Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108231 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-02-22
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 98 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
American fans who know Chow Yun-fat only from the John Woo gunplay films, or from U.S. efforts such as Replacement Killers, may be startled by his work in writer-director Mabel Cheung's gentle autobiographical tale. This a serious, personal picture, filmed on a shoestring in New York, a John Sayles-style film that happened to strike a chord with HK's big audience. A recent college graduate, played by Cherie Chung (the perky gold-digger in Tsui Hark's Peking Opera Blues), arrives in Manhattan from Hong Kong to study acting. She's a virginal country mouse, appalled by the filth and the abrasive natives, very earnest about her art. Chow plays her city-mouse cousin, a conniving taxi driver who drinks, brawls, and gambles, and takes the green girl under his wing. Plot developments will remind you of every naively sensitive autobiographical first novel ever written, but the slightly dazzled tone fits the characters. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of Chinatown gambling dens and restaurant kitchens, and Chow's all-stops-out star performance, are definite assets. --David Chute

Customer Reviews

A warm, sweet story.
A warm, sweet story about a shy young woman named Jennifer who leaves her family and upbringing in Hong Kong behind to study acting with her boyfriend in New York. She is introduced to New York by "Figurehead", who assigns himself the task of assisting his "4th aunt's 13th cousin" to settle down in the slums of her new hometown.

Shy and unsure of herself, Jennifer is assisted through homesickness, a bit of culture shock and a broken heart by "Figgy". Though he is uncouth and crude he is kind and faithful, unlike Jennifer's fickle upperclass boyfriend.

After many trials and tribulations, Figgy falls for Jennifer. Of course there are complications, and that's what this film is about: the complexities of love.

Chow Yun-Fat gives an outstanding performance as Figgy, and Cherie Chung is superlative as usual. This film won Best Picture at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1988, and Chow and Chung were nominated as Best Actor and Actress respectively. Chow is very under-appreciated as a dramatic and comedic actor outside of Asia; anyone seeing this film or some of his other roles such as those in "Dream Lovers" and "All About Ah Long" will be convinced of his range.

Beautifully shot and directed with style and humanity. A good film for the entire family.

For True Chow Fans
If you are a true Chow Yun Fat fan, then you will want to watch those movies beside the gun fights in which he is known for. From this film, and others like "All About Ah-Long," "Hong Kong, 1941," or "God of Gambles - I" you will realize that he really is an all-around great actor. He really cannot be categorized as only an action star, as Hollywood has seem to do so. With movies like "the Corruptor" and the low office box turnout in "Anna and the King" due to weak directing and the fact that everyone knows the story already, Hollywood is not introducing the real Chow to the American audience. So if you are his fan, stick to his older movies, although many of them are bad too.

Chow's best non action showcase.
This film is one of the best showcases for chow's talents as an actor. A great story about romance, very touching. It was a very lowbudget production from hong kong shot in NY with the help of NYU. I found the chemistry between Chow and Cherie very touching, and the lowbudget production make it seem all the more realistic. Great NY backdrop.