Reviewed by: Hyomil Date: 04/07/2011 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: dandan Date: 08/12/2010 Summary: hidden war... when a master criminal, cheung (andy lau), pulls a job at a small time finance company, he specifically requests that inspector ho (lau ching wan) is the negotiator he speaks to. cheung only has a couple of weeks to live and has decided to draw ho into a game he is playing with some gangsters who have a rather large diamond in their possession... man, this was fun. johnnie to, in full on tongue in cheek mode: there's the super slick crim, the clever, maverick cop, the put upon, moaning, shouty boss and so on. as each scene plays out, to seems to twist and mock the conventions of the two sides of the same coin, cop / crim dynamic; there's twists and turns, lots of over the top set pieces. all good. andy lau is great as the dying criminal, carefully choreographing his moves and those of the people who he draws into his game, whilst lau ching wan is the ideal choice to play the cop who pits his wits against lau. great stuff.

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 02/24/2010 Viewers who still have their suspension of disbelief at the conclusion of Milkyway Image's "Running out of Time" may be few and far between. What begins as a composed, slickly edited, even momentarily affecting cat-n-mouse struggle between an intuitive cop and a terminally ill thief gradually looses its way midstream succumbing to a heavy-handed script co-authored by French writers Julie Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud who could only dream of being likened to Melville. Director Johnnie To, nonetheless, is an experienced enough filmmaker to keep "Running out of Time" moving along all the way up until it hits the wall with an over-the-top finale that borders on high camp. The film's primary cast: Lau Ching-wan, Andy Lau, Yoyo Mung, and Hui Siu-hung ultimately prove the only consistently likeable component in "Running out of Time." Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Beat TG Date: 05/27/2009 Summary: Much better than the 1st time I saw it I can't recall much the first time upon viewing RUNNING OUT OF TIME except that it was good but not something I thought lived up to its' extreme hype. Now, having seen it some years later, I have to say: thank goodness for the time I spent on discovering, familiarizing and catching up with everything concerning the man (Johnnie To) behind the movie ever since. As I was watching the movie, it was as if it was really the first time (with the same knowledge on Johnnie To/Milkyway Image as now, same expectations and awareness) seeing it and the experience was lovely. The story, while being a bit over the top (but in good way nonetheless), is pretty creative and fun filled with touches that are printed everywhere; the character buildup, the subplots, the twists... plus, as always with Johnnie To's movies, accompanied by the masterful usage of direction, music, lighting, locations done by the MI crew. And then there's also the reliable acting crew which is a guarantee to deliver a Johnnie To flick and RUNNING OUT OF TIME doesn't disappoint. Everyone is on top of their game and gets you hooked right away whenever they appear onscreen; Sean Lau, Andy Lau (whose role is very identical to Sean Lau's in THE LONGEST NITE btw) playing, Benz Hui, Lam Suet, Yoyo Mung etc, everyone delivers and makes for a classic piece. Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: cal42 Date: 10/11/2008 RUNNING OUT OF TIME is, on the face of it, a pretty routine cat-and-mouse thriller and occasionally threatens to descend into another of Milkyway’s dry police procedure movies. However, this is not the case largely thanks to great casting and a taut, understated script. I’m often criticising Andy Lau (well, we all need a hobby), but to be honest he’s excellent in this, and quite different from his usual light and fluffy, PR-friendly kind of character. He plays Cheung, a man with just four weeks left to live and who decides to spend his remaining time robbing a finance company. Lau Ching-Wan plays Ho, the man trying to bring him to justice, gives an equally strong performance. More importantly, there is a tangible chemistry between the two performers. Despite being primarily a thriller in the style of Melville, there are flashes of humour, but the sight of Andy Lau in drag might give some viewers nightmares. There are trademark To touches all over the place, and it’s hard to imagine a fan not liking the film. The only criticism, and it’s such a common criticism of Hong Kong films in general these days and not really the film’s fault, is a scene with some nastily blatant product placement for a certain brand of trendy eye apparel. RUNNING OUT OF TIME may surprise a lot of viewers not familiar with Johnnie To as it’s rather more subtle than your typical Hong Kong thriller. A lot of the drama is derived from the thought processes of the two central characters (with Ho desperately trying to work out Cheung’s motives) rather than flashy explosions and action setpieces. If for no other reason, this film is to be recommended, but for To fans it’s a must. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: dalvin Date: 08/18/2008 Summary: A Great Movie As a director, Johnny To makes movies that focus more on character study and relationships, and Running Out of Time is no different. Running Out of Time is an interesting and original movie of cat and mouse, shown from both perspectives through a single view. Lau Ching-Wan plays Inspector Ho a detective who knows just what to do to catch his man and Andy Lau plays the mysterious figure who changes all that. Andy Lau steals the movie as a con-artist/thief who is told he has four weeks to live, and with nothing to lose, proceeds to rob and steal from (seemingly) any one. His character is where this movies biggest strength lies, you really do not know what he is going to do next or why he is doing it in the first place. The two leads in this movie balance one another well, and have a chemistry that forces you not to root for anyone, just to hope that each character makes it out okay. Several scenes together, throughout the movie, show both characters forming a bond and it becomes a game with Andy Lau's character telling Inspector Ho after being caught (the first time) 'if you can take me to the police station, you win'. One of Johnny To's best films, a great movie. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 01/07/2006 Summary: 9.5/10 - another Milkyway triumph This tale of wheels-within-wheels intrigue is another Milkyway triumph, oozing coolness and sophistication from every pore (just like Andy Lau does in the film) and directed with the cool confidence that comes from a director who has full control, and knows exactly what he wants to do in every scene. It caps a run of seminal films from To, which constituted a veritable reinvention of Hong Kong cinema post-1997 - and in this case a reinvention of Andy Lau, revealing a level of class that his earlier career rarely hinted at. The soundtrack, cinematography and editing are stylish and sometimes beautiful, creating a rather dreamy, abstract feel that suits a film that wastes almost no time on "fluff" like back-story - it's very lean, economical film-making that credits the audience with enough intelligence not to have to spell everything out. Like a dream, the plot is rather implausible if you try to analyse it too much afterwards, but it all seems to make sense at the time, and is a very enjoyable ride. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/17/2005 Over the past few years, Johnnie To has become one of Hong Kong's most prolific and respected film-makers through the movies that have passed through the Milkyway studio. Films like A Hero Never Dies and The Mission are wonderful re-inventions of the classic (and oftentimes cliched) crime genre. To is also a smart businessman, though -- for every "arty" movie he makes, he usually follows it up with a more mainstream offering (helping to keep Milkyway afloat), which Running Out of Time is. It's not a bad movie by any means -- it's quite good -- it just, at least to this reviewer, lacks that certain something which usually sets To's films apart from those of his contemporaries. The film's plot has Andy Lau as a high-class jewel thief who has cancer and only four weeks to live, and so decides to pull off one last daring heist. To complete his job, he needs a patsy, and so ropes in a workaholic cop (Lau Ching-Wan), who doesn't realize until too late that he has become part of the crime. The two begin a cat-and-mouse game, even though both of their goals are similar. As you might expect, the two become reluctant partners of a sort and seem to work well together, but the problem of Andy's disease always looms in the background and they wonder if the job can be completed in time. While the plot isn't really original (excepting the cancer bit, it's the usual heist-and-chase stuff we've seen before), I thought it worked for the most part, especially with the strong script present here. Lau Ching-Wan and Andy Lau both give good performances. This is especially suprising in Andy's case, since usually he's more concerned with looking good rather than polishing his acting skills -- one story had him refusing to laugh in a scene because the action made his wrinkles more visible. There is also nice comic relief in the form of Lam Suet as an inept (and forgetful) Triad hood, good action sequences and solid cinematography and editing. So why doesn't this movie -- which some people claim is To's best work -- get a higher rating? As I said before, Running Out of Time is a good movie but lacking in parts. It seems that almost every positive in the film has a negative component to go along with it. For instance, even though the script for the most part is well-written, there are some scenes (especially the ending) which slip almost haphazardly into melodrama and there are a few elements that, while entertaining, don't really add to the movie as a whole and tend to slow it down. Even though the film runs at a short 89 minutes, the pacing feels sluggish in parts. It felt more like a two-hour movie rather than a 90 minute one. As for the comedy, most of it works, but some of it just isn't funny and again takes away from the tight pacing that marks a great thriller. One scene in particular, when Andy dresses up as what has to be the world's ugliest woman during a trade for a jewel, stands out. It's good for a few chuckles, but To lets it go on too long and really starts to squash the momentum in what could have been a very suspenseful scene. Overall though, despite my complaints, Running Out of Time is a pretty solid crime movie. It's just with its' pedigree and gushing reviews it recieved, I expected a bit more out of it. Still, you could do much worse. Hey, any Andy Lau movie where I don't want to punch him in the mush halfway through is doing a good job in my book. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 08/09/2005 Summary: Excellent crime/heist drama At first it seemed that the excellent crime drama “Running Out of Time” could have been made in Hollywood or Paris—convoluted plot with plenty of twists but not difficult to follow; attractive characters whose actions make sense within the context of the film with brilliant actors portraying those characters; terrific production values. But it also has plenty of characteristics that label it as a Hong Kong product. There is essentially no backstory given for either of the major characters or even any reason that Andy Lau chose Lau Ching-Wan as his unwitting accomplice—although I may have missed something obvious—I often do. Their motivation is as basic and essential as can be: a thief steals even (or especially) when he has only a few days to live. A cop will try to catch a thief even (or especially) when his commanding officer hates him and tries to sabotage his work. The movie happens at the intersection of these forces. Andy is the brilliant jewel thief; Lau is the persistent police officer. The closer the cop gets to solving what seems to be the crime—a robbery at a finance company—the more he is enmeshed in the criminal’s web. Everyone comes together—the police, the jewel thief and the crime boss (Waise Lee) who is the actual target to Andy’s plan. In addition to Lee, the supporting cast is first rate. Lam Suet is perfect as a slightly stupid and slightly cowardly crime lieutenant. Hui Siu Hung is his counterpart with the forced of the law—a commanding officer who is as thick as a plank and who thinks that everyone—including desperate criminals—will obey him because of his rank. Yoyo Mung is a very lucky girl on a bus. Her character, who does very little and has few lines, is the final link between Andy Lau and Lau Ching-Wan. Ruby Wong is a local Interpol agent who looks great in an evening dress and has a more than professional interest in the Lau Ching-Wan’s character. 1991 was quite a year for Lau. He was astonishingly good as Manson Ma in “The Victim” and that role could not be more different than this one. In “The Victim” he was a dangerous, flamboyant and probably insane schemer whose life unravels as the movie unspools but who always has another gruesome surprise in store for his pursuers. In “Running Out of Time” he was a phlegmatic, insightful cop with flashes of brilliance but who is solidly grounded. Andy Lau’s work looks effortless. This type of role, with no real character development or strong motivation necessary, is made for him and he wears it lightly, like a favorite sport coat. His costar has much more skill and range but with the proper role—like this one—he is the best there is. Johnny To directs with a firm but unobtrusive hand. We see the jewel thief’s plot unfold but don’t know any more than the cops at any particular time. While there are a few extravagant touches—the scene when the thief and his hostage seem cornered on the roof of an office building for example—To obviously trusts the material enough to let the intricacies play out. Recommended. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: SteelwireMantis Date: 03/07/2004 Summary: Recommended Johnny To unites Lau Ching-Wan and Andy Lau in a thriller about a race against time. Andy Lau is a jewel thief who has less than four weeks to live, since he is dying of cancer. But time seems to run short, so he plays a game of cat and mouse with officer Ho (Ching Wan) for 72 hours as he plans his last target - a crime boss (A bald Waise Lee). I cannot say much more about the plot since it'll spoil it if you haven't seen it. Andy Lau gives a very brilliant performance and convinces the audience that he will die soon. Lau Ching-Wan is at his most funniest here. The action sequences are done in traditional John Woo/1980's HK style which does add a plus point to the film. But the plot does drag on sometimes, which may bother some people. All I can say is that this film is greatly recommended. ****/***** Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Souxie Date: 01/12/2003 Summary: fantastic A masterpiece of an almost buddy movie. One policeman who isn't nearly stretched enough by his work, and one thief who has 14 days to live. Who wants to play? The music made the film, the actors were spot on (don't think I've seen better performances from either Lau Ching-Wan or Lau Tak-Wah), and it had a perfect ending - did he or didn't he? I hope he did. 9.5/10 Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: ksbutterbox Date: 04/07/2002 Summary: I liked this movie! Everyone concurs that this is one of Andy Lau's best roles. They're correct. Lau Ching Wan is also excellent. That's why the chemistry is there. The music was exceptional and gave the film different moods and colors. This really isn't an action film...That's why it seems fresh. Very funny moments as well.Not a great film but very good.

