Overview: Directed by Alfred Cheung and starring the legendary Yuen Biao (THE PRODIGAL SON, RIGHTING WRONGS), noir crime drama ON THE RUN remains a classic staple of the thriller genre from Hong Kong.

In the aftermath of his wife’s brutal murder, struggling cop Heung Ming (Yuen Biao) is forced to go into hiding after discovering corruption in the ranks. His only ally is a deadly assassin Chui (Pat Ha) as they each try to avoid arrest, and even death.

Blu-ray Verdict: Alfred Cheung’s ON THE RUN (1988) stars Yuen Biao as a cop who gets to know his boss and other colleagues are not as clean as they should be. His wife gets assassinated and he meets a mysterious hit woman (Pat Ha). It becomes clear that they are tracked by some very corrupt criminals/cops and they are on their own to survive. No children or women are safe either in the gritty and infernal urban jungle the film takes place in.

This film is very impressive piece of Hong Kong crime/triad thrillers which hate the usual bouts of humor found in HK films as much as I do. The film is all the time serious and at the end, very pessimistic and nihilistic, too. The seemingly good character changes, again, and after all, he isn’t any less violent and bad than those who originally hunted him and Pat. I’m not quite sure what the filmmaker’s meant with the ending, but I think it is there to depict the decay of the movie character’s world and how it forced the worst and ugliest sides in Biao’s character to see the light and become active.

Still this film is very impressive even if we leave these deeper sides of the script aside, thinking they don’t necessarily mean as much as we wanted them to. The photography and settings are dark and atmospheric and enhanced even further by the strong and menacing soundtrack and use of music. The streets, alleys and hallways are captured menacingly and claustrophobically on camera, and this film is an example of what makes other masterpieces of HK crime genre so great.

The action is plentiful and leaves no chance to breathe for the characters. This film is as bleak in its violence as it is in its visual style and overall look of the film. In short, this film is highly recommended for those who love their HK films honest and realistic without any unnecessary and irritatingly awful humor often found in HK films.

Limited Edition Special Features:
ORING RIGID SLIP CASE WITH NEW ARTWORK BY SEAN LONGMORE
2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE
REMASTERED ORIGINAL CANTONESE MONOAURAL SOUNDTRACK
NEWLY TRANSLATED ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Audio Commentary with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast On Fire Network
Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto
Running Away - An Interview with Alfred Cheung
Predicting the Future - An Interview with David West
Alternate Ending
Hong Kong Trailer
Reversible sleeve with original Hong Kong poster artwork

Official Purchase Link