2046 ~ Not so in the mood for love
Wong Kar-wei returns to screen with a semi sequel to his very popular IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE with astounding results. Returning as his forlorn romantic, Tong Leung gives a stunning reprise performance as Mr. Chan now a full time serial writer in Hong Kong. Divorced from his wife of the first movie, he is embittered and has become a first-rate playboy who dallies with many woman inluding Maggie Chueng ( his flame of desire in the first film ) a kooky call girl ( Zhang Ziyi ) and a back room cut-throuat card shark ( Gong Li ). A flashy subterranean plot involves the lives of the characters from his newest futuristic novel which has many echoes from the first film and one where Chan can live vicariously through and use to purge all of his raw emotions of love and loss. Again not for all tastes, but Wong intensley examines the power of sexuality in the landscape of the mind through his his exceptional visualist style which cannot be denied here in this atmosphereic masterwork!