A Moment of Romance

1990 [CANTONESE]

Action / Crime / Drama / Romance

10
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 85% · 4 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 85% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.3/10 10 2185 2.2K

motorcycle jewel heist jewelry heist

Plot summary

After a young Triad member takes an upper-class girl hostage during his escape from a jewelry heist, the two find themselves falling in love, in spite of the repercussions caused by their forbidden relationship.

720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
847.32 MB
1280*692
Cantonese 2.0
NR
Subtitles cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 6
1.54 GB
1920*1038
Cantonese 2.0
NR
Subtitles cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 13

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by DanTheMan2150AD 8 / 10

Far more than a teenybopper romantic fantasy

One of the most imitated and popular Hong Kong productions of the 90s, A Moment of Romance sees a modern-day Romeo and Juliet-style tale under the veil of contemporary underground Triad warfare, far more than a teenybopper romantic fantasy. In many ways the film is responsible for many a cliché within its industry; a disaffected youth, the good girl romantic interest and a cartoonish villain, however, it's the way these clichés are all assembled within the film that makes it so memorable. "Director" Benny Chan has his way with the clichés and throws in enough slow motion, syrupy Cantopop music video montages and hyperemotional crescendos to tax even the weepiest audience member. The core emotions that the film mines are so innately compelling that they're not lost beneath bombastic montages or sudden flashes of gangland violence. It's often stated this was heavily ghost-directed by Johnnie To and it's not hard to see why, so much of the film carries many of his later stylings. The film works because it is a consciously chosen cinematic style and is used without fear with all available means with the superb cast all delivering perfect performances to compliment. Andy Lau brings righteous anger and hidden tenderness to an exceptional genre character. What's so compelling about the character and the performance is that Wah Dee acts and very rarely talks. His decisions have believable and compelling consequences with the affirmation of Dee's morality coming with a price, and only one outcome is truly possible. Put simply, A Moment of Romance has it all; fiery action, sweeping cinematography, an unforgettable love story and beautiful chemistry, quick-witted humour, a beautiful score and more. The film triumphs, not despite its genre excess, but perhaps because of it.
Reviewed by dragon12 8 / 10

melodrama pur

A surprising gem that reaches the highest standard of genre storytelling, pushing its limits into the realm of true art, that which challenges AND moves its viewer. It may be Andy Lau Tak-wah's best role to date. The plot involves gangster Lau's affair with a young rich girl. The melodrama however, quickly reveals itself as the profile of a man desperate to salvage the last scrap of his own moral code. The foolish but romantic character of the upper class teenaged May is best seen as the flesh and blood manifestation of Lau's secret wish for a clean, happy life that he can never have. She represents his own moral potential that could never have flowered in a life devoid of family love and filled instead with poverty, corruption and desperation. Rising just enough above his fellow gangsters to know that he has missed something precious, he recognizes his own lost innocence in the young girl he has taken hostage. His gang brothers demand that he kill her. But, unable to overcome the last vestige of decency left in him. He lets her go instead. This choice, this one act of honor has profound unforseeable consequences for his life and his character. This film delivers hard boiled action, a fragile love story and and a pithy character study for Lau. It explores the personal cost of embracing moral action, the responsibilities of caring and ultimately asks what defines a worthy life. (from Andylausound)
Reviewed by The-Sarkologist 8 / 10

A Deep Movie about the Impossibility of Love

As the title of this film suggest, it is about a romance that does not last. I actually saw the sequel before I saw this one so when I talk about this I am tempted to refer to the sequel than the other way around. Anyway, like the sequel, A Moment of Romance is a dark film about the impossibilities of human relationships, yet it is also about unexplained love. The movies dives into the romance that forms between a Triad gang member and his hostage (the Stockholm Effect I believe it is called).A street kid is recruited by the Triad to drive the car in a jewelery heist. Unfortunately the police causally pull up behind him, so he distracts them so that the others can escape. While he is fleeing the police, he grabs a woman as hostage and steals her car. Wah, the triad ganger, chooses to protect the girl from the violence of the other gangers and she begins to develop strong feelings towards him.The woman, Jojo, is an innocent and naive rich girl. She does not understand the streets as she has grown up behind iron gates and in sheltered schools. She has never been involved in drugs or with the people of the streets of Hong Kong, but this hostage situation changes everything. She does not truly understand the people that she is joining with, she does not know their lifestyle or the way they treat others, but her feelings cloud her senses and she is willing to submit herself to humiliation and pain to prove to Wah that she loves her.Which is interesting because Wah does not kiss her until 80 minutes into the film, and that is because she is going to Canada. She flees to find him constantly but he takes her for granted until he realises that she is leaving never to come back. But he also knows that the life he lives and the life she comes from are incompatible. Her life is one of luxury and pleasure while his is a constant fight for survival against competing gangs who seek to be the master of the others. This is especially seen after the death of the Godfather and that the younger boss, Trumpet, seeks to take control of the gang and to push out all that he does not like, which includes Wah. Wah knows that he won't survive with Trumpet around so it is either him or Trumpet.The marriage scene is interesting for it is the culmination of Jojo's persistence. She wants Wah and she feels that she loves him. He knows that all he will do is hurt her but she continues to push to the point of marriage. It should be noted that they never have sex in the movie, even after they are married. Instead he leaves her on the steps of the church to go and confront his adversary. It seems that he refuses to consummate the marriage before he has dealt with his adversary. When he takes Jojo as his wife, he wants to take her with out the burden of the Triad on his back.This movie is also about escape. Wah, as his relationship with Jojo develops, wants to leave the life of the Triad behind and start anew with her. He knows that he has brought her into his world, but he doesn't want to take that world to her. Instead he wants to escape, and escape involves dealing with his enemies. Yet we know that he cannot escape because not only is he told, but we know that the romance is not going to last. The title says a Moment of Romance meaning that the stronger the passion the greater the pain, and this is expressed at the end with her running down the freeway in a wedding dress.
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