The tenth film co-directed by Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) and Wai Ka-fai (Peace Hotel) following a string of collaborations that included comedies, romances, action films and historical epics, Running on Karma is a crime thriller with a distinctly Buddhist flare starring a titan of Hong Kong cinema in Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs).
Big (Lau) was once a devoutly religious man, but turned away from his vocation as a Buddhist monk when he could no longer bear the weight of his unusual gift: the ability to see people's past lives and predict the impact of karma upon their present and future. Having found a new life as a bodybuilder, he is drawn to use his sixth sense for good after meeting Lee Fung-yee (Cecilia Cheung, The Legend of Zu), a cop investigating a homicide. But as the two grow closer and work together to catch a murderer, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Big can see Lee's past lives, too…
A film that balances genre thrills with deep philosophical questions on the nature of spirituality and faith, Running on Karma stands with Mad Detective as one of the most interesting and unique collaborations between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia from a new 2K restoration.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
Original Cantonese stereo audio
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary by East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto
Reap the Whirlwind – new interview with Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal
Archival "making of…" featurette
Theatrical trailer
A collector's booklet featuring a new essay by David West of NEO magazine
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: JANUARY 28.
UK STREET DATE: JANUARY 27.
A landmark in the history of Japanese cinema, Cure was the breakthrough film for director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who would go on to make several further modern masterpieces in Pulse, Creepy and Tokyo Sonata. Released to critical acclaim in both the East and the West, this nerve-shredding thriller charts the hunt for a depraved serial killer in a bleak and decaying Tokyo.
A series of murders have been committed by ordinary people who claim to have had no control over their actions, many of them having killed friends, co-workers or even their spouse. There are only two links between each crime: an X carved into the neck of each victim, and a mysterious stranger who seems to have had brief contact with the perpetrator a short period of time before each killing. But to follow these leads and end a seemingly inexplicable wave of terror, police detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho, 13 Assassins) will need to put his own sanity on the line and endure a descent into hell.
Described as one of the greatest films of all time by Bong Joon-ho, the filmmaker behind Memories of Murder, The Host, Snowpiercer and Parasite, Cure is a cerebral and deeply unsettling hybrid of police procedural, serial killer film and horror movie to stand with The Silence of the Lambs and Seven.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Uncompressed original Japanese stereo soundtrack
Two archival interviews with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa from 2003 and 2018
Kim Newman on Cure – Interview with critic and author Kim Newman
Trailers
A collector's booklet featuring essays on Cure by Tom Mes
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow