Mjeteconer Just perfect...

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Tidus Zanakarian I enjoyed this drama and romance movie 'Chinese Box' immensely and was Intrigued by the characters.I can't really say what attracted me to this movie so much, but hope you enjoy.The movie was interesting in capturing a time period that was hugely felt mostly in a region we are unfamiliar with. (most people)OK, the women were very nice looking. This would be a must watch for any lover of film, the director really made you get in touch with reality. Chinese Box is a film that I loved to watch and hope you like it too

yc955 Jeremy Iron, Ruben, Maggie are fantastic in the movie. Gong Li worked hard at it. She's got the look but I have to hold my breath every time she tries to act... It's quite exhausting to watch her act in this role. Hope it's just me.But the story writing fits perfectly with the title "China Box". You have to have enough background knowledge and sensibility to appreciate it. The movie never falls into the cliché of east-meets-the-west. Instead, it uses the historical sea-change in Hong Kong as the back drop, as the grand orchestra accompanying the extraordinary solo of the age old story of love, a man and a woman. Nothing is obvious, and nothing gives away in the middle and the tension keeps building till the very last moment. I first saw the movie when it came out in theater. But 10 years later I saw it again on tape, it blew me away like no other. I'd give it a 10 if not for the rather limited acting skill from Gong Li. There's got to be someone else out there among the 1.3 billion who can really act. Maggie can act but she certainly falls short in her natural beauty for this role, in comparison to Gong Li. One other thing I thought was bit of a drag is Maggie's almost perfect English. I thought a character from the very bottom of Hong Kong society with limited education probably would be more convincing if she has more local accent. That's my past experience with folks from Hong Kong. Only those from the privileged the class in Hong Kong would speak like her in the movie... I am so disappointed by the featured review on IMDb here. Because in the past this web site has consistently picked a more sensible review for other movies I ran into. I felt rather compelled to write something to clear the bad rap of this great movie, as much as I can. For those who cares, Maggie Cheung was in another great movie "In the Mood for Love" (2000). But that movie was more limited in scope and more nuanced in its presentation, a more oriental romance. This movie clearly more European is breadth and depth in its attempt. Some might find the political overtone - a rather negative focus on the 1997 handover (suicide, etc), a bit predictable and cliché. But in this particular movie it does set the mood for the over all theme of the movie - after all, this is a rather a sad romance. No happy endings for any one. Only human spirit triumph. For that, I thought the movie title is a bit off actually. IMHO, China Box is only a clever device that is seemingly simple but capable of endless intrigue and twist. That title would be much more fit for a thriller. This one I thought is more about the ultimate triumph of the unyielding human spirit for truth, for real meaning, and for love as the word originally meant, overcoming all odds, even the limitation of one's unavoidable mortality.It's a master piece.

djonaton For starters, it would be fair to say that I have seen this movie at least ten times. I was never bored... In fact, the magical atmosphere of the movie makes it beautiful to watch, and makes you enjoy every minute of it, even with the story aside. The cast is excellent, and the way that the actors 'ignore' the camera really makes you believe the story. The story has many layers, all of them viewed from an aspect of a dying man, packed with emotion, all masks down. The handover of Hong Kong and a love story, with all the cultural differences and barriers, is captured from a very close range. It's done almost like a documentary and strongly effects any spectator. The characters are complete, the story also, and everything else in the movie (from the photography and the music to the actual footage of HK and its people) only makes it more powerful. A beautiful movie.

wenlan I felt that it's an incomplete story. Some of its scenes have a lot of potential to be better developed. And some of its metaphors are either too ambiguous to understand or too obvious to think much of. But I dont dislike it. They got great actors and actresses there. Maggie is my favorite one.