Highly Overrated But Still Good

Best movie ever!

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This film is indeed a Chinese box containing some separate stories nested within the movie's frame: there's Vivian's story, there's Jean's story, and there's of course John's dramatic one, but then there's also the story of the Hong Kong island and its inhabitants and how they take the 1997 political change. I haven't seen very many Jeremy Irons films and in the ones I've seen him he plays supporting roles, but I particularly enjoyed his part in this film, especially because it seems an atypical one for him. John's friend Jim is fun to watch (see the bolero scene)although he is predictable all through. The two girls are both strong characters, even if their stories are quite different (or are they?)and I was relieved to see that their womanly instincts prevailed when it came to understanding John. All in all, "The Chinese Box" left me a very good first impression and I would recommend it to all Jeremy Irons fans.

Jeremy Iron, Ruben, Maggie are fantastic in the movie. Gong Li worked hard at it. She's got the look but I have to hold my breath every time she tries to act... It's quite exhausting to watch her act in this role. Hope it's just me.But the story writing fits perfectly with the title "China Box". You have to have enough background knowledge and sensibility to appreciate it. The movie never falls into the cliché of east-meets-the-west. Instead, it uses the historical sea-change in Hong Kong as the back drop, as the grand orchestra accompanying the extraordinary solo of the age old story of love, a man and a woman. Nothing is obvious, and nothing gives away in the middle and the tension keeps building till the very last moment. I first saw the movie when it came out in theater. But 10 years later I saw it again on tape, it blew me away like no other. I'd give it a 10 if not for the rather limited acting skill from Gong Li. There's got to be someone else out there among the 1.3 billion who can really act. Maggie can act but she certainly falls short in her natural beauty for this role, in comparison to Gong Li. One other thing I thought was bit of a drag is Maggie's almost perfect English. I thought a character from the very bottom of Hong Kong society with limited education probably would be more convincing if she has more local accent. That's my past experience with folks from Hong Kong. Only those from the privileged the class in Hong Kong would speak like her in the movie... I am so disappointed by the featured review on IMDb here. Because in the past this web site has consistently picked a more sensible review for other movies I ran into. I felt rather compelled to write something to clear the bad rap of this great movie, as much as I can. For those who cares, Maggie Cheung was in another great movie "In the Mood for Love" (2000). But that movie was more limited in scope and more nuanced in its presentation, a more oriental romance. This movie clearly more European is breadth and depth in its attempt. Some might find the political overtone - a rather negative focus on the 1997 handover (suicide, etc), a bit predictable and cliché. But in this particular movie it does set the mood for the over all theme of the movie - after all, this is a rather a sad romance. No happy endings for any one. Only human spirit triumph. For that, I thought the movie title is a bit off actually. IMHO, China Box is only a clever device that is seemingly simple but capable of endless intrigue and twist. That title would be much more fit for a thriller. This one I thought is more about the ultimate triumph of the unyielding human spirit for truth, for real meaning, and for love as the word originally meant, overcoming all odds, even the limitation of one's unavoidable mortality.It's a master piece.

I liked the "Chinese Box" and found this movie rather interesting and enjoyable, but what I really think is worth mentioning is Vivan's (Gong Li) attitude, so typical of an eastern woman. Splendid performance! This "insight" of the eastern woman is rare in a western movie and deserves due note.

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.