The acting is excellent all round. I am particularly impressed with Gong Li, and although she has relatively short screen time, she makes a great impact with her aristocratic bearing. Zhang Ziyi is also a fine actor, and has come a long way since her role as a teenage girl in Zhang Yimou’s "The Road Home" (1999). She portrays the role of a vulnerable high class prostitute with skill and sensitivity. Tony Leung has a difficult part because he is basically a rascal, out to have a good time, and prepared to dump Ziyi who has fallen for him. He is convincing in this part.
I also like Faye Wong, with her impish look. Tony Leung asks her to help him complete the novel. When she leaves for Japan, she takes the draft with her. Later she writes to him and comments: "the ending is too sad; can you try to change it to a happier ending?" You then notice the title of the novel has been changed to "2047". Tony starts with the revision, and for a brief moment there is a ray of hope in his life.
Wallow in the seedy half-lit angst-filled world where time fluctuates, where lovers are easily available, but true love is not. The film is not everybody's cup of Chinese tea. It works for me, so therefore I recommend it.
2046 was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Ken, i didnt read the review on account of im wary of spoilers, but how the hell did you get to see this? i heard he was still sticking bits together and tearing bits out and rearranging (editing, i believe its called), and generally annoying the hell out of festival organisers. egads, i envy you sir.
2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
ken, thanks for the email! very informative. i belive this is going to be shown at the upcoming london film festival, which is useless to the duke, but at least means that it's that little closer to getting a proper uk release.
also, i feel i should plug this - http://www.mondoirlando.com/asian_horror_reviews.html - since not only is it an ongoing collection of the duke's "asian extreme" reviews, but also has a photo of the duke doing the ringu. very, very disturbing