Wong Kar-wai is the guy with the sunglasses. The guy whose movies feel like a fever dream of slowed-down neon and longing. But before In the Mood for Love made everyone want to buy a cheongsam and stand in a rainy alleyway, there was As Tears Go By.
Released in 1988, this wasn't the "auteur" Wong Kar-wai we know now. Not exactly. It was a gritty, sweat-soaked triad movie. Honestly, if you watched it without knowing the director, you might think it was just a really stylish Hong Kong action flick from the golden era.
It’s loud. It’s violent.
Yet, looking back from 2026, it’s wild to see how much of his future DNA was already there, hidden behind the broken glass and blood.
The Scrappy Reality of As Tears Go By
The plot is deceptively simple. Andy Lau plays Wah, a mid-level triad "big brother" who spends way too much time cleaning up the messes left by his impulsive, hot-headed "younger brother" Fly, played by Jacky Cheung. Maggie Cheung enters the frame as Ngor, Wah’s cousin from Lantau Island, and suddenly the movie pivots. It stops being about debt collection and starts being about the impossible choice between loyalty to the streets and a quiet life with someone who actually cares if you live or die.
Most people call this Wong’s version of Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. They aren’t wrong. Wah is Charlie; Fly is Johnny Boy. The dynamic is identical. You have the guy trying to be responsible in an irresponsible world, tied by an invisible string to a human hand grenade.
What makes As Tears Go By stand out from the sea of 80s Hong Kong crime cinema isn’t the plot. It’s the vibe. It’s that blue-tinted, step-printed slow motion during the fight scenes. This was the first time Wong Kar-wai worked with Andrew Lau (who later directed Infernal Affairs) as a cinematographer, and you can see them experimenting with the frame rates. They were figuring out how to make a punch feel like a poem.
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Jacky Cheung and the Meme That Never Dies
It’s impossible to talk about this film without mentioning Fly. Jacky Cheung’s performance is legendary, not just because he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, but because he gave the internet one of its most permanent artifacts.
The "Fly" face.
You’ve seen it. The aggressive, contorted expression during a confrontation in a restaurant. In China, it’s a staple of WeChat stickers and memes even decades later. But beyond the meme, Cheung is terrifyingly good here. He plays Fly with a desperate, pathetic hunger for "face" that feels incredibly real. He knows he’s a small fish, and that knowledge makes him twice as dangerous. He isn't a hero. He’s a tragedy waiting to happen.
Where the Neon Meets the Rain
Critics often overlook the Lantau Island sequences. When Wah goes to visit Ngor, the movie breathes. The pace slows. This is where the "Wong Kar-wai" we recognize starts to emerge.
The scene where they share a cigarette.
The scene where they miss the bus.
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These are the moments that matter more than the machete fights in Mong Kok. It’s about the silence. Maggie Cheung, who would go on to be Wong’s ultimate muse, is luminous here. She brings a grounded, quiet strength that contrasts sharply with the frantic energy of the city.
Most triad movies of that era were about "Yi" (brotherhood/loyalty). As Tears Go By is about the cost of that loyalty. It asks a brutal question: is your degenerate friend’s life worth more than your own happiness? Wah’s tragedy is that he already knows the answer is "no," but his code won't let him act on it.
Technical Innovations or Happy Accidents?
The visual style of As Tears Go By wasn't just an aesthetic choice; it was a solution to a problem. They didn't have the budget of a Hollywood blockbuster. Step-printing—the process of repeating frames to create a blurred, smeary motion—became a hallmark.
It makes the violence feel subjective.
When Wah is running through the streets, the world blurs because his world is blurring. It’s disorienting. It feels like 4:00 AM after a long night of bad decisions. This technique would eventually reach its peak in Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, but it was born here in the grime of Mong Kok.
The Iconic Phone Booth Kiss
We have to talk about the phone booth.
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Set to a Cantonese cover of Berlin’s "Take My Breath Away" (Sandy Lam's version, "Passion"), the kiss between Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung in a seaside phone booth is one of the most romantic images in Hong Kong cinema history. It’s tight. It’s cramped. It’s perfectly framed.
It’s also an example of how Wong Kar-wai uses music to elevate a scene. He doesn't just use a pop song; he uses it as an emotional anchor. Even if the lyrics are different, the melody carries the weight of 1980s longing. It’s a moment of pure cinematic escapism before the movie drags us back into the dark.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
If you’re a film student or just a fan of Asian cinema, As Tears Go By is the "missing link." It bridges the gap between the high-octane action of John Woo and the arthouse sensibilities that would define the 1990s.
It proves that Wong Kar-wai could play by the rules if he wanted to. He could make a commercial hit. He could direct a straight-up genre piece. He just chose not to later on.
There’s a rawness here that he arguably lost as he became more polished. In his later films, every frame is a painting. In this one, some frames are just a punch to the gut. It’s less "curated" and more "alive."
How to Experience the Film Today
If you want to understand modern cinema, you have to look at the foundations. As Tears Go By isn't just a footnote in a famous director’s career. It’s a powerhouse on its own.
- Watch the 4K Restoration: Don't settle for an old DVD rip. The Criterion Collection release (part of the "World of Wong Kar-wai" box set) is the only way to see the colors the way they were intended. The neon reds and deep blues are restored to their original vibrancy.
- Pay Attention to the Soundscapes: Notice how the ambient noise of Hong Kong changes between the Mong Kok sections and the Lantau Island sections. The city is a character that never stops talking.
- Compare it to Mean Streets: If you're a film nerd, do a double feature. Watch Scorsese's 1973 classic and then watch this. The way Wong adapts the themes of guilt and brotherhood to a Hong Kong context is a masterclass in cultural translation.
- Look for the Supporting Cast: Beyond the leads, look for Alex Man. He plays the villain, Tony, with such greasy, over-the-top arrogance that you'll be screaming at the screen for someone to hit him.
Actionable Takeaway for Cinephiles
Stop viewing Wong Kar-wai only through the lens of In the Mood for Love. To truly appreciate his genius, you need to see the "commercial" Wong. Go back and watch As Tears Go By tonight. Look for the moments where the camera lingers just a second too long on a face, or the way the rain looks under a streetlamp. That is where the magic started.
It’s a reminder that even the greatest artists started by trying to figure out how to tell a familiar story in a way that felt brand new. Wah and Fly aren't just characters; they are ghosts of a Hong Kong that doesn't exist anymore, captured forever in a blur of blue light and broken glass.