Running Out of Time – Review

Running Out of Time is a film that appears to be nothing more than the usual Hong Kong action thriller at first but quickly turns into a tale of friendship with a surprising amount of humor and a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Anchored by its two central performances (Andy Lau won his first Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor), this film really wins you over with its easygoing charm, even if it is much more conventional than anticipated.

Cheung (Andy Lau) is a criminal mastermind who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and is given four weeks to live. He decides to pull off one last robbery when he encounters police negotiator Inspector Ho (Lau Ching-wan) and challenges him to a game of cat and mouse. Despite this seemingly straight forward scenario, Cheung’s motives remain unclear. Is it for the money? The fame? And why is he risking it all by letting Ho in on it?

If you’re familiar with director Johnnie To and Hong Kong police films, this one won’t surprise you to much. Unlike the more action oriented films of John Woo (whom I love) where massive gunfights, machismo, ‘heroic bloodshed’ are common place, Running Out of Time decides to take the quieter, more subtle route. It’s a film that has a lot of heart and exudes a sort of relaxing calm, similar to the friendly competition between Cheung and Ho. This film does have its fair share of faults though, the action isn’t anything really special and it has one of the most odd logical fallacies as Andy Lau dresses up in an absolutely ridiculous female disguise that no one seems to notice. It got praised in Hong Kong as an intelligent crime film, I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s overly intellectual but it is a nice departure from the usual blood and bullets triad films.

Andy Lau and Lau Ching-wan are very good in this film, easily conveying an intelligence and relaxed rivalry that could have been a mess in the hands of other actors. Andy Lau really manages to remain much more composed then usual, not dipping into either a brooding persona or over doing the charm as he has been prone to do. Slick Hong Kong action thrillers are a dime a dozen, let’s face it, but this one manages to separate itself from the pack with heart and charm that few others can match. This film really works as either an introduction of sorts to Hong Kong cinema or as a refreshing breath of air from the usual angst driven crime films.