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Good movie, not great
Now this flick gets started off with a serious bang but never really capitalizes on it.
To stumbles
Well, it had to happen sooner or later: a disappointing Johnnie To film, albeit one co-directed by Ka-Fei Wai. It's not so much that the film is exactly bad, more that it's so average when it could and should have been much better. A riff on Assassins, with reckless hitman Andy Lau trying to eliminate Takashi Sorimachi and take his crown, there are plenty of good ideas and clever plot twists and, while utterly unbelievable, Lau's character never becomes as much of a clown as Antonio Banderas in Richard Donner's film. But there's a clumsiness, not just to the film's construction but also its execution, as if it were made by less experienced hands. One major problem is the multilingual treatment: the Cantonese and Japanese dialog is fine, but huge chunks of the film are played in English, and neither Lau nor Simon Yam are particularly fluent in it, rendering much of their dialog painfully awkward (to be fair, Yam comes off far worse). The end, where everybody gets what they want, feels right, but there's a curious sense of underachieving throughout the film: the constant question isn't "What'll happen next?" but "Why isn't this as good as it should be?" One for the money, I suspect.
Andy Lau Is The Man.
Andy Lau is Mr. Charisma.He hams it up to the max in this explosive film and I loved it.Lau plays Tok, a hitman who is obsessed with becoming the best killer in the world.The only thing stopping him from fulfilling this dream is a Japanese killing machine named O (Takashi Sorimachi).Of Course, these guys are headed for a deadly showdown which will settle things permanently.With great performances, superb action sequences, and brilliant direction by Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai, Fulltime Killer is an instant classic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action    2. Adventure    3. Feature Film-action/Adventure    4. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    5. Movie   

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A Hong Kong combination of Read more

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Reviews (41)

MICHELLE YEOH IN A SPANDEX
That's all I needed to see to make this a classic movie.Some very good fight scenes, but you have to be pretty hard-core into these movies to really like this.Also some very weird fight scenes.The final fight I have never made it through to the end, not cause it was too sick, just because I did't like it.But I did like the whole movie up to that point.It is great to see Iron robe yim from OUATIC playing a REAL baddie.
Cheesy Fun!
Forget Batman, this is the way a super-hero movie should be done. Incredible imagery (some shots will take your breath away) prevails in a film genre that traditionally should not look as good as this does. There is also a plot (underground demon lord stealing babies to find an heir) and Anita Mui sings, too... what more could want? A warning the film is gritty violent, and contains a scene with an infant that may disturbing to sensitive viewers.

Taking the formula to the limit
Somebody is abducting infant boys in the metropolis and law enforcement is remiss to explain why. As we quickly discover it ends up being a Dark Master of the sewers. One of the kidnapped boys is to be selected as next emperor of this half-world and the rest will be terminated.In this very popular Hong Kong action movie about a trio of fighting females overcome their own ghosts and differences and join forces.As the jacket of the DVD explains, the police have use of the services of Shadow Fox(Anita Mui), Mercy (Maggie Cheung) and Michelle Yeoh (Invisible Woman) to stop the evil beast.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Chinese    2. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    3. Movie   

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Reviews (3)

Great movie, but terrible DVD!
The picture quality is sooo bad! Wait for a remaster!

Violent hard-edged police thriller from Hong Kong
THE BIG HEAT (1988) is a fast-paced, gritty, down-and-dirty crime thriller shot in the streets and urban spaces of Hong Kong as it follows a group of cops in a life-or-death struggle with a gang of thugs employed by a corrupt businessman doing some high-level smuggling. Every scene is pitched around a confrontation that leads in every case to a shootout, car chase, foot chase, explosion or attempted assassination. Although none of the action scenes boasts the spectacle of a John Woo thriller (HARD-BOILED, THE KILLER), the action is consistently exciting, well-crafted, suspenseful and, up until the final showdown, fairly believable. One superb setpiece involves a face-off between the cops and an assassin in a hospital elevator shaft that serves as a model of how to stage action scenes in tight spaces. Good Thriller With Waise Lee at his best!
Unfortunately, many remember Waise Lee as simply a villain because of his roles in ABT and BITH.But he plays a hardened cop with a bad hand,pursuing a crime boss(The Killer's Chu Kong) and working with a youngidealistic cop, who buys it at the end.Dont expect the best film HongKong has ever put out, but expect a good cop thriller.Waise Lee is good,but is still pretty calm.Chu Kong is slimy as hell, and it is a littlegory.Good final scene with Tsui Hark will have you rolling on the floor. This film is widely available on DVD on several web sites, so check it out. By the way:excellent music from The Killer's Lowell Lo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

