The Running Out of Time Collection on Blu-ray from Arrow Video is my first introduction to director Johnnie To’s line of work. I know, I know, the man has directed nearly 72 movies, and I’m only now seeing one of his films. I’m pretty sure my movie geek card would be rescinded if such a thing existed. Also, probably not the best way to start a review, but my god, it’s pretty damn difficult to think of something good to say that will hook a reader. I think my incompetence and lack of knowledge should be the right kind of bait, and who knows, maybe there are some other people out there in the same boat as me and are wondering if you should buy this collection. Well, read on to see what I think…
When it comes to Blu-ray collections, I usually don’t have the time to watch all the films in a set back to back. However, I find myself with a lot of free time in the evening now, so I figured why not watch both Running Out of Time films in the set and slap everything into one review.
Running Out of Time
First up we have the 1999 action, and I’m going to say it, comedy film Running Out of Time. It stars Ching Wan Lau as Inspector Ho, who comes face to face with a criminal named Cheung (Andy Lau), who is seriously running out of time due to a cancer diagnosis with only four weeks left to live. What better way to live your last moments on Earth than with a little cat and mouse with the police, specifically the inspector? Cheung comes up with a game involving costume changes, fake bombs, priceless rubies, and one sexy bus lady played by YoYo Mung. The film never takes itself seriously, with lots of funny quips and scenarios. Actors Ching Wan Lau and Andy Lau also play great off each other.
The first in a series of only two films, Running Out of Time is a solid flick with plenty of moments to keep you entertained. I didn’t find much wrong with this one.
Running Out of Time 2
We jump ahead two years and see the return of Inspector Ho (returning Ching Wan Lau), who now is up against a magician/thief (Ekin Cheng) with a flair for theatrics. The sequel sees the comedy jacked up to 11 and the action dialed back in favor of quirky scenarios and some truly janky visual effects involving an eagle with the ability to fly, not only in a circle at 100mph but also forward at the same time. The magic of the first is lost much in part to Andy Lau’s character not being able to return. The chemistry between Ching Wan Lau and Ekin Cheng is there, but something doesn’t feel right.
The sequel suffers from the usual “been there and done that better in the first film,” and the outdated visual effects cause more laughs than intended. Still, there is some fun to be had in this one. The comedy lands more often than not, as I found myself laughing quite a bit in this one. However, I can certainly see why the series didn’t take off from here. I think the film would have been better if it pivoted to being a thriller instead, having a thief tormenting Inspector Ho, and sending him on missions that become more and more dangerous as time runs out. Alas, what we got instead was more of a rehash of the first one. Still, that damn eagle is majestic.
Blu-ray
Both films in this collection have seen previous Blu-ray releases dating back to 2011 for the Hong Kong Kam & Ronson Enterprises release. Details on Arrow Video’s release, in regards to the transfer, are a bit vague, with the booklet only saying that Fortune Star restored the films and provided the masters. The features listed on the set mention that it was scanned and restored in 2K. I’ve compared a few screenshots to the Kam & Ronson release and I can see that the transfer is not only brighter on the Arrow release but also cleaned up some, the film grain is sharper at times and the image keeps the correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1, unlike the Kam release which is 1.78:1. The same can be said for both films in this release. Having said all that, there are still moments where some compression comes into play, but never enough to make me say that looks terrible.
Audio for the first film is presented in three different choices: Cantonese 5.1, Mandarin 5.1, and lossless English mono, with the second film offering English 5.1 instead of a 1.0 English track. I watched both movies in the defaulted Cantonese, and I found that at times the film would go incredibly loud, especially when it comes to sound effects. This was mainly noticed in the first film, with the ending scene at the bowling alley having all sorts of weird audio-level issues. Also, every single audio option has issues with lip-syncing, but that is to be expected and didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the films.
If brand-spanking new extra features are what calls you to buy a Blu-ray, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but archival is the name of the game with this set. Sure, we get a couple of new audio commentaries from Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival), but everything else is ported over older features from past DVD releases. Personally, it’s nice to have everything in one sweet little package, but I would be remiss in not saying I would have liked a couple of new interviews as well.
Extra Features
Running Out of Time Blu-ray Collection
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original and commissioned artwork by Lucas Peverill
- NEW FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring writing on the films by David West
Running Out of Time
- High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentation, scanned and restored in 2K by Fortune Star
- Original lossless Cantonese and Mandarin 5.1 audio options, plus lossless English mono
- Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
- NEW audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Audio commentary by writers Laurent Cortiaud and Julien Carbon, moderated by Hong Kong film expert Stefan Hammond
- Archival interview with screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud – 2003 (1080i; 21:57)
- Archival interview with screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud – 2005 (1080i; 37:09)
- Archival interview with director Johnnie To (1080i; 11:43)
- Archival interview with star Lau Ching-wan (1080i; 25:19)
- Archival interview with composer Raymond Wong (1080i; 27:24)
- The Directors’ Overview of Carbon and Courtiaud, an archive featurette (1080i; 8:24)
- Theatrical trailer (1080p; 2:28)
- Image gallery (chapter breaks; 0:31)
Running Out of Time 2
- High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentation, scanned and restored in 2K by Fortune Star
- Original lossless Cantonese and Mandarin 5.1 audio options, plus lossless English 5.1
- Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
- NEW audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- The Making of ‘Running Out of Time 2’, an archive featurette (1080i; 5:46)
- Hong Kong Stories, a 52-minute documentary from 2003 by director Yves Montmayeur (Johnnie Got His Gun!) about Hong Kong cinema mythology via Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud’s experience as screenwriters in the HK film industry, working for Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark, Daniel Lee and of course Johnnie To (1080i; 49:45)
- Theatrical trailer (1080p; 2:41)
- Image gallery (chapter breaks; 0:30)
Verdict
As is the case with most collections, one film is always going to be the highlight and the other is just there along for the ride. Running Out of Time, the first one, is a great film and needs to be checked out. Running Out of Time 2 is an ok film, that has its moments, but doesn’t live up to the first film. The Blu-ray collection from Arrow Video is a step up from past releases of these films, and even though there isn’t much in the way of new features, it’s nice to have everything on one release. Recommended for fans.
