Rating: 
Summary: An Exceptional Movie, Can't Wait for the Signature DVD!!
Review: I first saw this film in Scottsdale, AZ at the local arthouse movie theatre, and it really left me with a feeling. Couldn't immediately put it into words or identify it, but a feeling nonetheless...an impact...a strange sensation. The more time that passed, the more I thought about the film and the more I liked the experiece while watching it. Although I have never been to HK, I believe that Wayne Wang has captured the breath and soul of Hong Kong and the mysteries that it carries. It has put in me, a hope and a dream that one day I can visit this exotic city and breathe in the aroma, the sounds and sights of its vibrant, pulsing atmosphere. Even with Ms. Li's newly budding English skills, this is still a remarkable piece and dazzles with metaphors and rich character-driven fabric. Ruben Blades is a marvelous choice as Iron's ex-pat friend and strums a beautiful song, Across the Borderline. Mr. Wang, if you are listening, this is fine piece of work and I hope that you continue to make these wonderful films that evoke a canvas of feelings and stimulate the senses.
Rating: 
Summary: The Box has magical powers...
Review: I have to say I fell for Gong Li in this film. This is not Shakespeare in love, this is Jermery Irons in love and hate. Gong Li was the forbidden women that that poor mr jaded journalist Jermery Irons could have had... But, he was called away like the British that leave during the film in a mass of fleeing rats from the ship. The background to this film is interesting as the 1997 change over is played out. Yet Gong Li has played this character before, or something like it, but here she is able to seduce the Brit this time. The poor Brit? No, he is more like the tiger that hunts the streets that quests for a reason to live. I was most affectd by the ending of this film, because I knew what would happen, but I did not know how the characters would react, hopfully not go and die....
Rating: 
Summary: boring pointless film which even I had trouble enjoying
Review: I know it's a bit old, but I just want to warn people away from watchinga potential waste of film called "Chinese Box." I was expecting a more entertaining movie, or at least a movie with some point to it (give the director's past productions like "Joy Luck Club"), but instead we get a rated-R film which doesn't even merit a PG-13 rating. They stuck in some cussing just to make the movie rated-R.The people mumble all the time, making their words hard to understand (I am a native speaker of English, by the way.) The DVD-version is letterboxed 4:3 instead of 16:9 widescreen anamorphic (ok, ok, this is a minor technical quibble.) And the characters are so loserly I lost interest in their stupid past (which was probably self-inflicted anyway) within less than 3 minutes. On a brighter side, the title "chinese box" reminded me of an old Simpsons episode where Bart's class gets to see "The Box Factory." Well therea re many parallels here. "The Box Factory" was a place where boxes are made, many boxes, and box-related products. Next door to this important box-making factory was Krusty's studio. Needless to say, I found my mind wandering from "Chinese Box" over to Krusty's Studio, even though there is no logical link between these two different shows. Whenever I see the words "Chinese Box", the words "Chinese BOX FACTORY!" scream through my head!!!! Also, I thought Hong Kong returned to China July, 1998...so why was this movie set in 1997?!? (I probably missed a lot of dialogue that explained this, maybe the director should hire a more competent sound-production crew.)
Rating:
Summary: Chinese Director Films His Hometown With A Clear Eye
Review: I like this film for it's brilliant depiction of the city of Hong Kong. Visually, it's a treat for the eyes. A great depiction of the city by a director who grew up there before making it in the First World (the dream of all talented Hong Kong Chinese is to get out of Hong Kong). Here is both the busy British Colony and the tragic Chinese refugee centre in clear, sharp focus. Not the tourist bureau image, but the Hong Kong seen by a Chinese with the confidence to show it all. Here are the miles of shabby forty-story concrete tower blocks, the rude public behaviour, the jeering "older" refugees making fun of the newer arrivals from China, here's the polluted water, the giant rats in the poor quarters, here are all those drink-sodden western "remittance men" businessmen, and there's the crass world of Chinese property developers (the not- exactly-stylish-basis of Hong Kong's wealth). Here's the Chinese refugee girl who speaks terrible English (brilliantly played by Gong Li) here are her rude fellow refugees jeering at her for her wrong-side-of-the-tracks accent. The abysmal public behaviour that Hong Kong is so (in)famous for is well-captured by Wang - parts of the film look like a movie version of Bo Yang's book *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture,* which so many expats read to help understand the things that cause them culture shock in Hong Kong - here, visually, is a depiction of that utter insecurity that is so strong in a place overwhelmed by millions of Chinese refugees in the last several decades. Brilliant how Wang captures the rude bluntness of life in a city whose effervesence is the frantic rush of desperate folk trying to survive, having escaped from China. For viewers who have lived in Hong Kong and moved on (Western and Chinese), the ending will seem like the signature definition of Hong Kong - nothing has changed, everything is just going to go on and on and on, with more noise, more heat, more spitting refugees & drunken losers from the West always staying on; this or that person can die, but there will always be a Hong Kong for the types of souls who inhabit it. In terms of the cinematography, this is a brilliant, blunt honest take on a city proverbial for tragedy, for making a buck any-harsh-old-how, and for hustling with the truth (bear this in mind when reading those reviews here by long-term Hong Kong residents who say the *depiction* of the city and it's inhabitants [as opposed to the overall quality of the film] is "incorrect" - and try Bo Yang's book, banned in China). Simply in terms of the story-line, far better than this film are two Hong Kong novels - Paul Theroux's *Kowloon Tong* is a Grahame Greene/Saul Bellow style observation set at the Handover - very accurate, too. Timothy Mo's *The Monkey King* depicts the trials and tribulations of an eccentric Hong Kong Chinese family - I felt I met or saw these people again and again while living in HK in the 90s. But the story itself is secondary here - watch *Chinese Box* for the depiction of the city itself. Here's what happened to the tropical lush- green port depicted in 1967's *The World of Suzy Wong.* Here's what Hong Kong's like today - a kind of Pittsburgh on the South Seas, and Wang captures it all. Thanks to him for filming this treat for the eyes - and spare a thought for all those unfortunate Chinese refugees who define so thoroughly what Hong Kong the city is.
