Whether you like or dislike his films, Wong Kar Wai sparks a good amount of debate. I think much of this is due to his approach to filmmaking. Wong Kar Wai's movies don't unfold, they just happen. Characters befall the fate of being involved in chaotic events beyond their control.

"In the Mood for Love" is a lushish looking film. Whether it was due to a bigger or better spent budget, or that Wong finally found some good lighting people and some high speed film, he moved away from the grainy look. Wong Kar Wai has matured. But, this is also the most affected Wong Kar Wai film (if that can be believed). Tony Leung and Maggie Chueng play neighbors that fall in love while trying to find out about their spouses' extramarital relationship. You never get to see Tony and Maggie's spouses fully, only from behind, or obscured from the camera's view. We get the trademark Wong Kar Wai brooding male, isolated, standing against a wall, smoking a cigarette and looking pensive. We also get the claustophobic blocking and cinematography, scenes in medium and close-up shots through metal bars, windows and cramped hallways and alleyways. Events take place in dark areas and mostly at night, heightening the loneliness that Tony and Maggie must endure while their significant others are away. Rain is also another feature that Wong kar Wai uses to further isolate his characters. It's as if the characters portrayed by Tony and Maggie were sealed in a box and they were trying to break out.

Ultimately, "In the Mood for Love" suffers from its own languid pacing and melancholy. There isn't any break from one monotonous segue to the next. This only distanced the viewer from the solid acting by the leads. Maggie is the real wonder in this film, giving such a full performance at every turn. Wong finally had a budget for costumes and adorned Maggie in the full '60s retro look with the high mandarin collars and beautiful floral dresses that complemented her coiffures. Tony does a nice job here, but personally, I thought his work was stellar and incomparable in "Happy Together." The use of Nat King Cole in the soundtrack helped to set the film as if it were a fond memory. Searching the back of our minds, we recollect the sounds, the colors and the textures, if you will, of the events that take place "In the Mood for Love."

The film was filled with yearning and unfulfilled emotions that didn't quite ring true, almost as if this was a terrific exercise in style over substance. But, regardless of what the drawbacks may be, "In the Mood for Love" is still a compelling film that deserves attention.