As Tears Go By cover art

As Tears Go By Details

1988 Certificate 18
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 824 members

A sombre, atmospheric, almost brooding film set in the frenetic and garish Mongkok district in Hong Kong, AS TEARS GO BY is art house auteur and romantic Wong Kar-Wai's first feature film. It sets the tone of films to come, exemplary of the director's existential preoccupations and obsession with time, chance, and missed .. Read more

Starring Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung
Director Wong Kar-Wai
Genres Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema

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As Tears Go By cover art

As Tears Go By

A sombre, atmospheric, almost brooding film set in the frenetic and garish Mongkok district in Hong Kong, AS TEARS GO BY is art house auteur and romantic Wong Kar-Wai's first feature film. It sets the tone of films to come, exemplary of the director's existential preoccupations and obsession with time, chance, and missed connection. At the heart of the story is Ah Wah (Andy Lau), a mobster with a protoge--Fly (Jackie Cheung)--who can't stay out of trouble. Continually landing in one hot spot after another, Fly depends on Wah to get him out of each mess, and though the local mob boss has told Wah to push Fly into another line of work, Wah can't seem to say no to his friend. When his sick cousin (Maggie Cheung) comes to stay with him, he tries to keep his unsavory existence from entering her life, but to no avail. Fly's continual crises impinge on the love that begins to grow between the two, and though he begins to rethink his life, no good can come of this triangle. All the characters are very real, doing precisely the things they should not be doing in a hopeless scramble for happiness.

Starring Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung
Director Wong Kar-Wai
Studio TARTAN
Run time DVD: 1 hr 33 mins
Certificate Certificate 18
Genres Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema
Language DVD: Cantonese
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 24 Jan 2005
Production year: 1988
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of As Tears Go By

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  • 2 stars out of 4

    Tough thriller, in which the violent fight scenes have a disturbing reality; the direction occasionally strains after effect in an otherwise tense movie of thugs who come to believe in their own publicity.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • A Hong Kong remake of Mean Streets (with emphasis on the violence and the love story, but nothing on Catholicism), this... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of As Tears Go By

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Wong Kar Wai...

    I am a big fan of 'In the mood for love' and '2046' by Wong Kar Wai, and this is one of his earlier films that has quite a different tone. It's half-way between a violent gangster flick and a tragic love story, but it's pretty entertaining. The depiction of low-level gangster street life is quite gritty and it shows how difficult it is for these characters to redeem themselves and escape their harsh world. (Check out Ki-Duk Kim's controversial film 'Bad Guy' for a more intense journey through a similar landscape)

    It's interesting to see how Wai's style develops through his films and you can definitely see elements of his later, more developed style in this film.

      • Javid777 from England
      • Posted 03 Oct 2006 15:29

  • Most recent members' review of As Tears Go By

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  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Great performances. Good night in.

    Jackie Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau give standout performances in this gritty, overblown and yet always engaging tale of a gangsters love and life.

    Andy Lau is excellent as the 'big brother' of the story, doing all that he can in order to protect and defend his somewhat over eager 'little brother'. Erupting in to violence at regular intervals, As tears go by certainly doesn't hold back with the punches when it comes to showing you how it is, even if the Top Gun stylee musical score does feel a little out of place at times.

    The love story is a sweet one, Andy Lau attempting to find solitude in the arms of his cousin, played here with undeniable vulnerability by Maggie Cheung.

    Though the outcome is all too swift and a little predictable, As tears go by is an excellent eighties genre piece which rises above similar efforts thanks to some excellent direction and a superb cast. Jackie Cheung in particular is a joy to watch.

      • adiw from Leicestershire
      • Posted 17 Mar 2005 20:56

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Rating breakdown

824 Member ratings
  • 100
36
  • 90
38
  • 80
108
  • 70
130
  • 60
183
  • 50
113
  • 40
81
  • 30
46
  • 20
60
  • 10
29

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    • As Tears Go By

    • As Tears Go By
      A sombre, atmospheric, almost brooding film set in the frenetic and garish Mongkok district in Hong Kong, AS TEARS GO BY is art house auteur and romantic Wong Kar-Wai's first feature film. It sets the tone of films to come, exemplary of the director's existential preoccupations and obsession with ...