Running Out of Time (1999) September 24, 2008
Posted by Cal in : Thriller, 1990s films , trackbackDirector: Johnnie To Main cast: Lau Ching-Wan; Andy Lau; Hui Sing-Hung Territory: Hong Kong
If readers of this blog have learned only one thing from their visits, it’s that I think Johnnie To is pretty much the saviour of Hong Kong cinema. Time and time again he’s proved to come up with something offbeat and compelling. Even his lesser films show a flair not present in so many of his contemporaries.
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.
Lam Suet-o-meter: Low. But he has a couple of scene-stealing moments as the rather inept henchman of Waise Lee’s gang and plays it pretty much for laughs. Another winner for Mr Lam!
Comments»
It has been awhile since I’ve seen this (luckily I got the Tai Seng DVD recently), but I enjoyed it. Obviously I would like to review this oneday (I think my next review will be Winners and Sinners
).
I used to have a disliking for Andy Lau, but this was the first film where I wasn’t bothered by his performance (obviously later films he did I enjoyed also like Infernal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers).
Quick note: Stephen Teo put this in his top 10 HK films in 2000: http://www.heroic-cinema.com/topten/topten_stephen.htm
I got the Mai-Ah disc, and as they go, it’s not too bad - I’ve got some real stinkers on that particular label. Mind you, I was watching this on my 7″ portable because I found my TV had died when I came back from NY, and that’s hardly conducive to a good viewing experience.
I’ll look forward to your Winners and Sinners review - that’s a film I’m never quite sure whether I like or not, although I like it more now that I can stop thinking of it as a “Jackie Chan film” where he hardly appears.
Nice job on the Prodigal Son, by the way.
You know my brain was quite right yesterday. I already have done a Winners and Sinners review and I meant My Lucky Stars — one I’ve been meaning to do for ages. http://hkmdb.com/db/reviews/show_review.mhtml?id=10927 My review is right below yours
— mind you one day I would like to rereview it. Our feeling were pretty similar on it. I see you have already done My Lucky Stars 
. (quick note: I put down notes on the Lam Suet interview on HKMDB)
Running Out of Time: I have the Mai-Ah disc also, but I’ve been waiting to go over the commentary on the Tai Seng disc.
I was happy about the Prodigal Son review (thanks); got some good feedback on it. I have had tons of fun with that one and Warriors Two because I got to do some research on Wing Chun.
Sorry about the TV (which means more money taken away from you when it could be going to buying obscure MA movies).