Running Out of Time Collection – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1999 (Running Out of Time), Hong Kong, 2001 (Running Out of Time 2)
Directors: Johnnie To (Both Films), Wing-Cheong Law (Running Out of Time 2)
Cast: Andy Lau, Sean Lau, Yoyo Mung, Waise Lee, Benz Hui, Lam Suet, Ruby Wong (Running Out of Time), Lau Ching-wan, Ekin Cheng, Kelly Lin, Hui Shiu-hung, Lam Suet, Ruby Wong (Running Out of Time 2)

Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 38 Seconds (Running Out of Time), 96 Minutes 8 Seconds (Running Out of Time 2)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, LPCM Mono English (Running Out of Time), DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 English (Running Out of Time 2)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $49.95

"Acclaimed director Johnnie To (The Heroic Trio, The Mission) is on top form with slam bang action-thriller Running Out of Time and its equally electrifying sequel. Expert hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-sang (Lau Ching-wan, Black Mask, Mad Detective) is drawn into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse when a criminal mastermind with weeks to live (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers) decides to take on the entire Hong Kong Police Force. There's more to his plan than meets the eye, but can Inspector Ho figure it out and catch him in time? He's got 72 hours to try. A huge box office hit, Running Out of Time swept the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards and spawned a popular sequel in Running Out of Time 2, in which Lau Ching-wan returns as Inspector Ho - this time in pursuit of a sophisticated art thief with a taste for drama and theatrical flair." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Running Out of Time, Running Out of Time 2)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentations of both films, scanned and restored in 2K."

Here's additional information about the transfers, "The films were restored by Fortune Star, who supplied the masters for this release."

Running Out of Time comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.7 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

Running Out of Time 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.5 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB

Both of these transfers look great. Colors and flesh tones look correct, the image looks crisp, black levels are solid, there are no issues with compression, and both transfers retain an organic look.

Audio: 4.5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin - Running Out of Time, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 English - Running Out of Time 2), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Running Out of Time)

Running out of Time comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese; a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin; and a LPCM mono mix in English.

Running out of Time 2 comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese; a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin; and a LDTS-HD 5.1 mix in English.

Though the mono English language track for Running Out of Time sounds very good, it lacks the depth and range that are present in all of the DTS-HD 5.1 audio tracks. That said, you can’t go wrong with any of the DTS-HD 5.1 audio tracks, which sound excellent.

Both films come with removable English subtitles and removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for Running Out of Time include an image gallery (31 images-posters/lobby cards/stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archive featurette titled The Directors’ Overview of Carbon and Courtiaud (8 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud from 2003 (21 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud from 2005 (37 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Johnnie To (11 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Lau Ching-wan (25 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with composer Raymond Wong (27 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival), and an archival audio commentary with Laurent Cortiaud and Julien Carbon, moderated by Hong Kong film expert Stefan Hammond, in English.

Extras for Running Out of Time 2 include an image gallery (30 stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archive featurette titled The Making of Running Out of Time 2 (5 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), a documentary from 2003 by director Yves Montmayeur about Hong Kong cinema mythology via Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud’s experience as writers in the HK film industry, working for Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark and Johnnie To titled Hong Kong Stories (51 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese/French/English with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Frank Djeng.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a limited-edition slipcover (limited to first pressing) and a twenty page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled On The Edge: Connection, Isolation, and Identity in Running Out of Time 1 & 2 written by David West and information about the transfers. 

Summary:

Running Out of Time: Most of Johnnie To’s contemporaries went to Hollywood in the mid-1990’s. He was a rare exception who remained in Hong Kong and continued to flourish. By the time that he directed Running Out of Time, he had already established himself as one of Hong Kong’s premier filmakers. He directed notable films like All About Ah-Long, The Heroic Trio, and The Mad Monk.

The crime genre, more than any other genre, is where Johnnie To excelled. And with Running Out of Time, he creates a solid crime thriller that revolves around a cat and mouse game being played by a police negotiator and a criminal who’s dying of cancer. And though they start out as adversaries, by the time the finale arrives, they have established an unbreakable bond that is based on their respect for each other.

Though this scenario has been done before, most notably in John Woo’s The Killer, a film which is the best example of a cop and criminal forming a bond. The way in which Johnnie To approaches this scenario never feels derivative, since he injects his own cinematic fourlishes, making it his own.

Without a doubt, Running Out of Time’s greatest assets are its two leads: Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) in the role of a criminal mastermind, and Ching Wan Lau (Full Alert) in the role of his pursuer, a hostage negotiator named Ho Sheung-sang. They both deliver exceptional performances, and the moments they share are electrifying. That said, there are no performances that are lacking.

From a production standpoint, Running Out of Time is a film that delivers and then some. The premise is well-executed, a strong narrative structure builds momentum by maintaining tension, and a thrilling finale provides the perfect coda. Ultimately, Running Out of Time is a solid crime film that fans of Hong Kong’s heroic bloodshed cinema are sure to enjoy.

Running Out of Time 2: The urge to make a sequel to a successful film is always going to be there. Where there is money to be made from a proprietary, someone is going to exploit it. And, while some films are better left as stand-alones, a case in point is Running Out of Time, a film that was not crying out for a sequel but got one anyway.

Though Running Out of Time 2 has the same foundation as its predecessor, Running Out of Time It quickly becomes apparent that Running Out of Time 2 is nothing more than a remake of Running Out of Time. There are numerous moments in Running Out of Time 2 that will give you deja vu.

Performance wise, the cast are all very good in their roles, and Ching Wan Lau (Full Alert) returns as a hostage negotiator named Ho Sheung-sang. This time around, his criminal nemesis is Ekin Cheng (The Storm Riders) in the role of a character referred to as The Thief, whose crimes have elements of magic. Ultimately, Running Out of Time 2 is an inferior sequel that suffers from predictability.

Running Out of Time Collection is another first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with solid audio/video presentations and an abundance of extra content, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer