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Andy Lau, Ching Wan Lau, Yo Yo Mung, Hui Shiu-hung, Suet Lam ... see more see more... , Ruby Wong , Ekin Cheng , Kelly Lin

Noted Hong Kong action director Johnny To spins this ultra-cool cat and mouse game between a very tenacious cop and a super thief with 72 hours to live. After brilliantly swiping diamonds from an insu... read more read more...rance company, a master criminal (Andy Lau) inveigles Inspector Ho (Lau Ching-wan) into being his unwitting accomplice. Later, when the two confront each other, the thief has another trick up his sleeve. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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87% liked it

5,127 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Johnnie To

Release Date: September 23, 1999

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DVD Release Date: April 18, 2000

Stats: 228 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (228)

  • gator681
    July 24, 2011
    gator681
    In "Running Out of Time," Chief Inspector Wong(Shiu Hung Hui) badly botches a hostage negotiation at a bank robbery, accidentally promising the robbers a helicopter they did not ask for. Luckily, he has Inspector Ho(Ching Wan Lau) around to help him out of this mess. But first ... read moreHo has to find a wheelbarrow large enough for his brass balls before going into the bank alone, which might also explain why he needs a little help to end the crisis. The next time Ho gets called off custodial duty, it is Cheung(Andy Lau) who takes a hostage at a financial center. Everything is not as it seems as unbeknowst to everybody else, Cheung only has a few weeks left to live.

    "Running Out of Time" is something of a mixed bag and a disappointment in wasting an intriguing setup on some weak comic relief. Otherwise, it is fun watching two charismatic characters playing cat and mouse, even with the plotting getting increasing murky as time goes on.
  • husky10000years
    April 29, 2008
    husky10000years
    This movie probably as close to a perfect film as you're ever likely to see out of Hong Kong. All the elements click: a terrific script, that even manages to subvert the odd cliché, reliably imaginative direction by Johnny To, and excellent central performances by Andy Lau and Ch... read moreing Wan Lau, the latter displaying his great comic timing to wonderful effect.
  • lesleyanorton
    December 17, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    Immensely entertaining Johnny To Hong Kong story about the suave criminal and the super-smart cop trying to out-best each other in a complicated if implausible theft scenario. Visually stylish, with charismatic and sexy performances from both leads to sweep the action along (not... read more that it needs that much sweeping), and there's some rather touching scenes with a girl on a bus to lower the testosterone back to manageable levels.
    So good they made a sequel.... but this is the only one you really need to see..


    "
  • threefolddado
    March 28, 2008
    threefolddado
    Johnny To directing Andy Lau and Ching Wan Lau and doing what he does best: making an offbeat action movie.
  • naoyakugimiya1
    January 28, 2012
    naoyakugimiya1
    A first-class action suspense from Hong Kong made almost a half decade before "The Infernal Affairs" was made. Johnnie To gets into his prime time with this film and "Hero Never Dies," which was made right a year before this one. Simply speaking, To's films, especially this one, ... read moreskip meaningless introduction and character establishment and start with the moment something has happened or is happening. In other words, it's climax throughout the film, from beginning to end, in his films. Music heightens the tense. Also, he doesn't let characters speak too much - He knows what they do talks much more to us audiences than what they say. The process Andy Lau character and Ching-Wan Lau character find a certain degree of friendship and in which the heroin played by Yo-Yo Mung and Andy Lau character fall in love to each other represent To's style very well. Comical scenes inserted between the scenes very suspenseful work great in the film too (especially the relationship between Ching-Wan Lau character and Suet Lam character). Besides To's direction, Andy Lau and Ching-Wan Lau, one of To's favorites, give such great performances. One thing makes me grade down this film is Andy Lau in drag, and nobody can tell it's a man. Editing (meaningless fast-mo's) in some parts is distracting, too.
  • Claraity
    February 18, 2008
    Claraity
    I remember watching this movie 7 or 8 years ago on a plane. I remember I was really into the story, and Andy Lau made me cry at the end. Then again, I was jet-lagged and a little delirious which could have contributed to me becoming emotional. My rating of the movie may change af... read moreter I watch it again at another time. I'd recommend this for those who like fun and hip Asian crime movies.
  • LamestGuyEver
    May 21, 2007
    LamestGuyEver
    One of the smartest cat-and-mouse movies I've ever seen. Even though the two leads are on opposite sides of the law, they develop sort of a bizarre camraderie, which makes the numerous plot twists that much more engaging.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
June 29, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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