Overview
In the gritty underbelly of Hong Kong, love and betrayal intertwine amidst the chaos of crime.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- neon-lit
- surreal
- melancholic
- late night viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a visually audacious, unconventional neo-noir whose kinetic style and emotional alienation outweigh its deliberately loose storytelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rapid cutting, extreme wide-angle imagery, neon night scenes, and pop music make the city feel electronically restless and emotionally disconnected.
The killer's agent secretly loves Wong while he remains emotionally detached, and Charlie pursues an absent relationship through Ho.
The assassin-agent story and the mute ex-convict's encounters with Charlie unfold as distinct but resonant nocturnal narratives.
Hong Kong's fast-food restaurants, apartments, streets, and commercial interiors host fleeting meetings among drifters and criminals.
Films like Fallen Angels, and why
Chungking Express
shared neo-noir atmosphere, fragmented storytelling, urban alienation, and stylized crime-romance dynamics
Breathless
shared french new wave influence, restless lovers, pop music, and formally playful urban melancholy
The Long Goodbye
shared neon-lit crime world, lonely drifters, doomed romance, and heightened visual style
Pulp Fiction
shared fragmented narratives, criminal protagonists, romantic fatalism, and nocturnal city alienation
Movie Details
- Director
- Wong Kar-Wai
- Release Date
- 1995-09-06
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (1385)
Cast
- Leon Lai Ming
- Michele Reis
- Takeshi Kaneshiro
- Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei
- Karen Mok Man-Wai
- Chan Man-Lei
- Toru Saito
- Benz Kong To-Hoi
- Chan Fai-Hung
- Kwan Lee-Na
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- 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 Fallen Angels about?
- Two parallel stories of lonely criminals and drifting lovers collide in Wong Kar-wai’s feverish, neon-soaked portrait of nocturnal Hong Kong.
- What is Fallen Angels like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fallen Angels as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fallen Angels violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Fallen Angels as moderate.
- What did critics think of Fallen Angels?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a visually audacious, unconventional neo-noir whose kinetic style and emotional alienation outweigh its deliberately loose storytelling.
- Which films are like Fallen Angels?
- Films with a similar feel include Chungking Express, Breathless, The Long Goodbye, and Pulp Fiction.
- How long is Fallen Angels?
- Fallen Angels runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fallen Angels?
- In United States, Fallen Angels streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
