Johnny To, whose cool, precise gangster thriller The Mission is one of the best Hong Kong films since the Chinese takeover, brings a stylish flair to Running Out of Time, an absurdly plotted but compelling cat-and-mouse crime drama that became a box-office smash in Hong Kong. Criminal genius Wah (pop star Andy Lau) is given only a few weeks to live by his doctor, so he embarks on an elaborate heist and strings along hostage negotiator and unconventional supercop Sang (Lau Ching Wan) as part of the fun. "I just want to play a game with you for 72 hours," Wah confesses. "Great," responds Sang's blustery boss, "it's lunatic against lunatic." The elaborate scheme has something to do with a bald badass mobster (an almost unrecognizable Waise Lee, of John Woo's Bullet in the Head and A Better Tomorrow), a priceless gem, and a debt of honor. There's a hint of Woo's warrior bonding as cop and crook develop a respectful adversarial friendship in their running battle of wits: "If you can get me to the police station, you win." It all hinges on some far-fetched twists and the Hong Kong cops are little more than buffoons for most of the film, but To's steely seriousness, sleek style, and runaway pacing keep the film flying through most of the improbabilities. --Sean Axmaker
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Running out of Time... Comment: You're a burglar, and you have 72 hours to live...what would do? That's the premise of this action movie...I found it decent (story, acting, etc...). Three stars! Customer Rating: Summary: A Good Action/Thriller Film From The East! Comment: While this film is not as good as "Internal Affairs," [in my opinion], it is above average. And although it is not a brilliant film, it does deliver in that it is highly entertaining. I guess part of my rationale is that there are so many bad American action flicks, that something from the east must somehow be more palattable. Moreover, I have seen quite a number of mindless Hong Kong triad films, and this one was refreshing. [Except the great 'SPL' known as "Kill Zone" here in the west]. Anyway, if you're familiar with director Johnny To, then you'll know what to expect: The bad guys and the cops. In the film, (Cheung) Andy Lau, portrays a man who has only a little time left to live: due to the fact that he is dying from an incurable illness.
Therefore, to take revenge for his father, he decides to rob an insurance company. The hostage negotiator is portrayed by Inspector Ho Sheung-sang (Ching-Wan Lau). The film is a cat-and-mouse type of action/thriller, where the dying Cheung and the Inspector play a sort of game of chess with wits. Ho Sheung-sang is hot on the trail of Cheung, all the while Cheung leaves the Inspector certain types of up clues which the Inspector must follow in order to catch him. This film has been called a departure from the genre of violent triad films, and I agree. It is much more of an intelligent crime drama film than one usually sees in HK cinema. [However, these films are getting much better all the time, and are even better than American action films]
Whatever your opinions are of this film, however, it is a very clever film: With (Andy Lau) as a criminal bent on revenge of certain members of a triad, and his clever use of the Inspector in pursuit. However, he must first convince the Inspector to become a part of his crusade against these criminals. And I liked the way the film showed how Cheung must manuever the Inspector into this plan of his. This is a very clever and tautly directed film from director Johnny To. Which brings me back to the begining of my review. Compared to many of the action films here in America, this one is brilliant. It's a fun film, enjoy it, and moreover, it is well worth your time spent viewing it. I own it. Customer Rating: Summary: Great movie, but BEWARE, AUDIO IS IN MONO Comment: the movie is great....not quite infernal affairs, but it's still good. however, i just bought the "special edition" (nothing really special about it) and it does have a cantonese, mandarian, and english track. along with the commentary track that's listed in amazon. however the audio is NOT in 5.1. each audio track is presented in glorious MONO!! The video transfer is not clean and the mono track isn't even clear. Try to stay clear of this DVD, i am sure there is a dvd of this movie out there that is better. This is the "special edition" released by tai seng. bar code on the back of the dvd is 01643 85624 Customer Rating: Summary: An almost perfect Hong Kong movie Comment: Running Out of Time is probably as close to a perfect film as you're ever likely to see out of Hong Kong. All the elements click: a terrific script (by French writers Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud) that even manages to subvert the odd clich?, reliably imaginative direction by Johnnie To, and excellent central performances by Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan, the latter displaying his great comic timing to wonderful effect without ever crossing the line into parody (especially in his exasperated reactions to his superior's abysmal negotiating skills). The supporting cast is fine too, with Yo Yo Mung making a strong impression in a tiny role, and even the often histrionic Waise Lee (looking remarkably, and very aptly, like a bald Andy Lau) reining it in to good effect. It's best not to know too much about the plot going in beyond the basic set-up - with only a few weeks to live, Lau engages in a criminal game with Wan's cop with no easily apparent motive - and just sit back and enjoy the ride: it's certainly worth the fare. It also has one of the most perfect love stories in recent movies, and played in a mere three scenes (the second bus ride is one of the most magical moments of filmmaking I've seen in ages). There's also a fine score by Raymond Wong as well. The most fun playing cat and mouse at the movies in years. Customer Rating: Summary: Dying Criminal Decides to Go Out in a Crime Spree Comment: 1999 Unrated Hong Kong crime thriller. Caution: profanity. Also known as "Aau chin." First in, I believe, 2 movie series. (second one is called "Aau Chin 2," or "Running Out of Time 2").
DVD Features: The DVD contains just the movie (which can be heard in Cantonese, Mandarin or English with or without subtitles), some commentary hidden under the "set-up" feature (which is also the language feature), and some trailers (three trailers for this movie (2 Hong Kong, 1 USA), a trailer for Dragon Inn (remake of classic Kung Fu movie) and one for Armageddon (supernatural thriller, not the Hollywood movie)).
Credits: Staring Andy Lau (Cheung; "Infernal Affairs"), Lau Ching Wan (Inpector Ho Sheung-Sang; also known as Sean Lau; "The Attractive One"), Shiu Hung Hui (Chief Inspector Wong; "Hidden Heroes"), and Yoyo Mung (Leung Yuen Ting; "My Crazy Mother"). Directed by Johnny To ("Election"). Written by Yau Nai Hoi, Laurent Courtiaud & Julien Carbon.
Plot: A criminal mastermind is told that he only has two to four weeks to live (last stages of cancer). This criminal, Cheung, decides to go out in style and goes on a crime spree. He battles the police and a specific police officer (Inspector Ho Sheung-Sang) who is very good at his job.
Review: Interesting music, somewhat scratchy film (might just be the DVD), dubbing is a little off, but only if you pay close attention (though it can be quite bad). Intriguing film, we learn in the very first few moments that the criminal has nothing to lose because he is dying which adds a different layer to the normal police-criminal dynamic.
There's a neat scene where Inspector Sheung-Sang figures out that Cheung will leave the scene in a taxi, and becomes the taxi driver. Cheung gets in the back and the Inspector drives off, toward the nearest police station. The unarmed cop notes that the criminal won't shoot him because then the car will crash. What does Cheung do? He starts firing out the window of the taxi until the cop stops and Cheung flees. I'm not sure how realistic that scenario is, but it is an interesting method (later the roles are reversed, with the cop with a gun in the back and the criminal driving, the method used this time is also good). While the criminal plays with the police, the police fight each other (political in-fighting).
While this "cat and mouse" game is going on, a third criminal group is working the city. This group's connection to the main players is hard, at first, to figure out (but it is directly tied to Cheung's actions).
The movie is somewhat tense, but it is also somewhat harder to care about the action, as the film audience already knows that the main bad guy is dying anyway. Once again, it is harder to determine acting ability when watching a dubbed movie, though the acting seemed to be high quality. The music is good and helps add to the tension. The plot is interesting (what would you do if you were a criminal mastermind and know you are dying?) and solid. There even is some humor. Overall, I would give the movie 4.32 stars.
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