Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha)

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Ming-liang Tsai

Producer:

Li-Kong Hsu, Feng-Chyt Jiang

Release Date:

Jan 1, 1992

Runtime:

1hr 46m

Synopsis

Within the urban gloom of Taipei, four youths face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes.

Cast

  • Chao-jung Chen
  • Chang-Bin Jen
  • Kang-sheng Lee
  • Yi-Ching Lu
  • Tien Miao
  • Yu-Wen Wang

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.0
57.3K
25.4K
20.7K
RATINGS 669 FANS
4.0

  • [Tsai Ming-liang: Ranked] Unlike the desolate, depopulated Taipei featured in most of Tsai Ming-liang’s remarkable oeuvre, Rebels of the Neon God (Qingshaonian Nezha), the Malaysian-born Taiwanese master’s first full-length feature, introduces us to a bustling,…

    856 Likes
    Arsaib Gilbert
    Arsaib Gilbert
    Sep 5, 2016

    The title, the atmosphere, the bikes and everything else always give me the impression that this is a languid live-action Akira minus the psychic powers, retaining all the urban decay, social upheaval, teen angst and rivalry, etc. Rad movie.

    751 Likes
    viewer 🛸
    viewer 🛸
    Oct 15, 2020

    A cram school dropout. A pair of petty thieves. A carefree young woman. All drifting through the bustling bright darkness of Taipei. Arcades. Roller Rinks. Night Markets. Lost and found. Together, but not quite. Endless swarming traffic connected via a lifeblood of taxis…

    456 Likes
    𝐒𝐜𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢🍥
    𝐒𝐜𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢🍥
  •
    Apr 6, 2015

    Tsai Ming-liang isn’t for all tastes, but moviegoers with the patience to watch an 11-minute shot of a man mauling a cabbage (Stray Dogs) or a nearly dialogue-free epic about the final night of a repertory theater (Goodbye, Dragon Inn) are rewarded with indelible…

    439 Likes
    davidehrlich
    davidehrlich

    Tsai Ming-liang watching some early Wong Kar-wai films: "I can do that more... leisurely."

    429 Likes
    Justin Decloux
    Justin Decloux
    Aug 25, 2013

    A disaffected neon haze of a film that captures a portrait of how disconnection and modern distraction leads to boredom and violence.

    367 Likes
    Sally Jane Black
    Sally Jane Black
  •
    Aug 22, 2018

    I can't stop thinking about Rebels of the Neon God's opening sequence. Hsiao-Kang notices a cockroach aimlessly wandering into his room. He then walks up to it and traps this worthless creature in the most cruelest way possible, and after he's had his fun, he throws it…

    362 Likes
    rotund
    rotund
    Sep 7, 2015

    rain, crowds, streetfighter. neon punk and no escape from desperate longings. where we first see tsai ming liang's evil god: chewing and swallowing words and belching stillnesses, roiling in the air, casually heated. the way the camera searches the sky. possession by the…

    331 Likes
    clare
    clare
    May 19, 2022

    The apartment floods when it rains. What’s the point in trying to clean it up if it just keeps happening? Your bedroom floor is a puddle. Might as well use it as an ashtray, then.  Inescapable poverty, petty crime, a few coins for the arcade. Angry, aimless youth. A view…

    251 Likes
    Lowe McKee
    Lowe McKee
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Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

82
metacritic
Based on 10 Critics
7.0

USER SCORE (11)

Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Reviews
88
Jul 9, 2015

Despite the self-conscious derivativeness and allusions, Tsai’s debut already demonstrates the contrariness and motifs that have distinguished him as a unique, difficult, and transcendent filmmaker.

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Metacritic review by Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
80
Apr 8, 2015

Tsai’s work sees generational defiance as a symptom of the ennui felt by their young subjects as they drift into adulthood, and Rebels’ unusually sharp focus on that theme makes it an accessible primer for the elements that would inform the more oblique masterpieces to come.

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David Ehrlich
Time Out
88
Apr 6, 2015

Tsai Ming-liang's debut makes one yearn for an alternative reality where it, not Pulp Fiction, became the beacon of '90s independent filmmaking.

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Metacritic review by Clayton Dillard
Clayton Dillard
Slant Magazine
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992)?
The movie is 1hr 46min long.
What's Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992) about?
Within the urban gloom of Taipei, four youths face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes.
Who's the cast of Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992)?
  • Chao-jung Chen as Ah Tze
  • Chang-Bin Jen as Ah Bing
  • Kang-sheng Lee as Hsiao-Kang
  • Yi-Ching Lu as Mother
  • Tien Miao as Father
  • Yu-Wen Wang as Ah Kuei
Who's the director behind Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992)?
Ming-liang Tsai directed Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992).
Who produced Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992)?
Li-Kong Hsu and Feng-Chyt Jiang produced Rebels of the Neon God (Qing shao nian nuo zha) (1992).