Director: Lau Ho-Leung
Cast: Daniel Wu, Wang Qianyuan, Jessie Li, Michelle Wai, Da Li, Yu Xiao, Hu Zi-Cheng, Li Xiao-Chuan, Hung Jun-Jia, Rock Ji Huan-Bo, Dante Pang Yu-Nong
Running Time: 95 min.
By Martin Sandison
Back a decade or so ago Daniel Wu annoyed me. I had seen him in films such as New Police Story and One Night in Mongkok, very good films, and his presence had made me squirm in my seat. His face simpered and pouted through bad performances, and I wondered why people liked him. Then I saw The Shinjuku Incident, and something had shifted. I really liked that performance. But not enough to keep watching him. Then I noticed he was going to play the lead in the sweet TV show Into the Badlands, and thought I’d give him a chance. I’m glad I did. He has grown into a mature, nuanced actor and left behind the arrogance of his youthful performances. With a few Hollywood roles under his belt, he’s still appearing in Hong Kong/Chinese pictures, and the latest is the crime thriller Caught in Time. It’s a very interesting one considering the current climate, and Wu sports a prize mullet in the first half that sits happily alongside Van Damme’s barnet in its prime.
Caught in Time is unusual in the recent crop of crime films as despite being from Hong Kong, it’s set in mainland China. The story follows one of the most notorious criminals in recent Chinese history Zhang Jun, a serial killer and robber who murdered 50 people in the 90s. Zhang (Wu) is the leader of a gang of robbers who are able to evade the police with ease. There’s one cop who just won’t give up, Zhong Cheng (Wang Qian Yuan, Brotherhood of Blades), and he pursues Zhang for years. Zhang is a smart cookie, and is able to commit numerous crimes around China, but Zhong is closing in… Continue reading
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