Brennan Camacho
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Frances Chung
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
david-sarkies
David Stratton said before the movie that this was film noir Hong Kong style and its main theme was the paranoia of the decade leading up to the Chinese Takeover of Hong Kong. The movie was very dark and there was a feeling of hopelessness running through the movie, but I am not sure that the paranoia is the major theme. Rather I think it is the hopelessness of life as the inevitable comes closer.To the characters of the movie, the handing over of Hong Kong to China is like death. It is something that has to be done and it is something that they cannot escape. They are not paranoid, but rather fearful, and this fear manifests in the desire to be secure. The handover creates a sense of insecurity within the characters of the movie, and as such they will resort to anything to escape it. The main character seeks to go with his estranged wife who is emigrating to Canada, while others have resorted to lucrative drug deals to gain enough money to escape.The movie is also about escaping. The two main characters are trying to escape Hong Kong and their fate. The corrupt homicide squad are dealing with drugs to rake in enough money to escape, while the other two, who are being hunted down by the Hong Kong authorities, want to escape to the golden triangle so as to flee the persecution that will come on them. The two characters are a political CID officer and an assassin. The assassin was hired by the police to kill one of their own because she had discovered too much. The police were then going to kill her because they did not want any witnesses. The CID officer, whose wife was murdered, gets caught up in the affair when he captures the assassin. They decide to kill him as well because he knows too much. As such the two are forced together and to rely upon each other to survive. It is not two innocent people trying to bring justice; the assassin is clearly guilty. As such she is an anti-hero. She is flawed in the fact that she is guilty of her crimes and there is no justice that can help her. Merely by associating with her, the CID officer is also guilty. He has to turn her in, but if he does he is likely to be killed as well. Either way he is trapped. He seeks revenge for the murder of his wife, but cannot fulfill it because to do so would be to remove any hope of escaping.The ideas that come up in the movie are very good, but I feel that the structure does not do it justice. Unfortunately, being in Chinese, we loose a lot in the translation, and thus we cannot see the anguish that the CID officer must face. I did not find the structure of the movie supported the ideas that I discussed fully. That is where the movie fell down, I could see the ideas on the surface, but the characterisation and the fear that is supposed to accompany that is not seen. As such, On the Run turns out to be a simple Hong Kong action flick.
Bogey Man
Alfred Cheung's ON THE RUN (1988) stars Yuen Biao as a cop who gets to know his boss and other colleagues are not as clean as they should be. His wife gets assassinated and he meets a mysterious hit woman (Pat Ha). It comes clear that they are tracked by some very corrupt criminals/cops and they are on their own to survive. No children or women are safe either in the gritty and infernal urban jungle the film takes place in..This film is very impressive piece of Hong Kong crime/triad thrillers which hate the usual "humor" found in HK films as much as I do. The film is all the time serious and at the end, very pessimistic and nihilistic, too. The seemingly "good" character changes, again, and after all, he isn't any less violent and "bad" than those who originally hunted him and Pat. I'm not quite sure what the film maker's meant with the ending but I think it is there to depict the decay of the movie character's world and how it forced the worst and ugliest sides in Biao's character to see the light and become active. Still this film is very impressive even if we leave these "deeper" sides of the script away thinking they don't necessarily mean as much as we wanted to. The photography and settings are dark and atmospheric and enhanced even further by the strong and menacing soundtrack and use of music. The streets, alleys and hallways are captured menacingly and claustrophobically on camera, and this film is an example of what makes other masterpieces of HK crime genre so great. The action is plentiful and leaves no changes to breathe for the characters. This film is as bleak in its violence as it is in its visual style and look of the film. I give ON THE RUN 8/10 rating and I'm pretty sure this requires more viewing times in order to fully appreciate it and its all aspects. This is highly recommended for those who love their HK films honest and realistic without any unnecessary and irritatingly awful humor often found in HK films, action films included.
rehanyousuf15
Alfred Cheung Kin-ting directs this feverishly paced crime noir that is one of the finest in the genre. Yuen Biao stars as Lo Huan, a Hong Kong police officer who unfoils a dangerous conspiracy that results in the assassination of his ex-wife. As it turns out, his ex-wife had an ongoing affair with his own corrupt superintendent, and when she learnt of his behind the scenes heroin ring, he simply arranged a hit and had her brushed off. The hired gun, Ah Chui, performs the job with the greatest of ease, but for various reasons, is next on the superiors hit list. Now on the run, Ah Chui accidentally confronts Lo Huan, who eventually sheds his grief and teams up with the woman to take down the corruption in the force. What follows is a high stakes cat and mouse game that leads to a brutally violent conclusion, leaving no one unscathed.On the Run is perhaps known best for providing Yuen Biao with his finest performance to date. His portrayal as the troubled moralistic cop is dead on, combining both superb restraint and expressive emotions. Ah Biao's female counterpart, Pat Ha, gives a noteworthy acting job, and is completely believable as a cold and calculated hitwoman, only to have human feelings and emotions to get in the way of her career. Also appearing in supporting roles is veteran Taiwanese actor Charlie Chin, who co-stars as the corrupt superintendent, and fellow Peking Opera schoolmate Yuen Wah, who appears as one of his cronies.Director Cheung doesn't disappont either, and perfectly complements the gloomy theme with dark cinematography which takes place in the black, Hong Kong horizon dimly litted with the traditional glow of neon lights. It is almost impossible to not be absorbed in the mood by the cinematography. The writing also plays a large part in setting the theme. The script is masterfully crafted, moving at lightning pace, providing the viewer with plenty of suspense and surprises to glue the them to the television for the 90 minute duration. All in all, you won't find pretentious, incomprehensible wannabe filmmaking crap in the tradition of Michael Bay, just pure talented directors and writers at full force.Of course, novices to Hong Kong films will immediately typecast this as standard, martial arts action fare. Well, it's just pure ignorance on their part. Aside from an incredible pole-slide stunt performed by Yuen Biao, all of the action is played straight. The fight finale between Yuen Biao and Charlie Chin's henchmen is nothing but intense brutality and realism at play. Fluid, acrobatic choreography is the last thing you should expect. In the case of On the Run, that is a good thing. Any type of cartoon- like Jackie Chan action will just ruin every theme the film is trying to convey. Thankfully the filmmakers didn't bite to mass appeal just like so many others in this entertainment world today.Overall, On the Run is a milestone achievement in Hong Kong filmmaking. Multiple viewings is absolutely required for this masterpiece, and of course, I highly recommend this overlooked gem to anybody itching to get out of the Jackie Chan/ John Woo mode.
Die Hard-3
This movie was OK, a little unrealistic, fairly violent, but when they are punching each other, the sound-effects were horrible. People kept getting shot in the chest, but they never die, they seem almost fine shortly afterwards. A lot of people seem to get shot in the eye. And I didn't understand why the bad guy wanted to get shot in the hand.