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 03/12/2002 Summary: Pretty good Running Out Of Time is definitely not a classic, but it’s certainly not bad. Johnnie To is far from a perfect director or producer, but he uses what skills he does have well in this film. I saw the sequel recently that I thought was pretty bad, and when thinking back to this one I wasn’t impressed either. However, I hadn’t done a review for this one yet, so thought I would give it another view. I’m glad I did, because I have changed my opinion greatly. A good fast thrilling action film with 2 of Hong Kong’s favourites, Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan, both of which are favourable actors in my opinion and deserve all credit they already get. The acting is pretty good, except perhaps from the shallow performance by Yoyo Mung. Waise Lee also pulls off a good performance which was thought to be his last at the time, though recently he has just finished another film with Leslie Cheung called Inner Senses, which is sounding promising. Though there is one big problem in my opinion, and that is that although thrilling most of the time, there are parts of the film that really drag. The whole concept of the film is greatly exagerated too, but it's entertaing. I won’t go into story details as there are plenty of other complex reviews, but in my opinion, it’s worth checking out for sure, especially if you like action movies done in the good old-fashioned way only Hong Kong can pull off. Recommended. 4/5

Reviewed by: Fatty Date: 02/07/2002 Summary: Incredible Film (Editor's note: this review contains some large spoilers) Now I may be a huge action buff but this film is outstanding.... Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan and superb in this film. I really did enjoy watching them together as Cop and Thief. Plus I was hoping that Yoyo Mung had a bigger part, but she only had three scenes and all of them where on the bus..except for two parts(Going home and giving Lau his shades and having a drink at a Resturant. I did feel sorry for Lau in this film, a Thief who has less then 4 weeks to live is somehow not really afraid, plus seeing him cough up blood all over the place and not turning into a dying man was weird. Plus it was nice of him to give Charity 20 Million bucks...what a Thief I was glad to see Waise Lee in this cause I've only seen him in ABT and man he looks exactly the same, except for he's bald in this film. All the other characters were very good aswell. Johnnie To's films have been damn good, his other movie I've seen is The Mission and it looks like this guy is damn good, I hope I can see more of his stuff soon The truly best thing I loved about this film was the music, I really did enjoy and it did fit nicely into the film, but the best song had to be the parts where Lau and Yoyo were together on the bus, man that music ruled!!! It sounded it should be in a Final Fantasy game or something, lol. Overall a great film, with a splendid cast(I would've love to see Lau say goodbye to yoyo but all we see is Yoyo with the Diamond,I'm still not sure if it was fake or not, even thou Wan said it was fake). Great plot and the music was incredible aswell. 5/5 (Cause of the music and Yoyo Mung :) ) This Review is brought to you by Fatty

Reviewed by: PAUL MARTINEZ Date: 06/15/2001 Summary: WOW Everytime someone talks about how many poorly done films there are in HK these days. Here is one you can throw back at them. Let me say this. This wasn't a great HK film. This was a great film period. Suspense, Action, Humor and some soft spots as well. A great all-around story not cookie cutter nor convoluted. This is the way a story should flow. Johnny To is at his best here. I wasn't a fan of his work at first but I have since become a believer Lau Ching-Wan was great as he always is. Such an underated actor. Andy Lau gave a great performance. He really brought his A-game to this project. A brilliant Cat & Mouse tale. A must see. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: runo_jp Date: 06/14/2001 Summary: running out of time The come back of Andy Lau. Johnny To obviously knows how to use an actor at 100%, and Andy Lau shows us he still has the potential to be an actor. Now he has to keep the right track. Special mention to Lau Ching-Wan as well! 8/10

