10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep RUNNING, December 30, 2003
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie, but BEWARE, AUDIO IS IN MONO, September 23, 2006
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
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Playful HK Thriller, May 4, 2000
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.
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