City of Glass (1998) User Reviews

Fun to watch

[Myshkin_Karamazov · 8/10 · 1 March 2008]

Now this is about as funny a movie as anyone like that can get. Do not ever mind the detractors. This here is real fun to watch. Not a "documentary" like some blame. Nor pretentious like others pretended to believe. It is a really fun movie to watch..I find no better way nor phrase to express it.

Every aspect of the film, be it tragic incidents, comic relief or just plain student-life-reality, has got such a kinetic energy to it that you never get bored. Even when subject matter delves into territory of cliché, movie's execution is so bloody brilliant that you somehow feel brazenly energetic. A movie for the young of heart.

a tear jerker

[Daniellelam86 · 9/10 · 22 October 2005]

I thought this film was heart wrenching and brilliantly written. It won many awards when it came out. It still doesn't fail to draw out a tear when I watch it and I did go through a point where I was watching it everyday. The film starts off with the two lead characters happily together in a car, which then crashes and they both die. Then the rest of the film begins. It shows young love blooming between a playboy guy and a shy girl, with a sweet scene of a rose in a vase with an aspirin to make it last longer. The film is definitely sentimental, but that's the kind of film it is. In the present day, the film shows two kids by the characters, although they are not related. They slowly realise that their parents were in love with each other which technically, would mean they were cheating on their husband/wife. But that isn't the issue. Although I would agree that it may be a film more suited to women, men should learn a trick or two! This would have to be one of my favourite films.

A must see film

[kenmastate · 10/10 · 7 February 2009]

I'm a fan of Shu Qi, the woman from the movie Transporter, which is why I bought this movie without even knowing if it was worth it or not. But since I've liked most of her other movies I figured would this one would probably be pretty good too. I wasn't disappointed.

I thought the acting was excellent, and I also enjoyed the selection of music. The story was easy to follow, and not just because you already know the ending.

I don't think enough Asian films are given their fair share of credit here in America, which is a shame because this film should be on most peoples list of movies to see, And I'm a guy who doesn't watch many "chick flicks".

The best romance film to watch with your ex-girlfriend

[Iamnetboy · 10 June 1999]

This movie is so sweet that I gave it a score of 8/10 already when I was at 1/3 of this film. When I watched it till the end, it won my heart totally and got a score of 10/10!

This film reminds me Leon Lai's previous film Tianmimi(1986) which won Best Picture of Hongkong Film Award. Both love story films also describe social and political happenings of their time which made them a classic.

I was deeply touched by this movie not just for love story part, but for the plot of hardship life of studying abroad in 70's, political demonstration, language barrier, and Hongkong's destiny. That's a slice of my life and many Chinese'.

This is a classic love story. Bravo.

Flawed but Not A Complete Waste

[Xiayu · 5/10 · 6 October 2005]

Starring Leon Lai and Shu Qi, this is a small scope film with epic aspirations that don't quite come off. If you like one or the other actor, you will probably find something to like in the film.

Ostensibly, this is the story of two young people falling in love in times of political and social turmoil, and then separated by circumstance and differing goals. One goes to Paris to study, the other stays behind in Hong Kong. They marry other people, and both have a child. When they are reunited by chance at a Mandarin language school, they realise they have never stopped loving each other, and the obligatory affair ensues. Now both rich and successful, they are able to buy a home together and take flying lessons in their spare time. It's hard to feel sympathy for them, however: they seem like two people who never quite let go of adolescence and embraced adulthood.

By contrast, the more interesting story is that of the now grown children, played by Daniel Ng and Nicola Cheung, through whom the story of the parents is told in retrospect. They are sweet and believable, much more so than the parents. Daniel Ng in particular, was a pleasant surprise, and Nicola Chueng displayed charm and depth. Their relationship is more affecting, since it's initially based on mutual suffering and loss, but then gradually more on genuine affection.

The plot has very little suspense, which is necessary for a film such as this to work, since the denouement is revealed at the beginning of the film. It did seem rather a lot like an excuse for Leon Lai and Shu Qi to gaze winsomely into middle distance, and I maintain my position that Mr Lai should never be allowed within spitting distance of a microphone or a guitar, but if you are hard up for something to watch on a rainy evening with your girlfriends, this may just hit the spot for you.

It's beautiful, yet sad in its own way

[thebeautifulones · 9/10 · 4 January 2006]

The story of man and ex-girlfriend found dead after a car crash and how their children come together to retell the story.

Leon Lai and Shu Qi portrayed their roles as the unfortunate couple well. You could tell that the characters were in love with each other, but you wondered why they weren't together. Neither side had parents who disapproved of the relationship but yet they still were not together.

Instead, when they met again, while attending a class to speak proper Mandarin, they embarked on an affair. They made plans to divorce their spouses and live together in Hong Kong. His family was in the US, hers in Canada.

Their plans to divorce their spouses would never occur, instead they died in a car crash, leaving their children to clear the mess.

Light romance/drama

[herbertlew · 2 February 2003]

This is a light romance. There are 2 story lines. One takes place in the 1997 and the other in the 1970's. The movie moves at a slow pace, there no real high or low points, sometimes the movie is boring. The cinematography is pretty good and there's lots of music from the 1970's. All in all, a very mellow movie. Worth a look if you have nothing to watch.