Fallen Angels (1995 film)
Encyclopedia
Fallen Angels is a 1995 Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai
, starring Leon Lai
, Takeshi Kaneshiro
, Michelle Reis
, Charlie Yeung
and Karen Mok
.
Fallen Angels can be seen as a companion piece to Chungking Express
. It was originally conceived as the third story for Chungking Express, but Fallen Angels can be considered a sequel due to similar themes, locations and methods of filming, while one of the main characters lives in the Chungking Mansions
and works at the Midnight Express food stall.
embarks on his last hit but first he has to overcome the affections of his cool, detached partner he rarely sees. Thinking it is dangerous and improper to become involved with a colleague, he tries to find a surrogate for his affections. Against the sordid and surreal urban nightscape, he crosses paths with a strange drifter looking for her ex-boyfriend and a mute trying to get the world's attention in his own ways.
" sung by Shirley Kwan
, a reworking of the classic by Teresa Teng
, and one of the very few 'contemporary' Cantopop songs ever used by Wong Kar Wai in his films. In the film, the song is used as a message from the hitman to his partner. One track played prominently throughout the film is "Because I'm Cool" by Nogabe "Robinson" Randriaharimalala. It samples Karmacoma by Massive Attack
.
The Flying Pickets version of "Only You
" was used in the last scene of the Wong Kar-Wai film.
, Roger Ebert
gave Fallen Angels three stars out of a possible four:
Stephen Holden
of the New York Times said:
In the Village Voice, J. Hoberman
wrote:
On January 21, 1998, the film began a limited North American theatrical run through Kino International, grossing US $13,804 in its opening weekend in one American theatre. The final North American theatrical gross was US $163,145.
In 2004, Australian distribution company Accent Film Entertainment released a remastered widescreen
version of the film http://www.accentfilm.com/product.cfm?id=MTAwMDAwOA%3D%3D&cat=MQ%3D%3D enhanced for 16x9 screens.http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare7/fallenangels.htm
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
, starring Leon Lai
Leon Lai
Leon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...
, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Takeshi Kaneshiro , born October 11, 1973, is a Taiwan-born Japanese actor and singer.-Name:...
, Michelle Reis
Michelle Reis
-Biography:Reis was born in Macau which was then a Portuguese colony. Reis is of mixed ancestry as her father is Portuguese and her mother is Chinese. So, she can be considered as a macanese. Reis attended Maryknoll Convent School, and matriculated from St. Paul's Secondary School.Reis started...
, Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei, sometimes spelled Charlie Young, is a Chinese film actress and singer. She was first noticed after appearing in a jewellery commercial with Aaron Kwok...
and Karen Mok
Karen Mok
Karen Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
.
Fallen Angels can be seen as a companion piece to Chungking Express
Chungking Express
Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman...
. It was originally conceived as the third story for Chungking Express, but Fallen Angels can be considered a sequel due to similar themes, locations and methods of filming, while one of the main characters lives in the Chungking Mansions
Chungking Mansions
Chungking Mansions, is a building located at 36–44 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The building is well known as nearly the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong. Though the building is supposedly residential, it is made up of many independent low-budget hotels, shops, and other...
and works at the Midnight Express food stall.
Plot outline
Set in contemporary Hong Kong, a disillusioned hitmanHitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
embarks on his last hit but first he has to overcome the affections of his cool, detached partner he rarely sees. Thinking it is dangerous and improper to become involved with a colleague, he tries to find a surrogate for his affections. Against the sordid and surreal urban nightscape, he crosses paths with a strange drifter looking for her ex-boyfriend and a mute trying to get the world's attention in his own ways.
Soundtrack
Featured in the "Fallen Angels" soundtrack is a version of "Forget HimForget Him
"Forget Him" is arguably the most widely known Cantonese pop song ever produced. Written by Hong Kong media maverick James Wong, it was originally sung by Teresa Teng and was included in her first Cantonese album, "势不两立" ....
" sung by Shirley Kwan
Shirley Kwan
Shirley Kwan, Kwan Suk’E, or Kwan Suk Yee is an influential Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. She first shot to fame in 1989 as a pop sensation with the hit, "Happy Are Those In Love" and was popular throughout the early to mid-90s...
, a reworking of the classic by Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
, and one of the very few 'contemporary' Cantopop songs ever used by Wong Kar Wai in his films. In the film, the song is used as a message from the hitman to his partner. One track played prominently throughout the film is "Because I'm Cool" by Nogabe "Robinson" Randriaharimalala. It samples Karmacoma by Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
.
