storylines of gritty organized crime and naturalistic romance. The two plots don't directly interfere, but they both feel carefully constructed to paint the main character Wah (Andy Lau, a powerful performance).

The plot is predictable like any of these late 80's Hong Kong crime thrillers. It all involves risky operations and life-threatening situations. It is always obvious that there are no optimistic outcomes. This part is a story of brotherhood, between the powerful Wah and his sidekick, an impulsive gangster wannabe who easily gets himself into trouble (hence the constant need for Wah to set aside his personal life to save him). Besides all this is a romance between Wah and his cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung, always the glimpse of innocence in an otherwise darker tone) that is simple, yet affectionate, and bittersweet.

Wong Kar Wai entered his directing career with a more mainstream title. As Tears Go By is almost a vehicle for him to build his style. There are differences between this film and others of its kind. For one, it has a tender soul beneath its cold, bitter surface. The presence of such a quiet relationship between our protagonist adds the film some humanity.

If only Wong focuses a little more on the emotional parts instead of the bleak scenes of fights and confrontations. And two years later, he made Days of Being Wild, an emotional character study that is unconcerned with plot but with mood. Now that's a true Wong Kar Wai film.

People like us don't have tomorrows

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 13 May 2010]

This film has been described as a Hong Kong "Mean Streets." It is certainly a violent film, but Kar Wai Wong is not Martin Scorsese.

Wong had written over a dozen films before he wrote this one, but it is significant because it is his directorial debut. It shows future promise that will be fulfilled in In the Mood for Love, which starred Maggie Cheung; and Happy Together. Of course, my favorite is the magnificent 2046 with Maggie Cheung, Li Gong and Ziyi Zhang.

Andy Lau spends his time keeping his hotheaded brother (Jacky Cheung) out of trouble, and romancing Cheung.

The film received a slew of nominations, but wins for Jacky Cheung as Best Supporting actor, and William Chang for art direction.

Fantastic music, in my humble opinion, featuring Take My Breath Away.

WKW before he found his groove

[jimniexperience · 4/10 · 28 December 2017]

Wong Kar-Wai shot at the "Heroic Bloodshed" ...

It's a miss