Sparrow - Theatrical Trailer (New English Subtitles)

Trailer for the original theatrical release with a glimpse at the newly translated and improved English subtitles by Dylan Cheung.

SPARROW · 文雀

Johnnie To · 2008 · Hong Kong · 87 mins

The most sheer delight you will ever experience from a Johnnie To film? Filmed over three years between other projects, this story of men who pick pockets and a woman who steals hearts is nothing less than a love letter to Hong Kong. Shot on the streets and backed by a playful lounge jazz score that is equal parts Paris and China, it tells the story of Kei (Simon Yam) and his group of pickpocket brothers who fall under the dangerous spell of a damsel in distress (Kelly Lin). This sets up a series of set pieces that show To working at the peak of his mastery. A man, a woman, a balloon; the erotic possibilities of a shared cigarette; a face-off in a cramped elevator—this is the intoxicating stuff that explains why we love Hong Kong cinema. The balletic finesse of the climactic scene, shot in slow motion in the rain, invokes a Hong Kong of grace and gallantry and professional skill, a Hong Kong that exists now only in the imagination.

[finedamn]

Even among Johnnie To's oeuvre, this is perhaps his most distilled cinematic masterpiece.