I knew going in that this was director Abel Ferrara’s version of Romeo and Juliet. But China Girl (1987) feels more like an updated West Side Story. There’s a MTV energy in this night-time, neon-lit, wet-sidewalked vision of New York with young gangs clattering down darkened alleyways, climbing up chain-linked fences. At one point, a character during the day turns on their bedroom TV to a music video set at night, which caused a temporal dislocation for me (“Is that a new character or is that a girl in a music video?”). Here, the clash is between the Italian and Chinese gangs, an extension of Chinatown’s movement into formerly Italian neighbourhoods. Two innocent lovebirds – Tye (Sari Chang) and Tony (Richard Banebianco) – meet on the pumping dancefloors and spark chemistry in their moves. However, Tye’s brother Yung (Russell Wong) is a leader of a Triad gang, Tony’s brother Alby (James Russo) is involved with a bunch of Mafia hoods. As the racial tensions escalate due to junior level power moves, the older guard, which includes Robert Mianon on the mob side, and the great James Hong on the triad side, who have agreed upon a financially beneficial truce, and look on with righteous fury. There’s such a great sense of place in the location and the casting, some of the acting might be rough but it feels authentic. The love of the couple is not expressed deeply in the dialogue, it comes through in dancing to ‘Walk This Way’ by Aerosmith and Run-DMC or saying “I love you” in each other’s languages. Also stars Joey Chin, Judith Malina and David Caruso. Ferrara’s regular collaborators are in session once again with Nicholas St John writing the script, and Joe Delia producing the score. I thought this was very good, a sad romance heightened with drama and energy by its vision of New York street life. Recommended.
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