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A Hong Kong combination of Read more

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Reviews (41)

MICHELLE YEOH IN A SPANDEX
That's all I needed to see to make this a classic movie.Some very good fight scenes, but you have to be pretty hard-core into these movies to really like this.Also some very weird fight scenes.The final fight I have never made it through to the end, not cause it was too sick, just because I did't like it.But I did like the whole movie up to that point.It is great to see Iron robe yim from OUATIC playing a REAL baddie.
Cheesy Fun!
Forget Batman, this is the way a super-hero movie should be done. Incredible imagery (some shots will take your breath away) prevails in a film genre that traditionally should not look as good as this does. There is also a plot (underground demon lord stealing babies to find an heir) and Anita Mui sings, too... what more could want? A warning the film is gritty violent, and contains a scene with an infant that may disturbing to sensitive viewers.

Taking the formula to the limit
Somebody is abducting infant boys in the metropolis and law enforcement is remiss to explain why. As we quickly discover it ends up being a Dark Master of the sewers. One of the kidnapped boys is to be selected as next emperor of this half-world and the rest will be terminated.In this very popular Hong Kong action movie about a trio of fighting females overcome their own ghosts and differences and join forces.As the jacket of the DVD explains, the police have use of the services of Shadow Fox(Anita Mui), Mercy (Maggie Cheung) and Michelle Yeoh (Invisible Woman) to stop the evil beast.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    2. Movie   

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Reviews (1)

Funny Man of Asia
Stephen Chow is the top comedy act of Hong Kong cinema, and for good reason. He is teamed up again with the multi-talented Anita Mui, who always manages to steal the show. Buyers should be followers of this genre of film to get the jokes; it's a must have for fans of Chow and/or Mui. ... Read more

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Great Fires and Some Melodrama
Lau Ching-Wan stars in director Johnnie To's look at fire fighters in Hong Kong.And this is much better than Ron Howard's "Backdraft."The final warehouse fire is incredible.However, to get there, one has tosit through some melodramas involving several members of Lau's team (whichis said to be jinxed) and some minor emergencies (a car accident, anelevator collapse). Fortunately, these incidents and the characters areworth watching.Nonetheless, it's the warehouse fire that pays off.The DVDalso includes an un-subtitled documentary about the filming. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

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Reviews (9)

Grim "un"reality of post-armageddon China
This film's prequel, The Heroic Trio, end with a triumphant mood as the sexy trifecta of Wonder Woman, Invisible Girl and Thief Catcher make good and rid China of a demon from Hell who threatened the very existance of mankind.When Executioners opens, it would seem that no one was paying attention to the evil people who lived on Earth because China (and the rest of the world by extension) is devastated in a post-holocaustic setting without clean water and with very little future to look forward to.The Trio comes out of semi-retirement to battle the evil forces of monstrous megalomanics and military murderers.Throw in a couple of superhuman freaks and the battleground is set.But fans of Heroic Trio should be forewarned: even though Good must always defeat Evil, there are very few happy endings in Executioners.It's a very sad film that emphasizes the need for sacrifice in order to acheive the Greater Good.And this film has sacrifices in spades. NOT Charlies Angels
A nuclear holocaust more or less wipes out civilization and non-contaminated drinking water becomes a scarce commodity.Throw in a lot of social upheaval, the inevitable corrupt government officials, the re-united Heroic Trio, and you get this film, where Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh get together one last time to set things right.Sort of.Just be warned this film is syrupy even for Hong Kong Cinema, with lots of cloying sentimental singing over the scenes, crying little girls, destitute people, and butchered martyrs.On the brighter side, it has some truly hellish fights, with one of the three musketeers buying the farm in a manner that's grisly even for standard setting H.K. cinema. The villian is a real heavy who looks like Mankind, the professional wrestler and has a penchant and dispositon for slaughter that makes Freddy Kreuger look like a girl scout in comparison.If you're just getting into Honk Kong Cinema, this film might scare you away, if you're a devoted follower of the genre, you'll probably like it, if you're sitting on the proverbial fence, try something else like one the Chinese Ghost Story films, preferably III.All in all, I didn't really like it myself, although Michelle Yeoh never fails to impress, Anita Mui looked very sultry, and Maggie Cheung never looked better, even if her character was 99.999% attitude problem.Maggie also teaches us how to say "asshole" in Cantonese, which might come in handy in certain Chinese resteraunts where the service is really rude.

