"Actually, really knowing someone doesn't mean anything. It's a fantastic opening, encapsulates a couple of the movie's key ideas, such as time and intimacy, while also leaving a tantalizing hint of what's to come. This is the first line of the film, which we hear via voiceover during a foot chase. 57 hours later, I fell in love with this woman." Cop 223 "That was the closest we ever got, just 0.01 cm between us. As the voice of reason in the film, the manager helps us to seejust how hopelessly heartsick or lost all of the other characters are. Really, the manager of the Midnight Express could say this to any of the characters who we see him interact with. You're sleepwalking." Manager of the Midnight Express When Cop 223 first says this, it sounds self-deprecating, but when we actually see him go for a run at the height of his distress later in the film, it's clear that he's really a lost soul. "The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears." Cop 223 "Did I leave the tap running, or is the apartment getting more tearful?" Cop 663īy this point in the film, Cop 663's façade of a stoic officer of the law has totally broken down, as we now understand him to be a hopeless, aimless romantic just like his counterpart from earlier in the film, Cop 223. But all she needs to do to drown it everything out is turn up the music. This is a perfect encapsulation of '90s ennui, illustrating a young, energetic girl who is burdened by the trappings of modern life. This is perhaps Faye's signature line in the film, talking about why she's always blasting The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'".
#CHUNGKING EXPRESS MUSIC FULL#
The modern city is full of people and lives, often making the people in it feel both overwhelmed by the number of other people to possibly connect with, while also feeling alone and alienated from each other. This is a humorous line that conveys one of the central ideas of Chungking Express. Plenty of choice in men, just like junk food." Cop 663 "She said she wanted to try some new dishes. It's his willingness to believe that their relationship may still have a chance, and that she may come back to him. His ex-girlfriend used to hide in his place and jump out at him when he got home from work. "Somedays I go home for lunch, because there's always a chance." Cop 663Ĭope 663 says this when searching through his apartment. It illustrates the almost pathetic degree to which he's grieving his relationship. He is looking for anyone or anything to connect with emotionally in a real way, and he cannot even find sympathy and love from his dog. So how come mine won't share my grief right now?" Cop 223Ĭop 223 says this while eating his 30 cans of pineapple on April 30th. It's a metaphor for the expiration of the love he had with his ex-girlfriend, and expiration dates appear as a motif throughout the film, especially in its first half. "When did everything start having an expiration date?" Cop 223Ĭop 223 says this while looking through cans of pineapple with the expiration date of May 1st.