Neon lights. Rain-slicked pavement. A young Andy Lau looking through a window with that specific brand of longing only 80s Hong Kong cinema could capture. It's been decades since Wong Kar-wai released his directorial debut, but As Tears Go By 1988 remains a fever dream of a movie. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, you're missing the moment a legendary aesthetic was born. It wasn't just another triad flick. It was something else entirely.
People often forget how weird the Hong Kong film industry was in the late eighties. Everything was high-speed. Directors were churning out movies in weeks. Producers wanted "Heroic Bloodshed" because John Woo had just set the world on fire with A Better Tomorrow. Into this chaos steps a young screenwriter named Wong Kar-wai. He had a budget, two rising stars in Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung, and a script that looked like a gangster movie but felt like a poem.
The Birth of the Wong Kar-wai Vibe
When you watch As Tears Go By 1988, you're seeing the prototype. Most critics point to Chungking Express or In the Mood for Love as his masterpieces. Sure, they're great. But this movie is where he figured out how to make pain look beautiful. He used a technique called "step-printing." It creates that blurred, hallucinogenic motion during the fight scenes. It makes the violence feel less like an action movie and more like a panic attack.
The plot is deceptively simple. Wah (Andy Lau) is a mid-level triad member. He spends most of his time cleaning up the messes of his "little brother" Fly, played by Jacky Cheung in a performance that is absolutely unhinged. Seriously, Jacky Cheung is a force of nature here. He’s impulsive, loud, and desperate for respect he hasn't earned. While Wah is trying to keep Fly from getting killed by rival gangs, his cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung) shows up. She’s sick. She’s quiet. She lives on Lantau Island, far away from the grime of Kowloon.
Why the Romance Actually Works
It shouldn't work. The "gangster with a heart of gold meets the innocent girl" is the oldest trope in the book. But Wong Kar-wai treats it with this agonizing sincerity. There’s a scene where they go to a telephone booth. It’s raining. A Cantopop cover of Berlin’s "Take My Breath Away" starts playing. In the hands of any other director, it would be cheesy. It would be eye-rolling.
Instead, it’s one of the most iconic moments in Asian cinema.
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The chemistry between Lau and Cheung is palpable because it’s built on silence. They don't have long, expository monologues about their feelings. They just look at each other. They hide behind glass. They wait for buses. It’s a movie about the spaces between people. You feel the humidity of the city. You feel the stickiness of the blood. It's tactile.
Jacky Cheung and the Meme That Never Dies
We have to talk about Fly. If you’ve spent any time on the Chinese internet, you’ve seen the meme. It’s Jacky Cheung’s face, contorted in a sneer, telling someone they’re a "piece of garbage." That comes directly from As Tears Go By 1988.
Fly is the tragic engine of the film. He represents the toxic side of the "jianghu" (the underworld). He’s obsessed with face. He’d rather die in a gutter than be seen as a coward. It’s a heartbreaking contrast to Wah, who just wants to protect him. Wah is stuck between two worlds: the domestic peace he could have with Ngor on the island and the violent loyalty he owes to his brother in the city.
The film leans heavily into the concept of yi—righteousness or loyalty. But it subverts it. Usually, in triad films, this loyalty is heroic. Here, it’s a noose. It’s a trap that slowly tightens around everyone’s neck.
Technical Mastery on a Budget
Wong Kar-wai didn't have the massive budgets he’d later enjoy. He had to be scrappy. He worked with Andrew Lau (who would later direct Infernal Affairs) as his cinematographer. They used high-speed film. They shot at night to hide the cheap sets. This forced them to get creative with lighting.
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- Saturated Colors: The blues and reds are aggressive. They bleed into the frames.
- The Soundtrack: The music isn't just background noise; it's a character. That cover of "Take My Breath Away" became a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
- Framing: Characters are often blocked by objects—doorways, curtains, rain-streaked windows. It emphasizes their isolation.
Critics at the time didn't quite know what to make of it. It was a hit at the box office, but the "Art House" crowd wasn't sure if a triad movie could be high art. They were wrong, obviously. The movie went on to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section. That was the moment the world realized Hong Kong wasn't just making "kung fu movies." They were making cinema that could stand next to the French New Wave.
Comparing the Versions
There are actually different cuts of the film. If you watch the original Hong Kong version, the ending is bleak. It’s a punch to the gut. Some international versions tried to soften it or change the pacing, but the raw, nihilistic finale is the one that stays with you. It’s the only ending that makes sense.
Wah’s tragedy is that he’s too good for his environment, but he’s too loyal to leave it. He’s the classic noir protagonist. He’s doomed from the first frame. When he makes his final choice, you don’t hate him for it. You just feel sorry for him.
The Legacy of 1988
Before As Tears Go By 1988, Maggie Cheung was mostly known as the "pretty girl" in Jackie Chan movies. This film changed her trajectory. It showed she had a depth and a stillness that could anchor a movie. She became Wong Kar-wai’s muse, and they would go on to make some of the greatest films ever together.
Andy Lau also proved he could do more than just look handsome and ride a motorcycle. He brought a weariness to Wah that was way beyond his years. He captured the exhaustion of a man who is tired of fighting but doesn't know how to stop.
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Common Misconceptions
A lot of people think this is a sequel to something or part of a trilogy. It's not. While some fans like to group it with Days of Being Wild and In the Mood for Love, it stands entirely on its own.
Another mistake? Thinking it’s just a clone of Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. Wong Kar-wai has admitted that Scorsese was an influence—specifically the relationship between the two leads—but the execution is purely Hong Kong. The energy is different. The stakes feel more intimate and, frankly, more romantic. Scorsese is about guilt; Wong Kar-wai is about regret.
Actionable Insights for Cinephiles
If you’re planning to dive into this era of cinema, don’t just stop at the credits. There’s a whole world of context that makes the viewing experience better.
- Watch the Criterion Collection Version: If you can get your hands on it, the restoration is incredible. The colors finally look the way they were intended to—gritty but vibrant.
- Listen to the Cantopop: Seek out the soundtrack. The 80s Hong Kong pop scene was incredibly vibrant, and this movie captures its peak.
- Look for the Visual Echoes: After watching this, go watch In the Mood for Love. You’ll see the same motifs—the way people smoke, the way they walk down narrow corridors, the way they hide their emotions.
- Research the Handover: To understand why movies from this era feel so desperate and fleeting, you have to remember that Hong Kong was facing the 1997 handover to China. The whole city felt like it was on a timer. That "no tomorrow" attitude is baked into every frame of this film.
Basically, this isn't just a movie. It’s a time capsule. It’s the sound of a city that was vibrating with energy and anxiety. It’s the moment a master director found his voice.
If you want to understand modern cinema, you have to understand where the "cool" came from. Most of it started right here, in a rain-soaked alleyway in 1988, with a guy named Wah trying to save a guy named Fly. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s perfect.
To get the most out of your viewing, try to find a copy that hasn't been overly "cleaned up" by modern digital filters. You want that film grain. You want that slight 80s fuzziness. That’s where the soul of the movie lives. Grab some noodles, turn off the lights, and let the blue neon wash over you. It's a vibe that hasn't been matched in thirty years.