Classic flick with all the trimmings
Its hard to say that this movie was awesome, but it was close. I enjoyed the performances of the actresses more than the plot. AS strange as this may seem, each of the stars, possed skills that set them apart from the others. Anita Mui gave an outstanding performance with her talents using the sword. Not to say that Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung gave there best to make this movie a classic. But the movie dragged at points. THe women made the movie worth the view! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Chinese    2. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

This is the first picture directed by Johnny To, who went on to become a major director and producer of flashy urban action films. It's a lackluster 1989 weepy, equal parts Read more

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Reviews (9)

Touching .. well worth the 5 stars
i remember this movie as the only movie that can makes me cry everytime i watch it. Although i know the story inside out but the tears will just drop everytime i watch the finale part; the race part. The best from Chow yun Fatt ..

All About Ah-Long - A Story that Begs for Tears
I watched "All About Ah-Long" years ago when I was still 12. Now 10 years have passed, I finally purchased the DVD and watched it again. I admit that I cried like baby when I watched it the first time. Now I am 22, I still cried like a baby. The story is just amazingly touching. I especially have to point out the little boy's acting in the movie was excellent. You would want to cry just seeing him cry. Chow Yun-Fat's acting was also very good. This was one of his early movies. I strongly recommend this movie!

A Great Movie
One of my top 10 movies. Another reason why Chow Yun-Fat is my favorite actor. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. International   

Editorial Review

This rewarding Hong Kong action movie has a sleek yet realistic style that lifts it above the average crime thriller. When someone attempts to take out a mob boss named Mr. Lung, the boss's brother Frank (played by the great Simon Yam) puts together a team of five bodyguards to protect Lung. At first the team is bored as nothing happens. They bicker among themselves and run errands. After a close call, they pull themselves into a ruthlessly efficient unit. Both the mundanity and the high tension of their lives are vividly evoked. Slowly, the personalities of the individual bodyguards come to light in snapshot scenes. But when the threat to Mr. Lung is resolved, their troubles really begin; one of them is accused of having an affair with Lung's wife, and the others must kill him or be killed themselves. Read more

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Reviews (19)

Watch out for Chinese DVDs
It seems to me like this is not a DVD but rather a CDV converted to DVD. The image quality is bad, so is the sound and there is some text underneath the picture all the time. but this is the only place I could find this film,great work by director Johnnie To with all the usual HK stars.

A warning about the DVD subtitles
I loved the film, but a word of warning about the english subtitles.The translation is very strange in parts - substitution of completely wrong words with a similar spelling.Also the subtitles linger only just long enough for you to be able to read them if you happen to be looking at the bottom of the screen waiting in anticipation.

Great Hong Kong drama
This is a great Hong Kong drama as opposed to one of those Hong Kong shoot-em ups. The action sequences aren't over-the-top John Woo catharsis. They're taut, paced and intelligent sequences. The way the characters all come together to form an elite bodyguard team is handled subtly. But the way friendships are portrayed between cold-blooded killers is portrayed real well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

Editorial Review

Johnny To, whose cool, precise gangster thriller Read more

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Reviews (12)

Great movie, but BEWARE, AUDIO IS IN MONO
the movie is great....not quite infernal affairs, but it's still good.however, i just bought the "special edition" (nothing really special about it) and it does have a cantonese, mandarian, and english track.along with the commentary track that's listed in amazon.however the audio is NOT in 5.1.each audio track is presented in glorious MONO!!The video transfer is not clean and the mono track isn't even clear.Try to stay clear of this DVD, i am sure there is a dvd of this movie out there that is better.This is the "special edition" released by tai seng.bar code on the back of the dvd is 01643 85624