Reviewed by: cathy in dc Date: 05/16/2001 I loved this film. I saw it for free at the Freer Gallery in DC and enjoyed it so much I went back for the second showing 3 days later. As "caper" movies go, this one is definitely worth seeing. I enjoyed the intricate plotting of the robberies and the revenge scheme, as well as the relationship between the cop and the thief. In addition to being genuinely suspenseful, the movie also made me laugh. Andy Lau was great as the jewel thief. The one complaint I had was that I didn't think the movie's portrayal of terminal illness was particularly realistic, but other than that I have no complaints. This is a must see movie.

Reviewed by: tcooc Date: 02/27/2001 Summary: This is a must see movie for everyone! This is a must see movie for everyone! This movie is about Andy, who has some kind of sickness. For some reasons, he wants Sean to notice him and arrests him for his crimes. Sean, the police, is very funny in this movie. He talks and does funny things. Did Andy die at the end? Don't know cause the directors nowadays never finish the whole story. They always want us to think whatever we want. Anyway, this is a really great movie. Yoyo Mung is really cute and sexy in this movie! I wonder if she ever thought of becoming a singer some day. If she does, I would definitely support her. Keep up the good work Yoyo. She is so beautiful at the end of the movie! She acts really good throughout the whole movie even through she only had a small part!

Reviewed by: ICU Date: 12/09/2000 Summary: Great Film From all the Andy Lau action film I've seen so far this would have to be one of the best, why? you may ask. Go and watch the film and then you'll know why/

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 11/14/2000 Summary: Are you people sure? OK i saw this again and believe it or not but i don't agree with you people!! Beginning was good but faded from middle to end. (Spoiler) Andy Lau dressed up as a woman was suprising but i didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else!! Andy dying of cancer but ONLY feels the effects of it at the end is RIDICULOUS!! If he was dying of cancer, he would be bed ridden!! I thought the plot was ok but not as good as everyone thinks it is!! It is shorter than the average film too. Action is ok but dont'expect too much. Seeing Andy Lau and Lau China WAn together in a movie is GREAT but still not enough for me to really enjoy this movie. 4/10

Reviewed by: resdog781 Date: 08/23/2000 Summary: Slick Slick Slick Did I mention this movie was slick? =) I've only seen two Johnnie To movies (the other one was Lifeline) and I'd say this one was the better one for sure. Andy Lau is a career thief who finds out he's got only a few weeks to live, thatnks to advanced cancer. He decides to go on the proverbial "last heist" as Lau Ching-Wan is simply (and literally) joined in for the ride as the detective out to arrest him. An especially poignant performance by Andy Lau (probably the best movie I've seen him in) as the dying thief who shows the entire HK police force he's still got some neat tricks up his sleeve. The ending was definitely a twisteroo =) It had me laughing at first, but the sadness sank in as I realized though Andy got away with the heist, his days alive were still numbered. Nice job to everyone. And special thanks to Andy once more for providing me with the slickest way ever to pick up a girl =)

Reviewed by: trenty Date: 08/12/2000 Summary: Great actings and simply enjoyable. "Running Out of Time" is an excellent movie overall. It's been awhile I have seen something like this one. Everything minute of this movie is amazingly done though with one minor mistake by the director in a personal perspective. The movie went very well from the start till the end. The plot itself was great and very enjoyable. I can gurantee that you can watch this movie without leaving your sit. I highly recommand this movie for those who still haven't have a hand on it. All those characters in the movie were well planned by the scriptwriter. Especially, Andy's role in the movie. And some of other characters appeared in the right time to support the script itself. Also, the scriptwriter did add a few humours to make the movie more exciting and fun. As for the performances, Lau Ching Wan had his standard acting as a cop in this movie which was great. As to Andy's role, he deserves a few claps. However, the part were he dressed like a woman, I think that was a mistake by the director. Andy acts as a woman? What's that? Even a kid can differentiate him as a man. But anyways, both actors did their best actings throughout the film. Other supporting casts were well acted too, maybe due to their roles in the movie. To conclude, this movie is very enjoyable and with the great actings to make this movie a high standard Hong Kong movie.

