Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Running Out of Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2022

Johnnie To's "Am zin" a.k.a. "Running Out of Time" (1999) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud; various archival cast and crew interviews; vintage publicity materials; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region A/B "locked".

A man (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs Trilogy, What Women Want) is told that he has approximately 72 hours to live and he immediately proceeds to rob a large insurance company in downtown Hong Kong. The man, who is in his early 30s, is fit and handsome.

Once inside the company’s building, however, the man takes a hostage and demands to speak with a negotiator -- the best one the local authorities have. Shortly after, Ho Sheung-sang (Lau Ching-Wan, Accident, Mad Detective) arrives at the scene and the man informs him that he wants to play a game with him for 72 hours. Before the negotiator can figure out what kind of a game he will be playing, the man disappears in the large building.

Pride has a lot to do with what follows up because the negotiator is typically the one who forces his opponents to react to his game. Now he has been forced to follow a man he does not understand. Annoyed and determined to prove that he always comes on top, the negotiator goes after the man. But very soon, he discovers that this time around he has to deal with someone who always knows what his next move will be.

The foundation for director Johnnie To’s Running Out of Time is a familiar one -- a "cat and mouse" game involving a determined cop and an intelligent and skillful villain -- however the end result is anything but predictable. The film takes its audience on a wild ride with plenty of twists that are as effective and original as they could possibly be. The main protagonists are also very convincing, both men with human strengths and weaknesses.

The film is loosely divided into three acts. In the first, behavior profiles are established and goals set. Then after the “cat and mouse” game is initiated, To highlights what makes the two players in it unique. A subplot is also outlined, though it is not immediately made clear how it fits into the game.

The second act is the most exciting one. When the negotiator goes after the villain, a series of events change the entire complexion of the game. Success and failure are constantly redefined by these events, setting the stage for an impressive finale.

The third and final act has all of the key ingredients that make the films that come out of Milkyway Image (To’s production company) so unique. At this point, it is impossible to decide whether to root for the villain or the negotiator. Both have been terrific players. Both clearly deserve the audience’s respect and sympathy.

The film’s only weakness is the slightly underdeveloped romantic relationship between the villain and a beautiful girl he meets on a bus. The potential for something more substantial is there but remains unused.

The tempo is brisk and most appropriate for the high-octane action. The chase scenes, in particular, are never unnecessarily prolonged, leaving plenty of room for strong character development. Additionally, cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung’s (Election, Sparrow) excellent lensing gives the film a very stylish, contemporary look.

*In 2000, Running Out of Time won Best Actor Award (Andy Lau) at the Hong Kong Film Awards. During the same year, the film also won Film of Merit Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Running Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Running out of Time arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The only other release of Out of Time that I have in my library is this from Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. It was produced in 2011. This recent Region-B release is apparently sourced from a new 2K master, but I have to say that I find the technical presentation quite inconsistent and in some areas actually disappointing. The main issue is that in virtually all indoor and darker footage the grain begins to collapse and becomes very noisy, causing native detail to struggle and even collapse. On larger screen, this development is very obvious. (You can see examples in screencaptures 1, 3, and 4). Elsewhere, fine details and shadow definition in particular are problematic, too. (You can see examples in screencapture #6, 13 and 14). As a result, the native dynamic range of the visuals isn't convincing. What is puzzling, however, is that a lot of the very same visuals actually look better on the older Bu-ray release -- they are not noisy and have better dynamic range. Color balance is good, but it is not better than that of the previous Blu-ray release. Image stability is very good. All in all, I think that the 2K master that was prepared for Out of Time is disappointing and does not match the excellent quality of some of the recent 2K masters that were prepared for various Jackie Chan films. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This release played perfectly on my Region-A player).

Running Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English LPCM Mono. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the Cantonese 5.1 track. I thought that it was great. It had a lot of oomph and handled the action sequences very well. The dialog was clear, clean, and stable. Dynamic contrasts were very good, though I think that the old Blu-ray release performs very well, too. The English translation is definitely better that the one on the old Blu-ray release.

Running Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries -
  
  1. Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by Asian film expert Frank Djeng.
  2. Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud.

• Interviews - the following content has appeared on previous home video releases of Running out of Time. It focuses on the production, genre identity, and critical reception of the film.
  
  1. Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud. This program was originally filmed by Spectrum Films in 2003. In French, with English subtitles. (22 min).
  2. Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud. This program was filmed by Tai Seng Films in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).
  3. Johnnie To. This program was originally filmed by Spectrum Films in 2003. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (12 min).
  4. Lau Ching-wan. This program was originally filmed by Spectrum Films in 2003. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (26 min).
  5. Raymond Wong. This program was originally filmed by Spectrum Films in 2003. In English with English subtitles. (28 min).

• The Director's Overview of Carbon and Cortiaud - presented here is a short archival featurette about the screenwriters work by some of their collaborators, originally created for the Tai Seng UK DVD release in 2005. (9 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Running Out of Time. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (3 min).

• Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Running Out of Time.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing on both films by David West

Running Out of Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Running Out of Time has been remastered in 2K and I expected it to look every bit as gorgeous as some of the older Jackie Chan films that were restored in 2K. Unfortunately, I have to confess that the 2K makeover that is on this release from Eureka Entertainment is pretty underwhelming. There are areas of the film that look very shaky, and this isn't how they look on the older Blu-ray release that Kam & Ronson Enterprises produced. I am going to recommend this release because there are some very good archival bonus features on it, but I will be keeping my old Blu-ray release as it has the best technical presentation of the film. RECOMMENDED.