An almost perfect Hong Kong movie
Running Out of Time is 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 (by French writers Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud) that even manages to subvert the odd clich?, reliably imaginative direction by Johnnie To, and excellent central performances by Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan, the latter displaying his great comic timing to wonderful effect without ever crossing the line into parody (especially in his exasperated reactions to his superior's abysmal negotiating skills). The supporting cast is fine too, with Yo Yo Mung making a strong impression in a tiny role, and even the often histrionic Waise Lee (looking remarkably, and very aptly, like a bald Andy Lau) reining it in to good effect. It's best not to know too much about the plot going in beyond the basic set-up - with only a few weeks to live, Lau engages in a criminal game with Wan's cop with no easily apparent motive - and just sit back and enjoy the ride: it's certainly worth the fare. It also has one of the most perfect love stories in recent movies, and played in a mere three scenes (the second bus ride is one of the most magical moments of filmmaking I've seen in ages). There's also a fine score by Raymond Wong as well. The most fun playing cat and mouse at the movies in years.

Dying Criminal Decides to Go Out in a Crime Spree
1999 Unrated Hong Kong crime thriller. Caution: profanity. Also known as "Aau chin." First in, I believe, 2 movie series.(second one is called "Aau Chin 2," or "Running Out of Time 2"). Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

Editorial Review

Johnny To, whose cool, precise gangster thriller Read more

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• Color
• Letterboxed
• Widescreen
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Reviews (12)

Great movie, but BEWARE, AUDIO IS IN MONO
the movie is great....not quite infernal affairs, but it's still good.however, i just bought the "special edition" (nothing really special about it) and it does have a cantonese, mandarian, and english track.along with the commentary track that's listed in amazon.however the audio is NOT in 5.1.each audio track is presented in glorious MONO!!The video transfer is not clean and the mono track isn't even clear.Try to stay clear of this DVD, i am sure there is a dvd of this movie out there that is better.This is the "special edition" released by tai seng.bar code on the back of the dvd is 01643 85624

An almost perfect Hong Kong movie
Running Out of Time is 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 (by French writers Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud) that even manages to subvert the odd clich?, reliably imaginative direction by Johnnie To, and excellent central performances by Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan, the latter displaying his great comic timing to wonderful effect without ever crossing the line into parody (especially in his exasperated reactions to his superior's abysmal negotiating skills). The supporting cast is fine too, with Yo Yo Mung making a strong impression in a tiny role, and even the often histrionic Waise Lee (looking remarkably, and very aptly, like a bald Andy Lau) reining it in to good effect. It's best not to know too much about the plot going in beyond the basic set-up - with only a few weeks to live, Lau engages in a criminal game with Wan's cop with no easily apparent motive - and just sit back and enjoy the ride: it's certainly worth the fare. It also has one of the most perfect love stories in recent movies, and played in a mere three scenes (the second bus ride is one of the most magical moments of filmmaking I've seen in ages). There's also a fine score by Raymond Wong as well. The most fun playing cat and mouse at the movies in years.

Dying Criminal Decides to Go Out in a Crime Spree
1999 Unrated Hong Kong crime thriller. Caution: profanity. Also known as "Aau chin." First in, I believe, 2 movie series.(second one is called "Aau Chin 2," or "Running Out of Time 2"). Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

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Reviews (1)

Rare performance Hong Kong drama
Lau Ching Wan gives a strong but over-the-top performance as a very rough and mean natured gangster just out of prison, who has been abandoned by his gang. This is kind of a typical story about a very rough guy who has buried very deep a somewhat heart of gold. Both are really taken to extreme in typical Hong Kong style, and as Johnny To often does in many of his films about violent excess in the Hong Kong underworld. So this movie will not appeal to many western tastes. The contrast really is not believable, so it does detract some from the film. But this is made up for by Lau Chin Wan's supurb acting, and by Johnny To's tight directing. This is well worth watching, and is a good, rare Hong Kong drama. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Foreign Film - Chinese    3. International   

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A Hong Kong combination of Read more

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Reviews (41)

