Daai chek liu (Running on Karma) (An Intelligent Muscle Man) poster & wallpaper
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Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Siu-Fai Cheung, Wong Chun Fai, Karen Tong ... see more see more... , Yu Wenzhong , Hou Liansheng , He Shengwei , Zhang Meng

"Big" (Andy Lau of Infernal Affairs, wearing a gargantuan prosthetic muscle suit) is a competition weight lifter and part-time male stripper. One night while dancing at a strip club, Big responds to t... read more read more...he frantic exhortations of a comely patron (Cecilia Cheung) and strips completely naked. Unfortunately for Big, she turns out to be Detective Li, and she promptly busts him for indecent exposure. Worse yet, a murder has just taken place in the office above the club, and when Big tries to escape his minor charge, he's caught by the cops and questioned in connection with the murder. Detective Li helps him get out of the jam, and he, in turn, helps her track down the elusive killer. Li develops a romantic interest in Big, but he seems to want to avoid her. Pressed to explain himself, he eventually reveals his bizarre and tragic past. Big was a kung fu monk until a woman friend of his was murdered years ago, sending him into an uncontrollable rage, during which he inadvertently killed a sparrow. After meditating over the bird's corpse for a long time, Big developed the ability to "see karma." He can look at any animal (including people) and see what they did in their past lives. When he looks at Detective Li, he sees that in a former life she was a brutal Japanese soldier who murdered many. Even though she's a good person, she still carries that soldier's karma, and Big believes she'll eventually have to die for his crimes. Despite his misgivings, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the persistent young cop. Running on Karma was directed by the team of Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai (PTU). The film was shown at the 2004 edition of Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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70% liked it

4,271 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai

Release Date: October 1, 2003

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2004

Stats: 205 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (205)

  • husky10000years
    December 27, 2007
    husky10000years
    This movie s really great. I am amazed by the ability to mix film genres in such a great way. Great cinematagrapher.
  • threefolddado
    July 16, 2008
    threefolddado
    Starts out as just another action film, but then progresses into a Buddhist parable(!).
  • naoyakugimiya1
    January 6, 2012
    naoyakugimiya1
    This is a real surprise. This is a great film! You should not confused by eccentricity of the setting and the character of the film. Beneath the surface, there is totally a new and vivid fiction that successfully mixes the action entertainment (with some elements of love story an... read mored suspense) and Buddhist lessons about our karma. While there are so many films that set Christian lessons or Christianity itself as the center theme, there are so small amount of Asian films that features Buddhism as the theme - this is one of it. It is also a first-class entertainment full of suspense and good wire actions, although there are some scenes more violent than they need to be. The way they establishes the fantasy atmosphere by fantastic lighting and with some properties is also great. This is the film I'd definitely recommend as one of masterpieces of Hong Kong cinema to those who have not watched them much yet.
  • nstanosheck
    February 23, 2008
    nstanosheck
    I was surprised how much I liked this film. It is a series of very interesting plot threads that very quickly all come together to create an intricate weave of karma. A definite morality play that while not a comedy has funny moments in its very serious message.
  • kingmob6
    November 21, 2007
    kingmob6
    UNderneath the silly suit Andy Lau wears and the crazy wire-fu, there's an interesting story of accepting one's fate.

    Worth a rental easily.
  • KonichiwaKooL
    April 2, 2007
    KonichiwaKooL
    This is purely a fun film... looks good, great story. its a real positive for Japanese film makers. Recommended!!

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