Product Details

• Actors: Maggie Shiu, Ruby Wong, Simon Yam, Jerome Fung, Ko Hung
• Directors: Johnny To
• Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Cantonese
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
• DVD Release Date: March 25, 2008
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0010X7432
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,141 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 ½ stars: A Clever, Gritty Crime drama with the Johnnie To signature...., February 6, 2008

By 

Woopak "The THRILL" (Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PTU: Police Tactical Unit (DVD)

PTU (Police Tactical Unit) is the handiwork of award-winning Hong Kong director; Johnnie To(Full-time Killer, Exiled, Breaking News). I've always read that Johnnie To is the epitome of hard-boiled cool, his films usually have that dark, gritty style with sly humor and stylized, intense gunfights. PTU's screenplay all happens in one evening, and while its premise is quite simple, with a script not as polished as "Infernal Affairs", To's signature style is still represented quite proudly.

Synopsis derived from the dvd back cover:
Set against a TsimSha Tsui that never sleeps, a stolen police sidearm triggers a suspenseful chain of events. Tracking down the missing gun before dawn, police inspector Lo (Lam Suet, Dog Bite Dog) gets his car vandalized, then he gets beaten up by street thugs. Suddenly, he is wedged between two gangs on a brink of a bloodbath. While staving off investigations by both the anti-vice squad and homicidal unit embroiled in a turf war. His only lifeline is a maverick team of Police Tactical Unit headed by a cop named Mike Ho (Simon Yam, Exiled) who helps him search for his missing gun.

PTU stands for Police Tactical Unit, the film itself uses a very simple premise. But the film is full of the usual Johnnie To signature. Characters, all threads collide in one night, high contrasting light versus dark. A natural minimalization versus a deep sense of dark humor. The film has a very cool and precise timing in its proceedings that the film is a gritty visual ballet.

The delight of watching To's films is the way the scenes unfold; questions are answered and more questions arise. Although the film does leave some questions unanswered, a clever script, great acting, humor smartly dispersed in its proceedings and the film does have a few surprises in store for the viewer; makes for very powerful cinema. There's really a very slim chance that the viewer will figure out the climax that is the beauty of Johnnie's films. Also, the magic of his film-making is that the director always finds the right actors for the role. Lam Suet hardly plays a lead role and that adds to the feeling of unknown and the viewer will have no difficulty connecting with his eccentric character. Simon Yam fits the role of over-the-top policeman Mike Ho, his methods are a bit extreme and unorthodox at times, but he does have his own sense of loyalty and camaraderie that is very effective.

PTU, truth be told, is another "buddy flick" because Johnnie likes to emphasize friendship in his films, but he adds nasty and dark characters to balance the shades of gray, black and white, good and evil. The supporting characters are given a purpose in the film's direction. No wasted opportunity, as Johnnie To maneuvers the proceedings to ultimate irony. There is a lot of dialogue and the film balances out with its excellent cinematography, which brings us to its strongest point. The film is mostly shot at night, and the awesome use of lighting gives the film a dark, atmospheric feel. In a way, the film is presented almost like a stage play, the members of PTU move around in the rain and uses simple street lamps to emphasize attention to what is happening, that under the spotlight; something relevant that may affect the lives of others is going on. I rather thought that the spotlights were meant to represent the underworld, its dealings and the rules that apply.

However, on the minus side, the film's pacing suffer a bit because there are quite a few "slow" moments and the action is almost non-existent until the climax. Now, don't take this as negative comments, the film is great the way it is; a police drama that makes a really good effort in engaging its audience that even though the film is slower paced than most of To's films, the style is immersive as the story unfolds. That is one of Johnnie To's strengths; he has a great feel for storytelling.

PTU may not be as explosive as his other films such as EXILED, The Mission and Full time Killer, but the film is definitely worth a watch. PTU is a clever return to Hong Kong crime drama, that even with its rather slower pace, the film can stand on its own as one of Johnnie To's greats.

RECOMMENDED! For fans of cop/triad films [3 ½ stars+]

Note: I own the Hong Kong release by Mei-Ah entertainment, the Dragon Dynasty release should carry an English dubbed track.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable-but only for a certain type of viewer. . ., September 14, 2008

By 

Garvinstomp (Chicago or LA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PTU: Police Tactical Unit (DVD)

PTU is, unmistakably, a Johnnie To film. That being said, it is not one of his most accessible films. The first time I watched it I felt a bit underwhelmed when it was over. But, being that it was a JT film, I decided to watch all the extras and give it another look. JT is one of those rare filmmakers that if I don't have a strongly positive reaction the first time I see his film I'll give it additional looks because I may be missing something. There aren't many directors about which such a statement can be said. But To works on so many levels you're almost always likely to pick up important subtleties through extra viewings.

PTU is basically a story that follows a series of characters whose storylines are constantly intertwining. The whole movie takes place in the course of one evening. So while it's not a 'real-time' flick, it is fairly compact. I think part of what makes the film hard to grab onto at first is that there is no true main character. This means that it can be tough trying to latch on to a favorite or settle in.

Also, much of what the characters are planning seem to be kept to themselves. Rarely do we get any foresight as to what's going to happen. This is not a movie where you'll be able to see the end from the beginning. You'll likely not be able to anticipate even what the next scene will be. And that can be disconcerting wherein most films there's a certain amount of predictability. Here, To crafts a story that leaves much in the dark, throughout (often quite literally because it takes place during one night).

That being said, this is a fantastic film. I wouldn't argue that it's amongst his best. But even on his worst day he makes most others look like amateurs. As usual, he gets nothing but first rate performances out of his stoic cast. He keeps dialogue to a minimum, doing what he does best and letting actions and mannerisms do much of the storytelling.

PTU is best described as a crime drama. It is very deliberately paced. There are no major set-pieces like in 'The MIssion' or 'Exiled'. It is more a series of smaller events that grow in consequence as we move forward. To fans and those who are intrigued by crime and cop dramas would most likely enjoy this. Some will find it slow or inconsequential. Some will find it altogether boring. But it really is the kind of movie that will grow on you. I doubt it will be anyone's favorite. But it is another solid entry into the Johnnie To library that I'm sure to revisit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intense and subtle, August 13, 2008

By 

Hizon "Jerry" (Makati Philippines) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PTU: Police Tactical Unit (DVD)

Johnnie To's police drama/dark comedy about a night with Hong Kong's PTU is a taut, efficient piece of cinema.

The movie follows the events that transpired when a roguish anti-organized crime police officer loses his gun after a confrontation with some young gang members. A roving team of PTU chances upon him. Since he is up for promotion, he asks the PTU not to report the loss of the gun. Despite objections from other officers, the squad leader (Simon Yam) promises to help him find it. These set a chain of events that will lead to major repercussions in the Hong Kong underworld.

The joy of watching PTU is in the intense, dead-pan performance and the chuckles brought by the darkly-humorous situations, even if the movie's plot and resolution is highly reminiscent of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels with some elements of InterMission (although this came before the Irish movie).

A film about honor, duty, and commitment, PTU is well worth a watch, if not a purchase. It is not a "loud" movie, as compared to stereotypical HK police films. One of the best I've seen in the genre, the somewhat predictable ending notwithstanding.

What prevents me from giving this a perfect score is the VERY cheesy 80s era guitar/synth score. To think this film was made in 2003, Johnnie To could've used a less-grating/irritating musical score that would've accentuate the mood of the film. Normally, I wouldn't mind but the soundtrack was so intrusive and yes, I will say again, very cheesy, you cannot help but not notice it.

Although, not in the level of the first Infernal Affairs, PTU is still a solid addition to one's Asian movie collection.