Rating:
Summary: Once Is not Enough
Review: I liked the movie very much, but do admit to being a big Jeremy Irons fan. It was varied and well paced, and I enjoyed the setting. It was, for the most part, unpredictable and had a real life feel to it. I found this particularly satisfying for a story that takes place in an exotic setting. It was a movie that drew me in even further the second time. It was rich with emotion without sacrificing certain cold realities of human existance. Jeremy Irons is perfect in the role! I expect to discover more pleasures and pains the next time I watch Chinese Box, and I will watch it again.
Rating:
Summary: A quiet but memorable film...
Review: I say "quiet" because, as other reviewers have noted, it was slow. Still, that didn't bother me. I was drawn into it, and if the story itself seemed weak, the characters and setting were not. Jeremy Irons played the role he plays best -- a man obsessed with one who is "forbidden," and in this case, it's the city as much as the woman that draws him. Gong Li and Maggie Cheung both gave memorable performances as well, and the seduction-scene between Li and Irons is both tender and titillating. I also want to praise the soundtrack. The sequences by Graeme Revell, featuring "Dadawa," were haunting and evocative, and I ended up buying the soundtrack soon after I saw the movie. You may find the movie dull if you're expecting action or high drama, but its voyeuristic feel, the underlying love story, and the actors themselves make the film worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: A quiet but memorable film...
Review: I say "quiet" because, as other reviewers have noted, it was slow. Still, that didn't bother me. I was drawn into it, and if the story itself seemed weak, the characters and setting were not. Jeremy Irons played the role he plays best -- a man obsessed with one who is "forbidden," and in this case, it's the city as much as the woman that draws him. Gong Li and Maggie Cheung both gave memorable performances as well, and the seduction-scene between Li and Irons is both tender and titillating. I also want to praise the soundtrack. The sequences by Graeme Revell, featuring "Dadawa," were haunting and evocative, and I ended up buying the soundtrack soon after I saw the movie. You may find the movie dull if you're expecting action or high drama, but its voyeuristic feel, the underlying love story, and the actors themselves make the film worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: A Fan of Both Irons and Ruben Blades, But "CB" Was the PITS!
Review: I watched about the first excruciating half hour and then gave up. I am glad I did not get to the scenes of animal cruelty that some reviewers here made reference to -- then it would not have been just a bad movie, but an upsetting one. Want a good Chinese-themed movie? Try "The Last Emperor." Based on a true story, and very well done. P.S. The movie really deserves NO STARS, but as we all know, that is not an option here.
Rating: 
Summary: a place called home
Review: I watched this film by "accident." One night I turned on the TV and "The Chinese Box" movie was on. I watched it because it is a film about Hong Kong. The story is only average, not too excited but close enough to real life. However, some scenes are unreasonable exaggerated. For instance, two customers drank and talked about the northern girl in a very bad slang. Their attitudes were so rude. They embarrassed Gong Li because she is from the northern part of China. I hope that the audience who watched this film do not have an impression that the Hong Kong people are rude. It is not turth. Generally speaking, most Hong Kong people are polite and conservative. The photographers did a very good job. They successfully depicted the lankmarks of Hong Kong, including the City Hall, The Shanghai and Hong Kong Corporation Banking Headquarter, Mandarin Hotel, Temple Street, Mongkok, Central District, etc.
Rating:
Summary: A Travesty
Review: Once again, Wayne Wang is a disappointment. As a third-generation Chinese American woman, I can't fathom how a fellow Chinese American can create such stereotypical films such as Chinese Box and the Joy Luck Club (although Amy Tan is largely to blame for the latter--I won't get started). The one thing I enjoyed about this film was the artful use of hand-held filming. But more of note is the bad. First, in general, the storyline is superficial and simplistic, with no perceptible deeper meaning. The romance and "chenistry" between Jeremy Irons and Gong Li feels contrived. Second is the irking, too-familiar Miss Saigon/Sayonara/World of Suzie Wong-esque portrayal of the leading lady as a prostitute for a Caucasian man. This is extremely aggravating to me as an APA woman--it seems to me that rarely are Asian women ever seen in an American film other than as a lotus blossom prostitute or as a dragon lady (even if the latter is a "better" stereotype). Coupled with the poor portrayal of Asian men in TJLC, I really wonder how Wayne Wang directs these films with a clear conscience, knowing that he is promoting Asian stereotypes. Third is the travesty that Gong Li was made to even act in this film. Anyone who has watched a masterpiece such as "To Live" knows she is an extraordinary actress, and this film does not do her justice by a long shot. It is unfortunate that her English probably limited her already insubstantial role. Finally, I can't speak to any inaccuracies in portraying Hong Kong, but if it's anything like the time/setting/cultural incongruities of TJLC--exploited to make the story more "interesting,"--viewers including myself are in big trouble. In a culture where Joy Luck Club is lauded for its "true" north-south-east-west "portrayal of the Chinese American experience", I am saddened to think this film will similarly add to the false picture about Asians held by so many. If you are in the mood for an Asian film, please watch "To Live", by director Zhang Yimou or "Picture Bride", a truly BEAUTIFUL film by Asian American director Kayo Hatta, rather than this travesty of a movie.
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