Thomas Tokmenko This movie is absolutely straight-up bonkers, nuts, crazy, insane. To say "the cinematographer's fueled by a combination of drugs" is an understatement. Seeing a few of Wong Kar-Wai's other features I really had high hopes for this one, however at the end I found it disappointing as it doesn't capture the same charisma or structure of his other films, for example like As Tears Go By or Chungking Express. The biggest problem in my opinion is Michelle Reis' character as the set-up girl. She isn't given enough screen time to establish a decent bond with the audience, the charm surrounding her is flat. Karen Mok's character of Blondie is unfortunately average, she comes across as annoying rather than afflicted and thus fails to capture the audience's interest too. The women in this movie just don't tote the same amount of power as in other Kar-Wai films. The females are cold and don't intend to change, which goes against the male characters and flow of the movie. Again the cinematography feels overzealous and at some moments, even pretentious which I never thought I could say about Kar-Wai. Complaints aside, Takeshi Kaneshiro steals the show with his bizarre character, and I would actually watch the movie again just to see his portion. There's a lot of great themes here, and the sense of grittiness and isolation is done extremely well. Overall I didn't enjoy Fallen Angels, but I do understand the attraction. Other Wong Kar-Wai fans may love it. -6/10

evileyereviews Strapping neon lights in the dark underbelly of Hong Kong sets the stage for this uber-hip tale of isolationist tragedy of love-shorn, fallen heroes as they try to make their way amongst the cold heartless throngs of civilization. Where connections of life are hostile, our players literally create from scratch a method to link a distant humanity to their otherwise meaningless lives. The result is pure visual bliss. To not be pleasurably mesmerized by this flick is a treason best left without a conviction. The story is a haphazard scramble of lost souls loosely linked by a cinematic art form best left undefined. The direction is just as indescribably perfect, like putting into words the puissance of Mona Lisa's hinting smile. The camera man must have enjoyed a cocktail of methamphetamines washed down with steroids, the result being a wonderfully frenzied complex of voyeuristic energies and incongruous situations whose symbolic import are indelibly brought together in this flick's perfect ending. The only problem was that, as in all of life, the good times all must come to a painful end, a lustful need for more conjugated to an emptiness that life verite' seems unwilling to fulfill. Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews

antho42 One of the most, overuse words in the internet is "pretentious." In the IMDb boards, with art films, it is rare to find a thread that does not critique the film on the ground of being "pretentious." The overuse of the word has rendered it meaningless, in both film criticism and discussion, since for the most part, it is wrongly utilized. However, it does not follow that there are not films that are "pretentious." On the contrary, there are tons of awful and misguided films that fit the label.At first glance, Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels might appear to fit the negative label -- with its eccentric, unnatural, and unorthodox direction and storyline. Yet, the film does not—since there is a purpose to the bold, artistic elements. "Pretentious" only applies to films that include nontraditional elements, simply to be different, or to appear more intelligent than then it actually is; in other words, films that try to be "arty" for meaningless and for shallow purposes. Wong's daring decisions are not pointless: they actually enrich the film; the film will be an inferior product, without the auteur's aspects. There is not a movement in the work, that the audience does not separate the fact that it is simply a "film." But what Wong accomplishes with the film medium -- like the famous painters Picasso, Matisse, and Monet did with painting medium -- is to make an abstract work that still manages to emotionally connect with the audience. Watching the characters interact is an enjoyable experience. They may be caricatures, but they make sense in Wong's Hong Kong. Despite all of them being quirky, they all have their own personality, and thus, feel organic. It is a hung out film: it feel as if you are transported to Hong Kong, interacting with the characters. In comparison to his rest of filmography, the film is not anywhere near the top -- those spots belongs to In the Mood of Love and the Chungking Express. Its story does not match In Mood of Love; its energetic, free spirit does not match Chungking Express—mainly because it is a lesser sequel and it does not include the fabulous Faye Wong. A lesser Wong's film is still a must see, and Fallen Angels is no exception. Do not be afraid of an Impressionistic, ultra cool Hong Kong.

gcd70 Desperate account of Hong Kong's subculture of criminals trying to "make it" is a painfully meandering, thematic piece that disjointedly makes its way to its un-startling conclusion.Wong Kar-Wai draws his picture out far too much, and the viewer will spend most of a long 96 minutes trying to figure out what the writer-director is up to. His cast seem to do exactly what's required, but what that is, is pure conjecture. Odd camera angles and black and white photography add a touch of "art", but again no reason seems apparent.Kar-Wai's main theme appeared to be relationships, though I was so confused at times I could be wrong.Monday, July 20, 1998 - Hoyts Croydon