“Chungking Express” caused a stir on the independent film scene in 1994, garnering great critical attention and public acclaim. It was vocally promoted by director Quentin Tarantino, who had just become a darling in the movie world thanks to the then-new “Pulp Fiction.” Wong’s film tells two stories, each a romance between a policeman and a criminal. It was cited as the eighth best film of all time in the 2002 Sight & Sound poll.
“Chungking Express” was partially shot by Christopher Doyle, one of the best cinematographers working today, and captures the light that seems to float in the air or emanate from the hearts of the characters. Everything is brightly colored and warm, and the characters are dressed in colorful, wild, and stylish outfits. It’s easy to see how an animator or production designer like Kassai could draw influence from Doyle’s appearance and Wong’s direction. Kassai told Variety:
“We also took a lot of inspiration from movies like ‘Chungking Express.’ The Turtles hide from humans, so everything happens at night, and these kids have to hide in the shadows because they want to be a part of human society, but they feel a little insecure when they are around humans because of what their father said. he has told them about humans. Therefore, they cannot be like on a sunlit beach or on a sunny day in Central Park. We spent a lot of time diversifying how New York looks at night and giving it a variety of different color schemes. .”
If one sees a lot of reds and alleys with garish lights, that would be Wong’s influence.