PTU ( Johnnie To )

[SimonInd]

I see that the DVD of this is out in HK. Has anyone seen the film? or read any reviews? I enjoyed (in order of preference) The Longest Nite, A Hero Never Dies and Fulltime Killer so I'm guessing it's a fairly safe bet...

Cheers

Simon

[new forms]

My copy is currently shipping from ddd and hopefully i'll have it in a couple of days and i'll post up what i think of the film,

with the films you have mentioned i'd also advise you to get Running out of Time - which is a very good film with bundles of style,

i've also got As tears go by shipping as well, anyone know what i can expect from that?

[Tequila]

I got mine this morning! Hopefully I'll watch it today, I'll tell you what I think.

You should also check out The Mission also directed by Jonnie to.

[new forms]

received and watched my copy on sat,

was expecting a lot out of this film and while i did enjoy it - it couldn't quite deliver on some levels i was hoping for,

without wanting to spoilerize the film, the story is concerned with the efforts of a cop of & a unit of his ptu friends to recover a missing gun


violence, brotherhood, morality (or lack of it) are some of the themes the film explores - and as per To's previous films nothing or no-one is black or white

the film develops over the course of 1 evening so its entirely a 'night' film (a genre i enjoy) but i dont think To takes full advantage of the mood and atmosphere that night shooting can create,

worth a watch but not a To classic,

i'd like to think of this film as a loosener by To to get back into thriller mood after all those romantic comedies (hopefully he'll get to make some more non romcoms very soon)


best thing about it - bent coppers, slick dialogue & violence


worst thing (imo) - Simon Yam has the personality of a chunk of wood..............

[Cirrus888]

best thing about it - bent coppers, slick dialogue & violence


worst thing (imo) - Simon Yam has the personality of a chunk of wood..............


:lol:

Only just got round to watching this yesterday and I have to say I enjoyed this dark moody thriller with some cliche but well played characters.

Breaking News is Johnnie To's "Day" film to PTU "night".

[robbiez666]

I was a bit let down by this. Picked it up for £6.99 from CD-Wow! (UK) (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump.php?url=http://tracker.tradedoubler.com/click^QS^p=3128^QA^a=60823^QA^g=17349) and was expecting a bit more. Clever but not so great really....

[Alan b]

Moving to World Cinema & DVD Forum

[Mattvert11]

I was a bit let down by this. Picked it up for £6.99 from CD-Wow! (UK) (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump.php?url=http://tracker.tradedoubler.com/click^QS^p=3128^QA^a=60823^QA^g=17349) and was expecting a bit more. Clever but not so great really....
''Throw Down'' is Johnnie To's best film.

[68monkey]

I thoroughly enjoyed PTU when I watched it about a year ago. To does a great job of creating a mood with lighting and music. Of course, no other To film can compare to his fantastic classic, The Mission. What this film was missing was Francis Ng. :D

As much as I enjoy seeing Lam Suet in Hong Kong films, I really don't think he makes a good lead character. I'm sure there are many HK film fans who will disagree with me on this one, but Suet shines more as a supporting character, rather than one of the leads. But all acting aside, another problem with this film is that the characters weren't very sympathetic, making it hard to care whether they succeeded or not. I mean, is there really any reason we WANT Suet's character to find his gun and escape the consequences? It was hard for me to really relate to his character and be on his side.

And on a final note, shame on Johnnie To for having the tough female investigator screw up. :nono: I was happy to see a strong female character in a HK action film, even if she wasn't very likeable, but then To had to have her make a big mistake. :(

[wong fei hong]

Johnnie To is the hero of Hong Kong cinema, and 2004 had the dvd releases of two of his greatest films yet, Throwdown and the wonderful, wonderful Running on Karma. Yesterday Once More was pretty good, if slight, and Breaking News has a superb opening and a distinctly average second half.

Also see: The Mission, A Hero Never Dies, Fulltime Killer, Running Out Of Time and Needing You.

[marshy2004]

Lam Suet is excellent in PTU, but the rest of the film is only average - with a really dumb ending IMO where To obviously ran out of ideas. Running On Karma is probably the best film of Johnnie To's i've seen - a real genre-bending flick that has a stab at everything and pretty much pulls it all off. The Mission and The Longest Nite (which To produced) are also quality flicks. Breaking News ain't bad, but never lives up to the excellent Touch Of Evil style opening.

[new forms]

As much as I enjoy seeing Lam Suet in Hong Kong films, I really don't think he makes a good lead character. I'm sure there are many HK film fans who will disagree with me on this one, but Suet shines more as a supporting character, rather than one of the leads.


i really respect the fella and i'm happy to see him in more leads, i can understand what you mean though but i think he's got the range to do it all....


might have to give this a rewatch later this afternnon to see how it holds up to a repeat viewing

[Squirrel God]

Didn't like this. Found it dull and uneventful.