Berlin International Film Festival | 13 February

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-- The Forum
-- The Panorama
-- Retrospective
-- Kinderfilmfest
-- New German Films




Parallel: The Forum: Running out of Time

Running out of Time

by Johnnie To

The Forum's decision to highlight the work of Hong Kong director Johnnie To by screening all three features he released last year provides an oblique insight into the current problems in the Hong Kong film industry. Determined not to succumb to the malaise gripping much of the industry, To continues producing fast and relatively cheaply, always searching for ways to renew or even reinvent his favourite action-thriller genre.

Running Out Of Time sets out to rethink the old genre convention of a secret bond between cop and criminal. Wah (Andy Lau) is a brilliant but terminally ill master thief, determined to avenge his late father before he dies. He engineers a daring robbery, partly for the fun of it and partly to distract his nemesis, Detective Sang (Lau Ching-Wan), from his underlying plan to get the man who betrayed his father.

Tony Rayns

 

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