Product Description

Told by his doctor that he has 2 weeks to live a mysterious man takes on the entire police force. Only a cool police negotiator can see though his agenda and stop him from carrying out his secret mission. Features: dolby languages-english cantonese mandarin audio commentary trailers more. Studio: Tai Seng Entertainment Release Date: 08/23/2005 Starring: Andy Lau Waise Lee Run time: 89 minutes Director: Johnny To

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61937 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-02-13
• Rating: Unrated
• Formats: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

Keep RUNNING
There's something to said for this tightly-woven Hong Kong action thriller because RUNNING OUT OF TIME tries very hard to combine the traditional buddy picture with one pinch of "The Sting" and a hint of "Tootsie" thrown in for unexpected laughs.

What makes TIME tick is the slickness of the characters: Wah only has a few weeks to live, suffering from a form of incurable cancer, and he finds himself paired with police negotiator Sang in his final act toward redemption. Redemption, however, already has its price tag on it, as Wah's condition quickly deteriorates, and he must rely on an unlikely friendship with Sang to help make end-meet-end before meeting his Maker.

These two actors make the picture work, despite some clunky dialogue (especially clunky in the English-dubbed version, so be warned). Their chemistry onscreen elevates TIME to higher levels of interest for the viewer as you don't know who to root for here: the cop being hustled by the shylock, or the shylock living out his last few days trying to mend life's wrongs.

Regardless of whom you root for, RUNNING OUT OF TIME is a great achievement -- a welcome twist to the cop/crook formula -- that gives you some wonderfully unexpected laughs as the story unfolds.

Great movie, but BEWARE, AUDIO IS IN MONO
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

Playful HK Thriller
Dying thief Andy Lau plays a cat-and-mouse game with both crisis cop Lau Ching-Wan and a crime boss (a bald Waise Lee). While not as sharp as "The Longest Night" or perfect as "The Mission," Johnnie To has directed another fine film.Even though Andy Lau's character is dying, the movie's spirit is playful, for the most part. Lau Ching-Wan is his usual sturdy self, a cop who is brighter than his superiors and doesn't have patience for idiots. He and Lau are well matched. The film only suffers in comparison with To's other recent efforts. Recommended.