Reviewed by: David Harris Date: 06/09/2000 Review courtesy of Hong Kong Superstars (www.hksmag.co.uk) This is the latest production from Milkyway Productions and opened in Hong Kong's cinemas in late September 1999. Starring Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan (from Issue 8's "The H.K Triad") and directed by the talented Johnnie To - it is a tale of cops and gangsters that manages to bring something new to the table. Andy Lau plays a guy who is - as the title has it - running out of time due to having terminal cancer. Inspector Ho (Lau Ching Wan) comes into the equation when a big time money lending organisation is held up- it is this begins the cat and mouse game between the two lead characters. The meat of the story revolves around an attempted sting involving diamonds that involves just about every character in the film. The script is terrific in the first hour but sadly it loses significant steam in the last half hour and that takes the edge off what could have been one of the best films of the year although it does remain entertaining. That is thanks to a pair of sterling performances from Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan and the skills of director Johnnie To. Andy Lau is something of a standout delivering what has to be one of his career best performances ("A Moment Of Romance" takes the top spot). Lau Ching Wan is Lau Ching Wan which is to say one of the best actors in Hong Kong and his performance is another excellent portrayal. Johnnie To is a marvel of a director who is capable of taking familiar story elements and making them appear fresh and his next film "The Mission" starring a number of Hong Kong stalwarts (among them recent HKS guests Anthony Wong & Simon Yam) could well prove to a top film of 1999 contender. A humorous element to the script and performances prevents proceedings from becoming too depressing given that cancer is a significant element in the story. On three separate occasions in the film both protagonists are in a car together (with Ho in the drivers seat two out of the three times) and on each occasion Inspector Ho comes off second best ! The last of which is the films finale in which Andy Lau's character drives off (not into the sunset though as it is in the middle of the night). I'm pretty sure that the actor who plays Ho's bumbling right hand man in this film is the same guy who had to explain to the white cop in "Naked Killer" what was missing in the now famous "bird / stick" scene. Not the best film of 1999 (not sure what my pick would be but "The H.K Triad" would be in contention for sure) but more than worth a look if you have anything other than a passing interest in cop / gangster movies

