Arrow recently released a set of both Running Out of Time films on blu. Each film is presented on its own disc with its own extras.
Running Out of Time (1999)
From director Johnnie To, written by Nai-Hoi Yau, Laurent Courtiaud, and Julien Carbon, this film is a classic at this point for many reasons, including how it’s entertaining and really works within the style of Johnnie To. Also, it stars Andy Lau who is fantastic here as he usually here and Lau Ching Wan who makes for a good counterpart to Andy Lau. The film itself is still highly entertaining and star Lau is one of the main reasons to watch really. There are a few silly things here and there in the film, but it’s still an enjoyable watch. The action sequences are fun, the film is well-shot, the visuals are high quality in terms of the new 2K release.
Running Out of Time (2001)
Directed by Wing-Cheong Law and Johnnie To, written by Nai-Hoi Yau and Kin-Yee Au (based on characters by Nai-Hoi Yau, Laurent Courtiaud, and Julien Carbon), this sequel loses a bit of steam, but is still fun. Lau Ching Wan returns and faces off with a new villain, one who isn’t afraid of being a bit extra and played quite well by Ekin Cheng. The acting here is once again quite good, the directing is on point, but the story loses some of the charm of the original and it makes for a slightly less entertaining sequels. This one also goes a bit more over-the-top, making it a film some will not connect with as well as the first one. Overall, it’s decent sequel, but definitely not on par with the first film. The visuals here and as good as the first disc and so is the audio.
When it comes to extras, each film has its own with new audio commentary which are informative, but can lose the interest rather fast for some viewers. Unless really into these films, the commentary will only be of mild interest. There is an archival featurette for the first film that is probably the most accessible of the features and the documentary on the sequel’s disc is quite interesting at first, but eventually loses the attention while feeling a bit dated. Theatrical trailers and image galleries complete the content of each disc.
Overall, the films are still quite entertaining with the first one being much better than the sequel, showing that To is a strong director who doesn’t really need a second director with him as style variations between the two films actually hurt the sequel a bit. The acting is fairly solid throughout, with Andy Lau being the one that truly shines in the first film and eclipses the villain from the second film. Watching back-to-back may be tempting, but leaving a few days between the two should help alleviate some of the comparisons and losses in terms of entertainment in the second one. The extras here are interesting enough, but come of a bit run-of-the-mill to be honest. They are good, but they could have been so much stronger. A good new interview with the stars would have been fantastic. However, the ones on there are archival, still interesting, but a look back would have been so good. The films and their 2K transfers as well the revised English sub-titles do make this a must-own set for fans of the films.