Film Analysis: Cop 223

There are many stories and films that revolve around the concept of falling in love and trying to find the right person to be with. Occasionally, there are narratives that focus on the troubles of relationships, namely the break ups. In Chungking Express this is explored though two different characters, the first being a character named He Qiwu, but also known as Cop 223. The film shows his constant worry over his recent break up with his girlfriend and how he is currently coping with it. A short scene that involves He Qiwu reminiscing about her provides the viewer with a feeling of not only loneliness due to heartbreak, but also isolation from others.
During Cop 223’s story, the viewer learns about his obsession with purchasing canned pineapples,

The fish are shown as an intro for two shots, and then remain off to the side during the rest. While there are many fish, there is only one human in this room. The reflection of the character in the first shot with the fish gives us, in a sense, another human to add in this room, but once the camera pans and focuses more on Cop 223, the reflection is gone, leaving the viewer to see only him. His dog is only focused on when the cop turns to attempt to feed him some of the pineapples. This is the only interaction he is shown to have with another living creature in this view. He uses the line “man’s best friend” and even questions why his dog isn’t heartbroken like he is. The dog isn’t human like he is; he can’t comprehend his feelings or words. While he can use him for support, he chooses not to, Cop 223 continues to eat his pineapples while isolating himself from other living

The camera pans slightly while he eats, the main character being the target and keeping him and his actions in view. For most of the shots, the viewer is focused on Cop 223, since he is given a medium close up shot; he takes up most of the view. When he steps back further away into the room, the camera doesn’t follow him, it remains where it had been when he first appeared in the scene. Now having a long shot of the character, we can now see more of the room. The placement of the camera still limits the view; the space we see Cop 223 in is quite narrow. When he takes his place on the back chair, he doesn’t have room to extend his legs, causing him to kick his feet up by the window instead. Currently, his dog is not in the scene, his fish are barely visible, and now he is distancing himself from the viewer. He is completely alone in this view, no one else is in sight and he has moved away from the camera, isolating and distancing himself from the