An Autumn's Tale

American fans who know Chow Yun-fat only from the John Woo gunplay films, or from U.S. efforts such as Replacement Killers, may be startled by his work in writer-director Mabel Cheung's gentle autobiographical tale. This a serious, personal picture, filmed on a shoestring in New York, a John Sayles-style film that happened to strike a chord with HK's big audience. A recent college graduate, played by Cherie Chung (the perky gold-digger in Tsui Hark's Peking Opera Blues), arrives in Manhattan from Hong Kong to study acting. She's a virginal country mouse, appalled by the filth and the abrasive natives, very earnest about her art. Chow plays her city-mouse cousin, a conniving taxi driver who drinks, brawls, and gambles, and takes the green girl under his wing. Plot developments will remind you of every naively sensitive autobiographical first novel ever written, but the slightly dazzled tone fits the characters. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of Chinatown gambling dens and restaurant kitchens, and Chow's all-stops-out star performance, are definite assets. --David Chute