The Flying Pickets version of "Only You
Only You (Yazoo song)
-Track listing:7": Mute/7 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 3:447": Sire/9 2-98447 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Winter Kills" - 4:0112": Mute/12 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 5:20CD: Mute/CD MUTE 20...
" was used in the last scene of the Wong Kar-Wai film.
Critical reception
In the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave Fallen Angels three stars out of a possible four:
"It's kind of exhausting and kind of exhilarating. It will appeal to the kinds of people you see in the Japanese animation section of the video store, with their sleeves cut off so you can see their tattoos. And to those who subscribe to more than three film magazines. And to members of garage bands. And to art students. It's not for your average moviegoers—unless of course, they want to see something new."
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
of the New York Times said:
"Fallen Angels is a densely packed suite of zany vignettes that have the autonomy of pop songs or stand-up comic riffs, all stitched together with repetitive shots of elevated trains, underground subway stations and teeming neon-lit streets. Although the story takes a tragic turn, the movie feels as weightless as the tinny pop music that keeps its restless midnight ramblers darting around the city like electronic toy figures in a gaming arcade."
In the Village Voice, J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
James Lewis Hoberman , also known as J. Hoberman, is an American film critic. He is currently the senior film critic for The Village Voice, a post he has held since 1988.-Education:...
wrote:
"The acme of neo-new-wavism, the ultimate in MTV alienation, the most visually voluptuous flick of the fin de siécle, a pyrotechnical wonder about mystery, solitude, and the irrational love of movies that pushes Wong's style to the brink of self-parody."
Box office
The film made HK $7,476,025 during its Hong Kong run.On January 21, 1998, the film began a limited North American theatrical run through Kino International, grossing US $13,804 in its opening weekend in one American theatre. The final North American theatrical gross was US $163,145.
In 2004, Australian distribution company Accent Film Entertainment released a remastered widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
version of the film http://www.accentfilm.com/product.cfm?id=MTAwMDAwOA%3D%3D&cat=MQ%3D%3D enhanced for 16x9 screens.http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare7/fallenangels.htm
DVD
Kino International, which currently distributes the film on DVD, is planning a re-release of the film from a new high-definition transfer on November 11, 2008. Kino released the film on Blu-ray Disc in America in 2010.Awards and nominations
- 1996 Hong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
- Won: Best Supporting Actress (Karen MokKaren MokKaren Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
) - Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher DoyleChristopher DoyleChristopher Doyle is a cinematographer. He has won the AFI Award for cinematography, the Cannes Technical Grand Prize, Golden Osella, the Golden Horse awards , and Hong Kong Film Award . Doyle is an affiliate of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers.-Biography:Doyle was born in Sydney,...
) - Won: Best Original Score (Frankie ChanFrankie ChanFrankie Chan Fan-kei is a Chinese actor, film director, producer, action director, and composer.Chan is best known to Hong Kong action cinema fans as the main antagonist in Sammo Hung's The Prodigal Son where he faces Yuen Biao in the final reel...
, Roel A. Garcia) - Nominated: Best Picture
- Nominated: Best Director (Wong Kar-waiWong Kar-waiWong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
) - Nominated: Best Art Direction (William Chang)
- Nominated: Best Costume and Make-up Design (William Chang)
- Nominated: Best Film Editing (William Chang, Wong Ming-lam)
- Nominated: Best New Performer (Lei Chen-mei)
- Won: Best Supporting Actress (Karen Mok
- 1995 Golden Horse Film Festival
- Won: Best Original Song (William Chang)
- Won: Best Production Design (William Chang)
- 1996 Hong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsHong Kong Film Critics Society AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong, China since 1995. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the members of the society...
- Won: Film of Merit
- 1996 Golden Bauhinia AwardsGolden Bauhinia AwardsGolden Bauhinia Awards is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996....
- Won: Best Supporting Actress (Karen MokKaren MokKaren Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
) - Won: Best Cinematography (Christopher DoyleChristopher DoyleChristopher Doyle is a cinematographer. He has won the AFI Award for cinematography, the Cannes Technical Grand Prize, Golden Osella, the Golden Horse awards , and Hong Kong Film Award . Doyle is an affiliate of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers.-Biography:Doyle was born in Sydney,...
)
- Won: Best Supporting Actress (Karen Mok