Plot: What’s it about?
What would you do if you had only a short time to live? If you’re Andy (Andy Lau) then you want to engage the police in a game of wits and work as a criminal until your final moments. Andy isn’t a common criminal though, as he is handsome and has a sense of style of about him. So he begins his assault and breaks into a Diamond Trading Company to steal some goods, when his chase with the police begins. The police officer who seeks to arrest Andy is Sean (Lau Ching Wan), a regular man who just wants to see justice served. And so the chase is on, with both men working double time to upend the other and little room for error on either man’s behalf. But after some close calls with Andy, he learns of his impending death and his mind clouds up with doubts as to what he should do. Andy has nothing to fear since he will die in mere days, but this makes it tough on Sean and his will to do the right thing. With time running out on the case and Andy’s life, what will Sean decide to do?
I’d never seen this movie before, but I had heard some good things about it so I was looking forward to giving this disc a spin. I think the storyline is an excellent basis and this film expands on it well, which means the flick turned out to be much better than I expected. This movie blends action with suspense/thriller elements and the mixture results in a potent and memorable motion picture. I was happy to find the plot stayed coherent and smart, never defying logic too much to make an easy move to another section of the storyline. The story is a little far fetched, but it is not totally out of the realm of possibility. The acting also turns out very well and even Andy Lau hands in a solid performance, perhaps his best work to date. The always steady directing of Johnny To also kicks the movie up on more notch and shows once again he is among the best action directors out there. But all this is not to say this is a perfect film, because it does have some flaws. But you won’t notice them as you watch, since you’ll be sucked into the movie and forget to watch for them. I recommend this release as a rental to those interested and fans will want to add this to their collections, since it is very kind in terms of repeat viewing.
This film was directed by Johnny To, who is among the best action directors you’ll find in this business. To is able to create some tense chases and other action sequences, but not at the expense of the storyline or characters. In modern action films that isn’t very common, but To seems to do just that on a regular basis. To has created some terrific fantasy films also, but this one remains in the more realistic category. Here To develops his lead characters very well and also keeps the storyline tight and fluid, while injecting some tense action and suspense throughout the running time. So he is able to turn in not only a solid action movie, but an overall impressive film. If you want to see more of To’s work I recommend The Heroic Trio (co-directed), Lifeline, The Heroic Trio 2: Executioners (co-directed), Critical Condition, and A Hero Never Dies. As usual, Lau Ching Wan (Black Mask, Full Alert) turns an excellent performance and really brings the character’s inner conflict across in fine form. I was surprised with Andy Lau (Drunken Master II, Armageddon) in this film, as he turns up his work a few levels. Usually he is decent, but here is much more than that. The supporting cast is also good and includes Waise Lee (A Better Tomorrow, Bullet In The Head) and Hui Shiu Hung, among others.
Video: How does it look?
Running Out Of Time is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This is a decent transfer, but has some serious flaws and just doesn’t live up to my expectations for this format. This movie was made in 1999 and made the move to DVD shortly after, so there’s no reason for the debris on the print and other wear signs. Aside from that, my main complaint is that the image seems a few shades to light at all times and that tends to throw the whole picture out of whack. You can adjust your television of course, but that just seems like an inconvenience. The colors are a little muted because of the increased brightness, so of course contrast is off balance as well. Like I said if you adjust your black levels you can fix some of this, but I don’t think you should have to.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release contains Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in Cantonese and Mandarin and both have a nice, powerful sound to them. Of course the more action driven sequences have more punch, but even the lower key scenes have a very nice sound to them. The surrounds don’t pulse all the time, but they do kick in often and when the heat is on, this track will deliver the goods and then some. The music sounds good also, but usually sticks in the background rather than taking the front and center. The dialogue is loud and clear in both cases, with no volume issues to contend with in the least. This release also contains subtitles in Chinese (both simplified and traditional), English, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains the film’s theatrical trailer as well as some talent files, which are in both English and Chinese. Sadly, the talent files are static and offer no additional information other than name and what they did on the movie.
