Am zin [Running Out Of Time] (1999)

(On TV, September 2000) As cat-and-mouse movies about cops and robbers go, this one’s pretty good. A great script (loses steam in the last hour, though) filled with clever details, neat tricks and fun repartee provides the solid foundation for the film, and the good acting does the rest. It’s interesting to see how the villain plays upon the ultra-competent protagonist’s biggest strengths in order to get his way. On the downside, there are at least two major plot holes (the locked emergency exit, and the final car’s origin.) as well as a few incoherently staged scenes (the middle shootout is particularly confusing). Still, the film is slickly produced, and the result is engrossing. A Hong Kong film that would hold its own against Hollywood fare.