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''Running Out of Time'' (; literal title: ''Hidden War'') is a 1999 Hong Kong
action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
produced and directed by
Johnnie To Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in ...
and starring
Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
as a cancer-ridden criminal who challenges a police negotiator, played by
Lau Ching-wan Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He won Best Actor in the 2007 and 2015 Hong Kong Film Awards and in the 2000 and 2007 Golden Bauhinia Awards. Career Lau was born ...
, to a 72-hour battle of wits and courage. Andy Lau won his first
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor The Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to an actor for the best performance by an actor in a leading role. The actor with most awards in this category is Tony Leung Chiu-Wai with 5 times. He is als ...
in 2000 for his performance in the film. The film was followed by a
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
, ''
Running Out of Time 2 ''Running Out of Time 2'' (, literal title:''Hidden War 2'') is a 2001 Hong Kong crime caper film co-directed by Johnnie To and Law Wing-cheung. It is a sequel to To's 1999 film '' Running Out of Time'', with Lau Ching-wan returning as Inspec ...
'', which was released in 2001.


Plot

Cheung Wah is diagnosed as suffering from late-stage cancer and given four weeks to live by his doctor. As Chueng eats at a diner, Inspector Ho Sheung-sang, a police negotiator, has been called to the scene of a bank robbery standoff that's being bungled by his inept boss, Wong Kai-fat. Ho goes in to negotiate with the robbers. After goading them to release the injured hostages first, a man amongst the hostages stands up and shoots the robbers dead. The man claims to be an off-duty police officer, but Ho realizes that the man is the mastermind of the robbery. Ho convinces the man that it is impossible to shoot him and get away with it as his fingerprints would be all over the murder weapon. As Ho leaves the crime scene to grab some breakfast, a shot rings out and Ho tells Wong that the robbery mastermind has committed suicide. Cheung takes an interest in Ho, who he discovers was a former member of the Special Duties Unit. Cheung then stages his own robbery of a finance company to get in contact with Ho. When Ho finally arrives, Cheung proposes that they play a three-day long game. Cheung shoots the finance company manager, and Ho and the police give chase until Cheung stalls them enough to make an escape with a bomb, which turns out to be fake. It is revealed the finance manager is still alive and was only shot with messy red looking paint. Cheung makes his escape by posing as a cop. Ho meets with Cheung after posing as a taxi driver. Amazed at Ho's ploy, Cheung will admit defeat at the game if Ho can take him to the police station before three days are over. Cheung then pulls a gun and starts shooting out the window. When Ho slams the brakes, Cheung flees and jumps aboard to mini-bus. Meanwhile, a man known only as Baldy is having a diamond that he had stolen appraised by the old man who was taking pictures of Ho earlier. The two Americans who stole the diamond for him ask for more money. Baldy pulls out his gun and points it at the old man, who confirms its authenticity. Baldy then kills the two Americans and takes the diamond. Ho returns to the finance company for further questioning, and sees Baldy entering the office space next door. He tries to get in, but it stopped by one of Baldy's men. As Cheung watches a video feed of the vault at Baldy's office, he puts a screw inside a box. As he takes a drink, he coughs out blood. Ho tries to reason why Cheung held up the finance company and not the jewelry or antique stores in the building and why Cheung chose him for his game. As he leaves for the day, Ho receives a Cheung's package. He meets up with his friend, the Head of Interpol, who's given him information on Baldy, who's wanted for possession of explosives, and one Peter Cheung, the old man who took pictures of him and appraised the diamond. Peter Cheung was Baldy's boss until Baldy kicked him out. More focused on the case, he skips having dinner with her to break into Baldy's office. When trying to get in, he's turned away by security, who's told by Wong that he's not on the case. Ho sneaks in anyway as Cheung watches him on video feeds. Using a packet of dairy creamer he took from security, Ho enters the finance company and finds the grate that Cheung's screw comes from. Going through the vents, he finds men that Baldy had to keep an eye on the diamond and Cheung's video equipment, which Cheung uses to give away Ho's entrance. Ho tries to escape, but Cheung calls him and leads him to an emergency door that turns out to be a dead end. Ho tries to pick the lock on the emergency door, which is opened by the guy who he encountered earlier when he tried to get into the office. Knowing that Baldy will come down to get the diamond out of there, Cheung reveals a car identical to Baldy's. One of Baldy’s henchmen sees the car, assuming that Baldy is in it. As the henchmen approaches towards the car, Cheung takes the diamond, posing as Baldy with the bald cap and knocks the henchmen out. Ho and Baldy's men give chase as Cheung flees away from them. As both Ho and Cheung get fired on by Baldy's men, the two are amazed at each other's resilience. They work together to get out of the predicament, but Ho realizes that now he's the one with a gun and Cheung is the one driving. Cheung reiterates that if Ho can get him to the police station, he wins. However, Cheung drives the car into a wall. After the collision, both men try their hardest to get the diamond as they both feel wobbly after the crash. Ho reaches towards the diamond but collapses, which lead to Cheung walking away with it. However, Cheung drops his painkilling pills while trying to get the diamond. After Ho gets checked up, Wong, who thinks the pills are Ho's, tries to talk to him. Ho's Interpol friend comes and brings him more information on Peter Cheung, who died a year ago, and a photo of Cheung, his son. Cheung, who has been masquerading as his father, sends Baldy proof that he has the diamond and will give it back for $20 million HK. Ho meets with Cheung at the diner, asking why he's still playing with him even though he's got the diamond and has avenged his father. Ho gives him a minute to give him a good reason not to arrest him now. Cheung wants to have Ho arrest Baldy, but realizes that Ho isn't doing this for fame or a promotion. Cheung then taunts Ho, saying that he's beating Ho in their little game. Ho lets him leave so they can finish their game. Cheung takes a bus, where he meets the woman from earlier again. The bus is pulled over by the police, and the woman invites Cheung over like before. She takes him to a restaurant, but he leaves when he starts coughing up blood. Cheung has set the place to make the exchange for the diamond at a bowling alley, which is being staked out by Ho, Wong and the police. Ho bumps into the same henchman he's been running into, who still doesn't recognize him. Cheung has Ho make the exchange for him, but Baldy has Cheung, who's disguised as a woman, get the money. Ho tries to get Wong to check in on the money exchange, but Wong doesn't get the message. Cheung, who's taken out Baldy's man and the cop while getting the money, takes off his disguise and makes the exchange himself, telling Ho that the "woman" is conning him. Baldy takes Cheung's bag, which holds a bowling ball, and throws it on the floor in rage, revealing diamonds inside. The police move in and arrest Baldy for stealing the diamonds from the finance company next door. Cheung leaves the scene with the diamond and the money. Ho catches up with Cheung, finally arrests him and prepares to take him to the police station. Cheung reveals another "bomb" and pulls out another detonator like the one before. Ho calls him on his bluff and presses the detonator, which starts a timer on the bomb. Cheung, who knows he's going to die soon, wishes that he not die in a jail cell, so Ho stops and gets out of the car, seeing as Cheung is dying in the car. The timer reaches zero, which starts up the car and Cheung escapes again. When Wong berates Ho for letting Cheung get away again, Ho simply ignores him and goes to grab something to eat. Cheung, playing dead, drives away, smiling. Ho reads in the newspaper that someone using his name donated HK$20 million to a children's cancer foundation. He hops on a bus and meets the woman Cheung kept running into wearing the diamond. Ho admires the diamond, though she brushes it off as something cheap. He asks who gave it to her, and she says she hasn't seen him in a while. Ho tells her to hold on to it.


Cast

*
Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
as Cheung Wah *
Lau Ching-wan Sean Lau Ching-wan (born 16 February 1964) is a Hong Kong actor who has acted in both films and television series. He won Best Actor in the 2007 and 2015 Hong Kong Film Awards and in the 2000 and 2007 Golden Bauhinia Awards. Career Lau was born ...
as Inspector Ho Sheung-sang *
Yoyo Mung Yoyo Mung Ka-wai () is a Hong Kong actress. She was signed to TVB until March 2013, having starred in various TVB television shows, including '' Forensic Heroes I'' and '' II''. Career After graduating from Form 5, Mung worked as a bank cl ...
as Leung Yuen-ting (Girl on the Mini Bus) *
Waise Lee Waise Lee Chi-hung (born 19 December 1959) is a Hong Kong film and television actor best known for playing the roles of villains and antagonists in various films. Biography Lee graduated from TVB's Artist Training Academy in 1982 and was from the ...
as Baldy *
Benz Hui Benz Hui Shiu-hung (born 4 November 1948) is a Hong Kong film and TV actor. Hui is credited with over 165 films. Hui is a currently a TV actor with TVB. Early life and family Hui comes from an influential family in Canton. His great-grandfather ...
as Chief Inspector Wong Kai-fat *
Lam Suet Lam Suet (; born 1964), or Lin Xue, is a Hong Kong film actor. Life and career Lam was born in Tianjin, and came to Hong Kong as a youth in 1979 to receive inheritance money left by his grandfather. Soon after, all the money had been squander ...
as Baldy's Henchman *
Ruby Wong Ruby Wong Cheuk-ling (born 7 September 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and former model. Filmography * '' Infernal Mission'' (2004) * '' Looking For Mr Perfect'' (2003) * '' PTU'' (2003) * '' Sai Kung Story'' (2003) * '' U-Man'' (2002) * ''Women ...
as Head of the Interpol * Ai Wai as Cop at bank * Hung Wai-leung as Mr. Lee * Lam Wai-kin as Mr. Hui - Negotiator * Law Ching-ting as Baldy's thug * Lee Sau-kei as Cheung's doctor * So Yan-tin as Ho's subordinate * Robert Sparks as an American Diamond Dealer * Wong Wan-woo as Office building security guard * Yau Man-shing as Bank Robber * Yee Tin-hung as Bank robber


Awards and nominations


Notes


External links

* {{MilkywayImage 1999 films 1999 action thriller films 1999 crime thriller films Hong Kong action thriller films Hong Kong crime thriller films Police detective films 1990s Cantonese-language films China Star Entertainment Group films Milkyway Image films Films about cancer Hong Kong films about revenge Films directed by Johnnie To Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong Films with screenplays by Yau Nai-hoi 1990s Hong Kong films