Wong Kar Wai’s first feature AS TEARS GO BY is a very commercial, pop genre film. The dynamic is similar to Scorsese’s MEAN STREETS with Andy Lau as the Harvey Keitel character and Jacky Cheung as the De Niro character. It’s a colorful, fast-paced movie with vivid flashes of Wong’s mature style. The cast—which also includes Maggie Cheung—is young and appealing; these are real movie stars. Not surprisingly, AS TEARS GO BY was a colossal hit at the Hong Kong box office.