Review of Running Out Of Time

Introduction

Can you imagine not speaking a word of Cantonese, yet going to Hong Kong with a script that you have written and getting it turned into a movie? Yet that is exactly what screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud did. Now with a string of films behind them, they are moving onto directing as well. Running Out Of Time is a script they wrote for director Johnny To, which garnered them an award, and it now comes to DVD courtesy of Tai Seng.

Inspector Ho is surprised that his presence is specifically requested during a tense hostage situation. He finds Cheung holding a finance company manager at gunpoint with explosives set around the building. All Cheung wants is to play a game with the Inspector for 72 hours, and Ho had better learn the rules fast, or people will start dying, starting with the hapless hostage. But there is more to this than meets the eye, Cheung only has four weeks to live, has nothing to lose, and the prize to this particular game is more than just humiliating a cop who`s in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Video

Running Out Of Time gets a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. The image is a little grainy, but it`s clear and sharp enough to do the film justice. There is just a hint of flicker, and the grain affects darker or dustier scenes, but otherwise the film looks in pretty good condition on this disc.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 Cantonese, DD 2.0 Stereo Cantonese and Mandarin and DD 2.0 mono English. I listened to the DD 5.1 track, and found it to be little more than a Stereo track, with the action and dialogue firmly front focussed. There is the slightest hint of ambience and music from the surrounds, but it`s hardly worth mentioning. The dialogue is clear, and the English dub is actually serviceable. The musical score by Raymond Wong is impressive, suiting the film well and giving it a unique flavour.

There was a problem with both the Cantonese tracks however, a noticeable dropout at 12:47 into the film. There are English and Chinese subtitles provided, naturally I used the English translation, and found it to be understandable, though riddled with errors (Interpol was spelt Interlope). There were even a couple of lines that went by without captions, but as the character on screen also missed what was said, I believe that to be a creative choice.

Features

The test disc I got from Tai Seng was the cause of a few problems. It was one of those discs that is ever so slightly out of balance, and causes a buzzing noise in most players, the kind of noise that if you hear, your player manual will advise you to eject the disc. Also while the film played without problem, navigating the extras was made next to impossible by dirty disc errors. I eventually managed to watch the extras, but I hope this is a problem that is restricted to the test disc only.

Most of the extras on this disc concentrate on the writing team of Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud, most notably the Q & A with the same. It`s a comprehensive interview with the pair, and goes over how they got into the HK film business, the inspiration behind Running Out Of Time, working with the director and their impression of the actors. This lasts 37 minutes and is presented in 4:3

`Directors` Overview` of Carbon and Courtiaud is actually a set of testimonials from directors and actors, including Wong Kar-Wai, Lau Ching-Wan and Michelle Yeoh among others and runs for 9 minutes.

There are trailers for Running Out Of Time, its sequel and four other films, and there are biographies for 6 members of the film`s cast.

Finally there is an audio commentary, wrongly labelled a director`s commentary, as it features Carbon and Courtiaud again, joined by an unnamed third commentator/interviewer. It`s a nice interesting commentary, pretty much average for these things.

None of the extras are subtitled.

Conclusion

The premise of Running Out Of Time coupled with its trailer both promise much. The idea of a man who is dying, who has nothing left to lose, pitting himself up against a worn and experienced cop tends to give the idea of a gritty, hard bitten thriller, a no holds barred game of cat and mouse where innocent bystanders pay the price. I sat down with this film expecting pace, thrills and tension. However, Running Out Of Time is nothing like this, despite the vertigo inducing opening scene with Cheung standing at the edge of a skyscraper rooftop. It`s no bad thing though, as it certainly manages to entertain over its 90 minute running time.

We are given to see Cheung as a man with nothing left to lose, willing to do anything, and the way the character is initially introduced, there is an ambiguity to his motives. However that ambiguity is quickly erased, as Andy Lau plays him completely sympathetically. Also, while the set up of the story promises a tense game of wits, a lot of time is devoted to the internal politics in the police force, most of it played for laughs, and especially the relationship between Ho and his former superior Inspector Wong. This light-hearted feel permeates the film and the relationship that develops between the two antagonists, Ho and Cheung.

The film`s relative lack of tension is not too detrimental, and the humour doesn`t subsume the greater story. Lau Ching-Wan as Ho and Andy Lau as Cheung are a delight to watch on screen together, and their dynamic is both adversarial and friendly. Their initial meeting is tense and ominous, but the relationship quickly develops into one of rivalry and one-upmanship. There are enjoyable character moments in the film, and the spectre of Cheung`s eventual demise doesn`t let the film descend towards the maudlin. The strength of the film is in its plot though. Cheung has planned revenge against a gangster who wronged him and it involves an intricate heist, a heist in which Ho will play an integral if unwilling part. The way the plan unfolds, and the twists and turns the narrative takes are a delight to watch.

Compelling characters, and gripping plot are almost, but not quite enough to make up for a lack of tension and suspense. As such, Running Out Of Time is great entertainment, but it doesn`t stay too long after the end credits have finished rolling. Technical issues proved problematic with my test disc; hopefully the final retail discs will resolve this.