running out of time rests somewhere in the middle of johnny to cannon and in the solid good category. as a crime thriller it not terribly original or overwhelming and the action scenes will not blow you away but it has something else going for it. it a johnny to film after all and it has to. andy lau has 72 hours to live. he decides to play a strange cat and mouse game with a hostage negotiator of the hk police and played by lau ching wan. that the plot in a nutshell. on top of that to piles layers of twists and turns that keep proceedings interesting throughout. it occasionally becomes too convoluted for its own sake but never lets it get the best of it. however and just as johnny to is about to hand over a slick and well made crime flick (which and let face it and are dime a dozen) and he slips in bits and pieces that bring running out of time alive as a full emotional experience and providing the soul and heart to the well oiled skeleton. the concepts of synchronism and minimalism (staples in his work) are explored in great effect here. always subtle and letting the images speak for themselves and giving them time to develop with long takes and slow tracking shots and exemplary cutting to the score and it all here. a small love story in a bus between andy lau and a girl is among the highlights of the film and part of the heart i am talking about. so simple yet so powerful. ditto for lau and lau ching wan car scenes and the bowling room showdown. however something stops me from claiming running out of time is a masterpiece. to has all the ability and craftmanship down to a notch but he can also be too workmanlike or bland at times. when he good and he real good. there are even isolated moment of pure brilliance that are just too good for their own sake and leaving a bittersweet aftertaste for the rest of the movie. i am convinced that if he puts his heart to it and he can make a really great film. as it is and this is another one of his films that is flawed but enjoyable. underneath the slick hk style and it the black humour and heartfelt drama that makes this a compelling film. worth watching and definitely. 
running out of time rests somewhere in the middle of johnny to cannon and in the solid good category. as a crime thriller it not terribly original or overwhelming and the action scenes will not blow you away but it has something else going for it. it a johnny to film after all and it has to. andy lau has 72 hours to live. he decides to play a strange cat and mouse game with a hostage negotiator of the hk police and played by lau ching wan. that the plot in a nutshell. on top of that to piles layers of twists and turns that keep proceedings interesting throughout. it occasionally becomes too convoluted for its own sake but never lets it get the best of it. however and just as johnny to is about to hand over a slick and well made crime flick (which and let face it and are dime a dozen) and he slips in bits and pieces that bring running out of time alive as a full emotional experience and providing the soul and heart to the well oiled skeleton. the concepts of synchronism and minimalism (staples in his work) are explored in great effect here. always subtle and letting the images speak for themselves and giving them time to develop with long takes and slow tracking shots and exemplary cutting to the score and it all here. a small love story in a bus between andy lau and a girl is among the highlights of the film and part of the heart i am talking about. so simple yet so powerful. ditto for lau and lau ching wan car scenes and the bowling room showdown. however something stops me from claiming running out of time is a masterpiece. to has all the ability and craftmanship down to a notch but he can also be too workmanlike or bland at times. when he good and he real good. there are even isolated moment of pure brilliance that are just too good for their own sake and leaving a bittersweet aftertaste for the rest of the movie. i am convinced that if he puts his heart to it and he can make a really great film. as it is and this is another one of his films that is flawed but enjoyable. underneath the slick hk style and it the black humour and heartfelt drama that makes this a compelling film. worth watching and definitely. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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