Reviewed by: danton Date: 04/08/2002 Dante Lam has a knack for adding a quirky perspective and a somewhat left of centre sensibility to tried and true genre conventions. His approach worked very well in the masterful Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone, and while Runaway seems a little more scattered than JH:TTZ, it still comes together nicely if you don't expect much of a cohesive plot. I must also say that Nick CHeung is starting to grow on me as an actor. For once, he doesn't try to be the heir to Stephen Chiau in this film, and as a result, he actually manages to put together an appealing performance. The plot is really an afterthought. Something about a pair of HK triads spending some time in Thailand, enjoying the beach life and some local girls (played charmingly by Ruby Wong and by a mute Wu Anya, who plays the most ineffective female assassin ever seen...), while learning some vague life lessons. Anthony Wong joins the cast as a triad who would rather be a baker. Yes, it's that kind of movie. We have Thai goths who are in the human organ trade, we have a HK triad obsessed with his pet parrot, we have shootouts where pineapples make an effective countermeasure to real guns, we have some bungee jumping, and lots of other quirky happenings. The end product is a pleasant bit of fluff that manages to entertain the viewer for 90 minutes.

Reviewed by: mejones Date: 03/21/2002 Summary: Very funny ... Weird is probably a good word to describe this outting, though weird in a good way! For those who don't already know. Nick and Samuel play triad small potatoes who play a trick on boss Anthony, thereby losing him $200,000. Their two choices to hide out are Mainland China (boring) or the resort area of Thailand (expensive, but what the hell?) Once there they hang out on the beach, meet a couple of girls, drink a lot and have a jolly old time. That is, until their own boss, Kwan, gets wind of their whereabouts and sends henchman Ken Lo to bring them back to HK! Of course, Ken is Thai, he's a champion Thai boxer and he's called Thai??? Too funny! Of course, he's strictly warned "don't mess around and visit you're family while you're there!" Ya, right! Coincidentally, Anthony arrives in Thailand at the same time as Ken, but he's not actually looking for the missing leng jai, but rather for his girlfriend! Don't want to give much away on this, but from that point on he has some of the funniest scenes in the film! Some of the funniest I've seen him do in a long time, in fact! OF COURSE he runs into Nick and Samuel, but he's more interested in getting help with his love life than in retrieving his financial losses! and OF COURSE Ken is more interested in seeing his family than in carting the two scoundrels back to HK! At this point Nick and Samuel become more and more caught between the interests of several other parties, none of which have to do with the money! The last 20 minutes or so were really hilarious, off the wall and extremely enjoyable. If something wacky and pretty far left of center is your thing, highly recommended!

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 03/21/2002 Summary: Dante Lam returns to less conventional territory RUNAWAY (2001) - I think a lot of people were disappointed with Dante Lam following up a masterful genre-bender like JIANG HU - THE TRIAD ZONE with a fairly routine cops & robbers flick (HIT TEAM), but given that JIANG HU was a box office flop, we have to forgive him for making the studios a little bit of money. Otherwise they wouldn't give him the cash to splash out on another genre twister like RUNAWAY :-) RUNAWAY is a strange film - it almost manages to make JIANG HU look conventional. Nick Cheung and Samuel Pang play two Triad rascals who are forced to go on the run after conning their dai lo out of some money. Passing up the traditional mainland China escape route (because the mainland is boring, they conclude), they take the Deluxe Escape Package to the beaches of Thailand. Once there, they each meet some young ladies they take a like to and generally have a good time... but word of their location gets back to Brother Kwan, and he sends his men to bring them back. RUNAWAY leaps about like a very cunning fish (it's a metaphor that works in my head), constantly throwing the unexpected and the downright ridiculous at the viewer. Characters manage to stay so far away from cliche that they're in danger of becoming surreal, but it all kind of works. Anthony Wong gets a much meatier role here and is very good (the first time I've been able to say that of him in quite a long time)... he also gets a scene even more ridiculous and embarrassing than his JIANG HU role (but hysterically funny). Other characters are great and well played... but unfortunately the leads don't quite match up to the acting performance. Nick Cheung tries his best, but there are plenty of scenes where it's just too apparent that he hasn't got Leung Kar-Fai's talent, and Ruby Wong is no Sandra Ng either. Samuel Pang doesn't offend me here, though he also doesn't impress too greatly. With a better cast, RUNAWAY could have been a phenomenon... as it is, it's just a very clever, strange and funny film that again deconstructs the Triad genre and puts it back together in a very strange shape. It had me laughing more than any film has done for quite a while (quite a relief after my depressing weekend viewing!). If you liked JIANG HU, you should definitely see it, but be prepared for the fact that it doesn't hold together quite as well. The Universe DVD is OK, but I think a lot was lost in the subtitling, which frequently conveys meaning without conveying the way it's clearly being expressed. Picture quality is quite disappointing too, but most annoying of all is the fact that the closing dialogue over the final credits is completely untranslated. I'll have to track down a Cantonese speaker some time to find out what was said :-) Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 01/23/2002 Summary: Ok-ish I agree with Inner STrength!! But i think i liked it more than he did!! Definately a silly movie, not to be taken seriously at all!! Just look at how the get out of situations and you'll understand!! But there are some funny parts in this, especially in the situations they get up too. Worth a look but don't expect too much!! 6/10

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/14/2002 Summary: ok Runaway is another gangster movie, although not a very popular genre in 2001 as far as the filmmakers were doing, and I think these movies are beginning to make a comeback. It’s not too bad all in all, Nick Cheung was the strongest person here, and possibly the only one who really held the film together. Anthony Wong is the best person to play his character, but unfortunately he plays it badly. Not too bad, but it’s not one that I will remember 2001 for. Rating: 2/5 (This rating is based on the years release and genre, I’m not comparing it to older or newer films.)

Reviewed by: Paul Fox Date: 06/01/2001 Summary: 'Runaway' Runs Into Strange Places. Runaway is yet another notch in the belt of actor Nick Cheung, who as of late seems to be the busiest actor in Hong Kong.  That is not to say that he has been releasing gems, but Runaway is certainly not the worst film in his work record.  Nor is it the best.   But it may well qualify as the strangest. Considering that the plot revolves around two buddies taking an unplanned 'road trip' to Thailand one can imagine what to expect.  But Runaway goes a bit further bordering on an almost surreal type of strangeness at times.  From actors doing their own bungee jumps to Anthony Wong doing a strip tease at a gay bar, this film rides the ridge of weird. The plot?  Well don't worry about it too much.  It is full of highly unlikely and coincidental encounters, but the lightheartedness of things keep this a minor flaw in the film. Performances? Well lets just say the cast seemed to have a nice holiday in Thailand. Ruby Wong pulls off her role nicely though. If strange is your cup of tea, then this is one film that will be right for you. Overall review rating : 2 Review by Paul Fox Location:  AMC Festival Walk Time: Thursday 19 April   5:15pm