On The Run Blu Ray Review (88 Films)

On the Run (aKa Mong Ming Yuen Yeung, 亡命鴛鴦, Fleeing Couple, and Wáng Mìng Yuān Yāng) is a 1988 crime thriller co-written and directed by Alfred Cheung (Fascinating Affairs, No Problem, The Group, Bodyguards of the Last Governor, To Err Is Humane, Green Hat, That Vital Organ, and Her Fatal Ways franchise). It was co-written by Keith Wong (All the Wrong Spies, Millionaires’ Express, Fascinating Affairs, In Between Loves, and Her Fatal Ways franchise). It was produced by Anthony Chan (Let’s Make Laugh, House of the Rising Sons, Her Fatal Ways, Family Light Affair, When Fortune Smiles, and To Err Is Humane). Wrongly accused of killing his own wife, a disgraced police officer Hsiang Ming (played by: Biao Yuen from Kickboxer, Once Upon a Time in China, The Iceman Cometh, Dragons Forever, Enter the Dragon, Game of Death, Project A, and Shanghai Noon) is forced to go into hiding after the fatal tragedy that ruined his entire life. His only ally is the deadly female assassin Miss Pai (played by: Patricia Ha from Flaming Brothers, It Takes a Thief, Nomad, Vengeance Is Mine, Women’s Prison, The Woman of Wrath, and My Name Ain’t Suzie). They are both being chased by powerful and corrupt individuals. Together they must form an unlikely alliance as they each try to avoid death or arrest from the same people. Will they be able to work together long enough to survive???? I’m really shocked that On the Run didn’t get a bigger push in the states. International movies were doing good business at the time. All this needed was dubbed and a little promotion but it never happened. I honestly don’t remember this even getting a VHS or any home video release here back in the day so it’s basically brand new to the American audience. Director Alfred Cheung has done several sub-genres over the years behind the camera but this seems to be his fit out of them all. There’s been similar concepts made like this over the years but in 1988, it would have been much more original. Biao Yuen is the unlucky Hsiang Ming. His wife was murdered and he’s been framed for it. He’s forced to go into hiding so he can clear his name and get revenge at the same time. It’s a complicated role, he’s a villain to the public and he is desperate to make everything right while protecting his daughter. Biao Yuen appeared in all kinds of more known and respected productions over the years so it’s cool to see him as the actual lead in this. Patricia Ha is the mysterious Miss Pai. She’s no angel, she’s responsible for what Mìng is running from but now she’s in trouble and she has to find a way to survive all of this chaos. They want her eliminated because she’s knows too much. These two should be killing each other but they have to become a team so both can escape this living disaster. Charlie Chin (Immortal Warriors, My Lucky Stars, Long Way from Home, The Imp, and Coolie Killer) is excellent as Superintendent Lu. He’s the one running this corrupt case but he’s questionable himself so it’s the perfect trick to get others off his trail. He runs an elite squad and they take down the worst of the worst. I won’t say much else about the role but he steals the show every time he’s in a scene. He reminds me a little of Chow Yun-Fat. The rest of the supporting cast includes Lo Lieh (Supercop), Wah Yuen (Kickboxer), Phillip Ko (Tiger on Beat), Idy Chan (Shaolin and Wu Tang), Cheuk Yan Chan (A Killer’s Blues), Hsiao-Mei Chang (Fatal Love), Peter Ngor Chi-Kwan (Ebola Syndrome), Kam Kong Chow (Fist of Legend), Kwai-Bo Chun (Black Mask), Yung Kwan (Flaming Brothers), Bowie Lam (Hard Boiled), Lap Sam Lam (Sharp Guns), Shek-Yin Lau (The Cat), Yun-Chiang Peng (Lady Reporter), and Siu Tak-Foo (Righting Wrongs). On the Run is a pure adrenaline rush, it’s loaded with violence and action. It’s definitely not politically correct, no one is safe including children. The relationship between Hsiang Ming and Miss Pai is very explosive at first. They are thinking about killing each other but they slowly start to bond after protecting their lives at different times. This Asian crime thriller is packed with unlikable characters so the crowd wants most of them to get blasted. On the Run lives up to it’s title, it’s nothing but suspense and cruel tension. It doesn’t shy away from gore, there’s headshots and plenty of extreme brutality. It’s a gritty cop and hit woman thriller. I love discovering cinema that I’ve never heard of for some reason and this is one of those movies that’s worth the wait. 88 Films keeps resurrecting all of these underrated material from Asia. On the Run is highly entertaining, fun, and crazy overall. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from 88 Films! This 1080p unrated (1.85:1) transfer is from a 2K restoration from the original camera negative. I’ve never seen On the Run before so I have nothing to compare it to besides some older clips that I’ve found. It looks very impressive especially for a late 80’s independent production. It has stylish cinematography, quality production design, explosive locations, and realistic special fx when it comes to the visuals. It has an Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 Mono track on the disc. It has lots of action and violent situations that make this audio pretty damn explosive for it’s running time. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto. Both of these audio tracks are completely different from each other so they are nice companion pieces. They are loaded with personal stories, inside information, and plenty of behind the scenes stuff. This little known crime action thriller gets the respect it deserves. It’s always interesting learning more about these obscure productions that really didn’t make it over to the states. It has the almost 21 minute “Running Away”. It’s an interview with Alfred Cheung. He said he wrote scripts to pay for school early on. He chats about being mainly known for comedy but On the Run felt more relatable to him. He said it ended up being his darkest movie during his career. He brings up working with Golden Harvest and other projects that he worked on. It’s a very detailed conversation with the man behind the camera for this. It has the almost 19 minute “Predicting the Future”. It’s an Interview with David West. He shares his thoughts and opinions on this action feature. He says it reminded me of the Ringo Lam stuff from back in the day. Hong Kong was pumping out 300 films that same year. He goes over the history and struggles of Hong Kong when it comes to their existence. It has the almost 2 minute “Alternate Ending”. It has the “Hong Kong Trailer” for On the Run. This limited edition comes with a high quality slipcover in a black case with reversible artwork. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!