very good...one of Andy's best....   August 12, 2002

Inspector Ho( Lau Ching Wan) is a police negotiator who's playing cat-and-mouse with the thief Cheung( Andy Lau). Cheung robs a hong kong high rise, but the reason why is unclear.
As Ho begins to investigate, the audience gets to know lil better too, but not too much. Cheung is doing this because his dying day is near, and he's using the time he got left to avenge for his father....

Sure, there are some plot holes, but how many HK movies can you point out with no plot holes??? especially genre like this?
however, Andy did an awesome job at playing the role of Cheung.
The style, pacing, actiong, and direction is simply great.

Andy won best actor for 19th annual Hong Kong film awards.


Simply amazing   July 23, 2002
i am a huge fan of HK flicks. i love them all:...martial arts, quirky romance, and most of all heart-wrenching dramas. this film lived up to and surpassed my expectations. Andy Lau is a tremendous actor as is Lau Ching Wan. these two bounce and feed off each other beautifully in this cat-and-mouse movie. both use one another for personal gain yet when things get intense they are there to help the other out. i was just amazed when i finished watching it. this is definitely one to add to any person's movie collection, whether you are die-hard HK or not. subtitles shouldn't scare you away. trust me and see this movie.


Not so bad HK flick. Worth a view   June 4, 2002
Johnny To has got to be up there as one of my favourite producer/ directors- and this movie does not disappoint
Although its not one of the most realistic movies, it is quite enjoyable if you can open your mind and pretend its all possible :)

Its the story of a man, played by Andy Lau, who has *cough cough* only weeks to live due to some unspecified disease. As a result he goes on a rampage to make the most of his short term existence.

The highlights of the movie would probably be the cinematography, first and foremost... the movie does have an interest mood. Second would probably be the rhad chick who isnt some helpless annoying chick like in most asian movies and thirdly the fact that this movie doesnt distract itself too much from the main plot.

Take that last statement how you wish. Dont expect a Wong Kar Wai movie here with a million sub-plots.
This is just a straight forward action flick.

I find it hard to relate to the characters in this movie.
And i believe its the mood which makes this one a cut above average.


great movie   April 21, 2001
I was really impressed with this movie, the first by Johnny To I have seen. The lead characters are great and the movie has a top notch plot for cop and robber films. Though Andy Lau's character only has a few days left to live and is constantly spitting up blood, the movie is light hearted to the very end. I don't believe I have ever seen a film this action packed and suspensful without a single person being killed throughout. Even at the end, you have to wonder whether Lau's character is really going to die. Lau and Lau Ching Wan (the cop) are cool and collected the entire movie and work well on screen together. Even if you don't like subtitles, give this a shot... I think you'll like it.

The sound quality is below average, but the score was pretty good. The english subtitles were poorly translated but added to the entertainment.


What a hoot!   September 6, 2000
  2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This movie proves that to make a suspenseful thriller does not necessarily require a big budget and lots of explosions. The action is centered around a "72-hour game" between Andy Lau, playing a criminal with 4 weeks to live, and Lau Ching-Wan, taking the role of a crack police negotiator. The action cinematography is as thrilling as the interplay between Andy Lau and Lau Ching-Wan is entertaining.

The picture and sound quality of the DVD version are about average, although I was somewhat disappointed that the Cantonese track is not quite up to par with the Mandarin track. For non-Chinese speakers, there are several subtitle languages available, including English, Thai, as well as traditional and simplified Chinese characters.

Overall, this is well-done, fun film, and you definitely don't have to be a Hong Kong cinema buff to enjoy this one!