Running Out of Time

Released Sep 23, 1999

1h 33m

Crime

Drama

List

Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A Chinese superthief (Andy Lau) is dying but intends to gull a persistent police inspector (Ching-Wan Lau) when he makes his last jewel robbery.

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

To brings an unusually queer spin to all the machismo and mortality on display.

Jul 25, 2022

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Sean Gilman

The Chinese Cinema

An extremely slick caper heist film about a man who is dying of cancer who steals a bunch of money and a jewel from a Triad gang and along the way leads a detective to solve the case by leaving an ingenious series of clues.

Oct 12, 2022

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

The beats in the film shift between drama, action, and comedy with incredible ease, the choices made by both the thief and Ho speaking a great deal about who they are as people.

Aug 25, 2022

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 29, 2005

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Audience Member

Tight light-hearted cat and mouse thriller--Nothing new, but entertaining nevertheless!!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

A war between two Lau! Plot is attractive, fascinating, and well calculated. Johnnie To's storytelling adds tense effect into this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Little slow, but not bad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

Fun Johnnie To flick starring two opposing Laus. An adversarial bromance between a dying criminal and a diligent policeman.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

A review of classic during free time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

Viewers who haven't had their suspension of disbelief thoroughly worn to its core by the conclusion of Milkyway Image's "Running out of Time" may be few and far between. What begins as a composed, slickly edited, even momentarily affecting cat-n-mouse struggle between an intuitive cop and a terminally ill thief gradually looses its way midstream succumbing to a heavy-handed script co-authored by French writers Julie Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud who could only dream of being likened to Melville. Director Johnnie To, nonetheless, is an experienced enough filmmaker to keep "Running out of Time" moving along all the way up until the film completely goes for broke with an over-the-top finale that borders on high camp. The film's excellent primary cast ultimately prove the only consistently likeable component in "Running out of Time."

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Johnnie To

Director

Andy Lau

Cheung

Ching Wan Lau

Inspector Ho Sheung-Sang

YoYo Mung

Leung Yuen Ting - Girl on Mini Bus

Waise Lee

Baldy

Shiu Hung Hui

Chief Inspector Wong Kai-fat

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Synopsis

A Chinese superthief (Andy Lau) is dying but intends to gull a persistent police inspector (Ching-Wan Lau) when he makes his last jewel robbery.

Director: Johnnie To
Producer: Johnnie To
Screenwriter: Julien Carbon, Laurent Courtiaud, Nai-Hoi Yau
Distributor: Subway Cinema
Production Co: Milky Way Image
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 1999, Original
Release Date (DVD): Jan 27, 2004
Runtime: 1h 33m

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