How Running Out of Time, starring Andy Lau and Lau Ching-wan, helped shape the ‘Johnnie To Cinematic Universe’
- The Hong Kong filmmaker was known more for his commercial projects until a string of movies in the late 90s and early 00s made him an auteur of Hong Kong cinema
- Running Out of Time marks the beginning of the producer-director’s reinvention, and the start of the unique and stylised ‘Johnnie To Cinematic Universe’
Veteran Hong Kong producer-director Johnnie To Kei-fung reinvented himself as an auteur filmmaker in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a string of idiosyncratic crime movies that earned him international recognition.
Films such as Expect the Unexpected, The Longest Nite, and The Mission became known for their stylised visuals and clever plots, and won To – who had generally been known for commercial films – acclaim on the festival circuit.
The Post talked to expert on Asian film Frank Djeng, who provided the commentary for Eureka Entertainment’s release of the film, about what makes To’s films different.
Andy Lau puts in a great performance as the thief. How did it differ from his earlier performances?
Johnnie To seems to have asked him to drop the aura of being a superstar, and just be an actor. There is drama, but without the pomp and circumstance we see in a normal Andy Lau film.