Overview
A darkly comedic dive into the underbelly of Taipei's crime scene, where chaos reigns.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- irreverent
- arthouse film night
- taiwanese cinema marathon
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The youth gang and trendy foreign group move through Taipei's underworld with contrasting social codes and affectations.
The missing businessman, enormous debt, gangsters, and pursuit of his son are rendered through darkly comic interactions.
Business elites, underworld figures, youth gangs, foreigners, and police intersect across Taipei's urban spaces.
The youth gang's leadership and style are central to the pursuit surrounding the missing businessman's son.
Films like Mahjong, and why
A Brighter Summer Day
shared taiwanese new wave sensibility, urban alienation, darkly comic crime, and morally unstable young characters
The Mission
shared ensemble crime structure, dark humor, youth gang dynamics, and stylized urban violence
The Big Lebowski
shared offbeat gangster comedy, eccentric criminal characters, and tonal collision between menace and absurdity
Chungking Express
shared international ensemble, fractured social worlds, and coolly observed urban disconnection
Movie Details
- Director
- Edward Yang
- Release Date
- 1996-12-07
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (50)
Cast
- Lawrence Ko
- Chang Chen
- Tang Tsung-sheng
- Virginie Ledoyen
- Kaizo Hayashi
- Elaine Jin Yan-Ling
- Wang Chi-tsan
- Nick Erickson
- Ko I-chen
- Wang Bosen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mahjong about?
- A stylishly unruly Taipei crime comedy where gangsters, privileged youths, and outsiders collide around a vanished tycoon and his dangerous debt.
- What is Mahjong like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mahjong as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mahjong violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Mahjong as moderate.
- Which films are like Mahjong?
- Films with a similar feel include A Brighter Summer Day, The Mission, The Big Lebowski, and Chungking Express.
- How long is Mahjong?
- Mahjong runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mahjong?
- In United States, Mahjong streams on Criterion Channel.