MICHELLE YEOH IN A SPANDEX
That's all I needed to see to make this a classic movie.Some very good fight scenes, but you have to be pretty hard-core into these movies to really like this.Also some very weird fight scenes.The final fight I have never made it through to the end, not cause it was too sick, just because I did't like it.But I did like the whole movie up to that point.It is great to see Iron robe yim from OUATIC playing a REAL baddie.
Cheesy Fun!
Forget Batman, this is the way a super-hero movie should be done. Incredible imagery (some shots will take your breath away) prevails in a film genre that traditionally should not look as good as this does. There is also a plot (underground demon lord stealing babies to find an heir) and Anita Mui sings, too... what more could want? A warning the film is gritty violent, and contains a scene with an infant that may disturbing to sensitive viewers.

Taking the formula to the limit
Somebody is abducting infant boys in the metropolis and law enforcement is remiss to explain why. As we quickly discover it ends up being a Dark Master of the sewers. One of the kidnapped boys is to be selected as next emperor of this half-world and the rest will be terminated.In this very popular Hong Kong action movie about a trio of fighting females overcome their own ghosts and differences and join forces.As the jacket of the DVD explains, the police have use of the services of Shadow Fox(Anita Mui), Mercy (Maggie Cheung) and Michelle Yeoh (Invisible Woman) to stop the evil beast.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Chinese   

Editorial Review

A Hong Kong combination of Read more

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Reviews (41)

MICHELLE YEOH IN A SPANDEX
That's all I needed to see to make this a classic movie.Some very good fight scenes, but you have to be pretty hard-core into these movies to really like this.Also some very weird fight scenes.The final fight I have never made it through to the end, not cause it was too sick, just because I did't like it.But I did like the whole movie up to that point.It is great to see Iron robe yim from OUATIC playing a REAL baddie.
Cheesy Fun!
Forget Batman, this is the way a super-hero movie should be done. Incredible imagery (some shots will take your breath away) prevails in a film genre that traditionally should not look as good as this does. There is also a plot (underground demon lord stealing babies to find an heir) and Anita Mui sings, too... what more could want? A warning the film is gritty violent, and contains a scene with an infant that may disturbing to sensitive viewers.

Taking the formula to the limit
Somebody is abducting infant boys in the metropolis and law enforcement is remiss to explain why. As we quickly discover it ends up being a Dark Master of the sewers. One of the kidnapped boys is to be selected as next emperor of this half-world and the rest will be terminated.In this very popular Hong Kong action movie about a trio of fighting females overcome their own ghosts and differences and join forces.As the jacket of the DVD explains, the police have use of the services of Shadow Fox(Anita Mui), Mercy (Maggie Cheung) and Michelle Yeoh (Invisible Woman) to stop the evil beast.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Chinese    2. Foreign Film [Dub Or Subtitle]    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

One of Chow Yun-fat's most successful comedies of the 1980s, a fundamentally conventional romp about three bachelor brothers (a cartoonist, a TV cooking instructor, and an aspiring actor) who stumble into romance. But it's spiced up by an unusually rich mix of indigenous Cantonese flavors. The careers of several characters link them to the Chinese opera stage, and the characterizations are stylized in an intentionally "operatic" way. Chow plays a man who pretends to be gay in order to ingratiate himself with women; and his flamboyant camping--complete with limp wrists and Black Lagoon mud packs--is only a little more flamboyant than the other key performances. In the finale, the entire cast appears in traditional makeup and performs a scene from the classic Cantonese opera Read more

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Fabulous!
I've seen hundreds of HK movies, this might just be the funniest one ever. All-Star cast, great actors. Chow Yun Fat, Cherie Chung, Carol Cheng, Jackie Cheung. Raymond Wong Non-stop fun - and CYF in drag.
While the plot of this movie is funny unto itself, the one true reason to see this film is the *incredible* performance by Chow Yun-Fat.You've seen him as the ruthless cop, the compassionate assassin, the toughened prisoninmate.Now you can see him as "a sissy girl" (to quote thesubtitles in the plot) - but it's all a sham to cover the fact he's ashameless womanizer.Well, it makes sense when you see the film.Read more

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Fizzy comedy.
A broad comedy that is as sweet and fizzy as soda pop.Not something on which to base your film diet, but a fun addition.Read more

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