Film Name: 阿郎的故事 / All About Ah Long
In 1989, Chow Yun-fat was 34 and Sylvia Chang was 36;
By 2003, Chow Yun-fat had turned 48 and Sylvia Chang was 50.
Time truly flies like a dagger, each strike hastening aging.
When I say “Seeing Ah-long Again” today, I’m not referring to the film “Goodbye, Ah-long” directed by Johnnie To a few years back. I mean I saw Ah-long again—still don’t get it? I mean I watched “The Story of Ah-long” once more today. Clear now?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this film—on VCR, in video halls, at the cinema, on TV, on my computer, on VCD, SVCD, DVD, D5, D9… Yet today, I still couldn’t hold back. When Bo-Zai cried, when Ah-Lang cried, when Ah-Lang died—I nearly shed tears again.
The same film, yet each viewing brings fresh emotions. This time, I truly grasped how crucial supporting roles are to a movie. Who’d have thought that veteran actor Wu Mengda had already reached such mastery by the late 1980s? Remember City Romance? That old guy made me cry—that was when I first began to respect him.
The film’s music is equally vital. Two songs by Lo Ta-yu blend seamlessly with the visuals, perfectly capturing the mood. Du Da-pao’s talent for emotional manipulation is no small feat. Ah-lang’s death in “Your Face” unfolds with blood filling his helmet, then Ah-lang accelerating, winning the race, going into shock, losing control, crashing, exploding, slow motion, screams, struggles, running, embracing, credits… Hearing the vocals, I heard the sound of hearts tearing apart. It left me lingering long after the credits rolled, still seated in my chair—waiting for Ah-lang’s resurrection, or simply wanting to hear that moving song through to the end?
I’m actually quite emotional, yet I always try to hold back tears at movies. But time and again, I find myself unable to believe I’m not easily moved. And it’s the film’s most ordinary shots, its most mundane moments, that touch me the deepest.
Ah-lang and Bo-zai walk down the street. Ah-lang suddenly disappears, leaving Bo-zai searching for him. Then Ah-lang appears from behind, playfully pulling down his son’s pants in the middle of the street. Father and son chase each other playfully, gradually fading into the distance.
Then there’s the scene where Ah Long forces his son to return to America with his mother. The boy refuses, enraging Ah Long who beats him viciously. The son throws all the clothes his mother bought out the window. Finally, with remarkable maturity, he sniffles while packing his things to leave, stubbornly demanding twenty dollars for the bus fare before departing. After the boy leaves, Ah Long curls up in his chair, weeping silently.
My nose stung repeatedly, something swirled in my eyes, and my heart jolted with a sharp pang.
This reminded me of a movie scene my father once told me was the hardest for him to bear as a child:
Old Man: Stone!!!
Child: Grandpa!!!
The camera pulls back, showing grandfather and grandson running toward each other from afar, drawing ever closer. The shot cuts to them colliding with a thud, embracing and weeping… My father paused his recollection then said to me, “That scene always broke me. Just thinking about it makes me tear up!”
This thing called heredity is truly unbearable!
Now let’s talk about director Johnnie To, the legendary “Big Cannon.” This guy is truly a master of his craft. If you only know him from films like The Mission, The Killer, and The Lover, you really need to expand your cinematic horizons. Check out classics like A Tale of Two Brothers and If Love Were a Crime. He presents the film’s tender moments one by one, then just as you’re expecting a happy reunion, he delivers an utterly tragic climax that leaves you utterly helpless, drowning in tears.
As for Sammo Hung, given his age, calling him Uncle Sammo wouldn’t be out of place. His portrayal of Ah Long stands among his most iconic and masterful performances. This role earned him the 1990 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor, a time when Sammo was at the peak of his career. Before that, awards were practically routine for him. To name just a few: In 1987, he starred in “A Better Tomorrow” and “An Autumn’s Tale” (known as “Lau man dai hung” in Taiwan), winning Best Actor at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the 24th Golden Horse Awards. In 1988, for starring in “City on Fire,” he won Best Actor at the 7th Hong Kong Film Awards and the Asian Outstanding Actor Award from the American Film Institute. 1990 marked his last major award win in Hong Kong before entering a semi-retirement that lasted several years—a story for another time.
And then there’s that child actor—he also earned a nomination for Best Newcomer in the Asia-Pacific region and Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Horse Awards for this film! His name is Wong Kwan-hin, a true child star who portrayed Po-chai with such vivid portrayal of mischief, intelligence, and empathy. He’s now pursuing a career in Hollywood. Of course, the voice actor who dubbed him deserves equal credit—two words: spot-on!
After all this rambling, what resonates deepest is the film itself—when a movie moves you, your heart has already drawn closer to heaven…
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