I love this movie so much

I'll tell you why so serious

Good concept, poorly executed.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

I enjoyed this drama and romance movie 'Chinese Box' immensely and was Intrigued by the characters.I can't really say what attracted me to this movie so much, but hope you enjoy.The movie was interesting in capturing a time period that was hugely felt mostly in a region we are unfamiliar with. (most people)OK, the women were very nice looking. This would be a must watch for any lover of film, the director really made you get in touch with reality. Chinese Box is a film that I loved to watch and hope you like it too

For starters, it would be fair to say that I have seen this movie at least ten times. I was never bored... In fact, the magical atmosphere of the movie makes it beautiful to watch, and makes you enjoy every minute of it, even with the story aside. The cast is excellent, and the way that the actors 'ignore' the camera really makes you believe the story. The story has many layers, all of them viewed from an aspect of a dying man, packed with emotion, all masks down. The handover of Hong Kong and a love story, with all the cultural differences and barriers, is captured from a very close range. It's done almost like a documentary and strongly effects any spectator. The characters are complete, the story also, and everything else in the movie (from the photography and the music to the actual footage of HK and its people) only makes it more powerful. A beautiful movie.

I purchased Chinese Box because of my new found fascination with Gong Li. She is a beautiful actress with a mysterious way about her that makes her truly fascinating. However, a film as convoluted as Chinese Box can put a death nail in someones career. The movie is about a British Journalist played by Jeremy Irons who is reflecting on the past as he is witnessing the fate of Hong Kong being taken over by China with the British Government departing. As he drolls on in voiceover about this, he also reflects on his relationship and undying love for Gong Li. There is also a side story (with no closure) about a young, scarred Chinese woman who is hiding a deep painful secret. The highlight of this film is Ruben Blades who turns in a great performance. He also sings, and being an accomplished singer, he does a great job. I wish the movie would have been about his character, it was the only interesting one in the movie. The only other highlight was how smashing Gong Li looked in a jet black t-shirt and jeans. The director of this movie, Wayne Wang, did a superior, practically perfect movie called "Smoke" which I think is brilliant. This outing however was as disgusting as looking at the gutted fish in the Hong Kong marketplace.

The movie was OK, and does give an interesting depiction of Hong Kong. Whether the depiction is accurate is another thing.Jeremy Irons I like, but Gong Li? I just don't know what all the fuss is about her, except that she is very beautiful, I didn't find her acting anything special in this movie anyway.The strange thing I don't understand is why does Gong Li hire the 2 prostitutes to spend the night with Jeremy Irons, then later on in the film have sex with him? If her love is unrequitted, one would think the 2 prostitutes would be more than enough. The love scene between Gong Li and Jeremy Irons was done very tastefully, with no nudity even, though it is implied that they do it.