Reviewed by: thomasm4 Date: 04/12/2000 Summary: To's Best Film to Date A proper balance between action, drama and comedy has not been the forte of HK movies - the "mix", yes, but balance, no. But Johnnie To has just managed to achieve that balance in his latest outing RUNNING OUT OF TIME, a mature and superior piece of cinema by any local or international standard. He reaches a level of nuance and sophistication here not matched by either WHERE A GOOD MAN GOES or THE MISSION, most evident in the richly detailed and persuasive screenplay - surely a standout among HK scripts (tough, judging from the names of the screenwriters, contributed by non-HK talent). For once, we get a neatly packaged script ful of wit, excitement and subtle characterization - and without maudlin melodramatics, cheap thrills nor lowbrow humor. Only one single scene falls flat dramatically - in an average HK flick, you would have barely noticed. Andy Lau (in the performance of his career) is told at the outset that he is suffering from cancer at the final stage and has only 14 days left to live (hence the title). So, far, so WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD-ish. He is out to revenge his father, for whose death Waise Lee is responsible. At the same time, he enters a game of wits with police negotiator Lau Ching-Wan (a standout, too, but this is Andy's film really) whose character is nicely established in a bank-robbery scene at the beginning of the film. Lau Ching-Wan sets out to bring Lau, a thief, in. The resulting cat-and-mouse game is so superbly developed and so stylishly executed it runs as smoothly as anything I have seen from Hong Kong. RUNNING OUT OF TIME is a superb piece of craftsmanship - to me still the highest praise for a film. Just when you thought the script has run out of ideas, there comes another surprise to nail you to your seat. And better yet, each of these plot points is beautifully integrated into the main plot. Note that RUNNING OUT OF TIME is not for the squeamish: Several scenes demonstrating Lau's fatal illness are rather shocking, as for example one scene where he vomits blood into a glass at a cafe. These moments are not milked for shock value, which IMHO make them all the more disturbing. The technical credits are also outstanding. The photography is just stylish as in, though diffrent from, THE MISSION (1.85:1), as is the editing. Unlike in WHERE A GOOD MAN GOES and THE MISSION, the musical score is not overly intrusive - instead, it employs a leitmotiv technique with distinct cues for indivdual characters and/or situations. As a film music lover of many years standing, I must say I have always ranked HK underscoring - with notable exceptions - at the very bottom of international standards, with the possible exception of Turkey. This time though, the music does compare to "Western standards" (which after all ARE the standards of underscoring). The afore-mentioned poor scene is a complex action/suspense scene involving boths Laus and a bunch of gangsters. I won't give it away, but it's the kind of scene that may work nicely on the printed page, but is so difficult to visualize convincingly someone should have tipped To: Johnny, that'll never work. And it doesn't, since this particular scene is so confusingly staged and edited its effect is nil. That said, virtually every other scene in RUNNING OUT OF TIME is beautifully handled - and I mean EVERY other scene. All in all, this must rank as To's best work: Not as maudlin as either LOVING YOU or WHERE A GOOD MAN GOES, but at the same time more dramatically charged and less emotionally aloof as THE MISSION (otherwise an excellent film, but devoid of memorable character's - except Lam Suet's perhaps, who has a rather thankless role here) - in terms of HK cinema, I believe this is as "smooth" as it can get. Which, for a change, is a good thing. Thomas

Reviewed by: neil Date: 02/21/2000 Summary: One word... excellent This movie is by far one of the best HK films I have ever seen. Well worth the price of admission, sit back and enjoy the ride, because it just doesnt get any better than this. Andy and LAU are great. If you havn't seen it, then your missing out. (9/10)

Reviewed by: MilesC Date: 02/11/2000 Summary: Believe the hype. In many ways, this film is just a reworking of The Longest Nite for a less cynical audience; and yet it's a completely different sort of movie. Even if Johnny To hadn't come right out and said it, it would be obvious that Milkyway had started making concessions to mainstream audiences, but I don't feel it hurts the film much, if at all. What you get for your money is a virtually non-stop thriller with a liberal helping of comic relief. I generally like my crime movies played straight, but the comic bits never sink to the level of ludicrous vignettes that slow down the plot like in so many other films. Plus, they're generally pretty funny! I chuckled out loud several times. The only real complaint I have with this one is that it peaks somwhere in the middle. There's a 20-30 minute series of plot twists and chases that are never equaled again throughout the movie. The resolution of the secondary conflict, involving Waise Lee as a gang boss, is a bit confusing and could've been a little more climactic. Still, throwing in an action scene at the end would've distracted from the real story, which is resolved very well; most Milkyway films have ending sthat let down the rest of the movie slightly, but they really nailed it this time. Anyway: good acting, fast pace, strong story, another robust Raymond Wong score... It's definitely a winner.

Reviewed by: ralphbrown Date: 02/04/2000 I enjoyed "Running Out Of Time." However, during the entire film, I couldn't help feeling as if I were watching a Hollywood remake of "The Longest Nite." I don't mean a remake in the traditional sense of cloning a plot (the two films have vastly different characters) -- simply that To makes use again of the structure of a complicated, cat-and-mouse thriller. It seems as if Johnnie To really loved the original film (as he should -- it's fantastic) and decided to salvage the idea. He made "Running" slick, light-hearted (for the most part), and optimistic. Perhaps he believed that a great film (such as "The Longest Nite") can be dragged down by its own grit and pessimism. However, "Running" is still a good film in its own right. Andy Lau is not the match that Tony Leung Chiu-Wai for Lau Ching-Wan, but he's fine. Like "Nite," it's got a tight plot. Waise Lee appears as the villain. My next point is a question (which I do not believe is a SPOILER but I'll give a warning here anyway): What happens if Lau Ching-Wan is unable to get out of the stairwell?

