Fallen Angels

Style and story aren't exactly two things that go hand in hand. You can have a very compelling but raw story (a la John Cassavetes) or a movie that has more glitz than Las Vegas (a la Luc Besson). It's one of the two. You can't have both.

That doesn't stop Wong Kar-Wai from doing that. And quite successfully, I might add. I think when I saw In the Mood for Love, that was when I realized that Wong was going to be a director I liked.

His film Fallen Angels was only more proof of that. Sharing several elements of his previous film Chungking Express, the film basks in the neon lights of Hong Kong.

That detail is thanks to the watchful eye of cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Granted, his *cough* recent opinions may not earn him a lot of popularity votes, but his work here certainly will. I'm surprised he hasn't been nominated yet.

Fallen Angels is actually pretty awesome. Usually style and story don't work very well for me but here it's different. I'm definitely seeing more of Wong's work if it's this tantalizing.

My Rating: *****