smuggling and contraband

His films like 'Chungking Express' and 'In the Mood for Love' capture the underground smuggling culture and illicit trade networks of Hong Kong during its colonial era.

His documentaries and narrative films persistently explore contraband cinema, illegal art, and resistance against censorship in authoritarian regimes.

Films like 'Babel' and 'Amores perros' deeply examine the consequences of smuggling, border crossing, and underground economies in contemporary society.