When Bullets Dance with Roses: Decoding Hong Kong’s Urban Anxieties Through A Taste of Killing and Romance
In the twilight of Hong Kong’s handover era, A Taste of Killing and Romance (1994) emerges as a haunting chiaroscuro painting where gangster film conventions bleed into existential romance. Directed by Chan Ching-yee with Andy Lau at his career-defining zenith, this overlooked gem offers Western viewers a poetic autopsy of 1990s Hong Kong identity through its unconventional blending of hitman mythology and lyrical fatalism.
I. The Neon-Lit Labyrinth: Hong Kong as Character
The film transforms the city into a sentient entity through:
- Architectural Dualities: Glass towers housing triad operations loom over neon-drenched night markets, mirroring Hong Kong’s capitalist/communist identity crisis
- Transit Spaces as Metaphors: The Star Ferry terminal and Cross-Harbour Tunnel become liminal zones where killers shed identities like snakeskins
- Weather Patterns: Persistent rainfall creates liquid mirrors reflecting characters’ moral ambiguities
This environmental storytelling reaches its zenith in the iconic rooftop chase sequence – Lau’s character literally balances between corporate Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and Kowloon’s chaotic alleyways, embodying the city’s spatial schizophrenia.
II. Deconstructing the Killer Archetype: Confucian Redemption
Lau’s hitman Ko Sau (高守) revolutionizes triad cinema through:
- Scholar-Assassin Paradox
His courtroom disguise as a judge (complete with powdered wig) satirizes British colonial legal theater while establishing intellectual depth rare in gangster roles - Filial Piety Reimagined
The character’s secret care for his Alzheimer’s-stricken mother subverts triad masculinity tropes, blending xiao (孝) traditions with urban alienation - Artistic Sensibilities
Ko’s appreciation for gallery paintings and jazz music creates psychological texture absent in typical “cold killer” portrayals
III. Feminist Subversion in the Killing Fields
Anita Yuen’s rookie assassin Yu-Feng (如枫) dismantles gender expectations through:
- Skill Hierarchy: Her mastery of close-quarters butterfly knife combat surpasses male counterparts’ firearms dependency
- Emotional Agency: Initiate romantic encounters through coded messages in newspaper personal ads
- Moral Leadership: Ultimately redeems Ko’s worldview through Daoist-influenced non-violence philosophy
The film’s revolutionary “assassin courtship” sequence – where lovers communicate through bullet trajectory analysis of mutual assassination attempts – redefines romantic chemistry in crime cinema.
IV. Cinematic Language of Anxiety
Director Chan crafts visual metaphors for 1997 handover anxieties:
- Mirror Motifs: Characters frequently confront fractured reflections in elevator panels and shop windows
- Temporal Disorientation: Non-linear editing mimics Hong Kong’s uncertain future
- Color Symbolism: Shifting from cold blues (colonial past) to fiery reds (communist future) in final shootout
The climactic beach confrontation between Ko and rival hitman Wong Cheung (郑浩南) transforms into political allegory – their bullet-riddled bodies sinking into sand symbolizes Hong Kong’s disappearing autonomy.
V. Legacy in Global Context
While overlooked during release, the film’s innovations resonate through:
- Tarantino’s True Romance (1993): Parallel explorations of criminalized love
- John Woo’s Mexican Standoffs: Reinterpreted as psychological chess matches
- Wong Kar-wai’s Urban Poetry: Shared use of weather and architecture as emotional barometers
The final tableau – Yu-Feng dancing with Ko’s bloodstained judicial robe to Chet Baker’s My Funny Valentine – remains one of Asian cinema’s most devastating commentaries on law and amorality.
This unconventional gangster romance ultimately transcends genre through its symphonic blending of Hong Kong’s spatial politics, Confucian ethics, and post-colonial melancholy. For Western viewers, it offers both thrilling action and profound insight into a city’s soul during its most vulnerable historical moment.