Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pagePTU (2003)
Director: Johnny To
Movie review
From Time Out London
Another week, another Johnnie To release, though this isn’t quite on the same level as the HK crime maestro’s ‘Exiled’, reviewed last week. It’s far from negligible though, and if the script’s not fully formed, the director’s unruffled poise and the striking nocturnal camerawork are a source of pleasure in themselves. To regular Simon Yam is on patrol with the Police Tactical Unit (hence the title), a uniformed psycho with few qualms about rough-housing suspects or bending the regulations to help out bumbling police detective Lam Suet, who’s lost his gun in an altercation with a group of young tearaways who took off unaware their gang leader was about to be offed. The murder investigation and the missing firearm provide just enough plot to get the movie through the night, even though the character relationships are on the sketchy side. Still, the point of the exercise is really the unfolding of sundry edgy night-time encounters and action set-pieces, each constructed with To’s customary patience, while his vision of Hong Kong after dark exudes an eerie calm that’s cumulatively hypnotic.Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London Issue 1922: June 20-26 2007
Cast & crew
Director: Johnny To
Producer: Kuo-hsing Li
Cast: Simon Yam, Lam Suet, Ruby Wong, Maggie Siu, Eddy Ko full cast
Genre(s): Drama
Duration: 88 mins
UK Release: Jun 22 2007
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now