Reviewed by: roark Date: 12/20/1999 Summary: My favorite HK movie of '99 Okay, so I haven't seen that many HK movies at all this year but I still thought that Running Out of Time was great. The movie is mostly about a sort of duel between two men on opposite sides of the law. Eventually, they begin to respect and even befriend one another. They're both brilliant so it's really fun to see them match wits and try to trip each other up while trying to play it cool. Lau Ching Wan is the man but I don't have to tell you that. He's the coolest actor I've seen in recent years. Andy Lau pulls off his role quite well. He's not some dashing pretty-boy but a clever guy seeking his own kind of justice. It's a little easier to sympathize with him because his terminal illness makes him vulnerable and more, well, human. In fact, both of the central characters have their weaknesses and that's really what made the movie for me. I loved the cinematography and atmospheric music. There are certain scenes set to music -- such as the opening -- that made me feel almost euphoric! There's also some use of a kind of speed ramping effect. In big budget Hollywood movies and commercials this is done with expensive cameras or frame interpolation software but in Running Out of Time it's done with the very low-tech method of dropping or pausing frames. The funny thing is that IMHO, sophisticated ramping, 'Dead Time' and 'Bullet Time' FX have finally proved themselves to be the gimmicks I thought they were. The FX in Running Out of Time actually served the story and helped to create an atmosphere so, combined with the music, I felt that they were just as effective as the big budget stuff, if not more so. I was lucky enough to see this at the Music Palace in NYC and I'm looking forward to getting it on DVD when that's released. Go see it!

Reviewed by: ryan Date: 11/21/1999 Summary: Running Out of Time (1999) In recent years, everybody has complained that Hong Kong movies are in the Dark Ages quality-wise. Milkway Productions have been one of the exceptions, us quality productions like 'Expect the Unexpected'. This year, to follow 'Where A Good Man Goes', we have their new production 'Running Out of Time' which stars Andy LAU Tak-wah and LAU Ching-wan. You'd expect a movie with a title like 'Running Out of Time' to portray somebody in a hurry. Yeap, it's only 72 hours. A guy (Andy LAU Tak-wah) makes the apparently less than smart move of robbing a money lending firm. Chief Inspector Wong (HUI Si-hung) and ace Inspector Ho (LAU Ching-wan) take up the case. They come to realise that the crook is playing games with Inspector Ho, leaving him clues to manipulate him, and the case is much more involved than they thought... Milkyway Productions are a quality outfit but they have their own distinct style which can be hard to swallow. 'Running Out of Time' is much easier to understand and follow than their typical output. Andy LAU is a guy with 4 weeks to live who wants to do some things before he dies. The plot is not very surprising, basically it's only a game between a cop and a thief, but the translation to the screen is clever and intense. Scriptwriter YAU Ngai-hoi has paced the story properly, and added the odd dash of humour to the excitement. The cinematography is to a high standard. The whole movie is based on things in a hurry; it starts in a normal situation, then suddenly switches to another scene. This sets up the stage for the climate of the whole movie. What's more, the makers don't abuse this trick but only use it where it's effective. LAU Ching-wan and Andu LAU both deliver outstanding performances. LAU Ching-lin is excellent as a smart cop who can get inside the criminals' heads. You may say he has done so well because this role is more or less the same as all his previous one's, but his performance is still impressive. Andy LAU's performance is a bit of an eye-opener. He is generally reckoned a poor actor. But this performance is so cool! The plot helps him a lot by giving him chances to act in different roles. His character background as a dying guy also makes it easier for him to stir the emotions. 'Running Out of Time' is a movie with outstanding acting for LAU Ching-wan and Andy LAU Tak-wah. The plot is above standard and the cinematography backs up the theme of the movie. It is a quality production and you should pay to see it in a cinema.