Blu-ray Review: Running On Karma (Special Edition)

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Ever seen a still from an upcoming movie and wonder what the leading actor did to achieve their look for the role? Think of how Robert DeNiro transformed himself into a boxer and a schlub in Raging Bull or how Tom Hanks did the opposite for Castaway. When I saw the first image of Tony Lau in Running On Karma, I was shocked to see him beefed up like he was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workout buddy in Pumping Iron. He looked ripped in the trailer. How did the slim actor become pure beefcake on the screen? Unlike so many actors who spend months working out to achieve the perfect body for their character; Tony Lau took a major shortcut. He didn’t juice up. He just put on an amazing full body muscle suit. Now they’d CGI a body onto him. In 2003, Andy Lau’s pecs and gluts were a physical special effect that rivaled the work of Rick Baker. He looks legit when stripped down and flexing. Running on Karma is more than just muscles, there’s a lot of soul on the screen.

Big (Infernal Affairs‘ Andy Lau) is big. The former Buddhist monk is far away from a Holy life as he lives in Hong Kong. He works as a stripper alongside a couple other muscle men. One night while working at a club, Lee Fung-yee (My Kung-Fu Sweetheart‘s Cecilia Cheung) and the ladies beg Big into going the Full Monty. After he rips off his g-string, Lee whips out her badge. She’s CID and he’s busted! Instead of just getting cuffed, Big makes a run for freedom while naked. At the same time this is happening, other police officers are chasing down a killer who is extremely flexible. The two pass each other with their pursuing cops. This is when we learn of Big’s extraordinary talent. He can view the past life within a person or an animal. He learns the truth of Lee Fung-yee’s past. For a nice woman, she was a nightmare as a man. Eventually Big helps her pursue the flexible killer. Although that’s not the entire movie. She goes into Big’s past to find the person that hurt him most in his current life.

Running on Karma is a brilliant film for its depth and spirituality. This could easily have just been a goofy film with Andy Lau running around naked in his muscle suit for Benny Hill style laughs. It does get a touch cartoony when he faces off with the flexible killer who seems like a comic book villain. But there’s a lot of depth on the screen. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai gives us a true taste of what Karma means. It’s more than the joke t-shirts you buy at the beach. Big sees that your actions in the past will come back to haunt you in a future life. There’s a scene with a K-9 cop dog that explains this level of fate so concisely. The relationship between Big and Lee could have just been treated as goofy romance in a police comedy. There is humor, but the laughs don’t cover up the tragic nature hidden within the story. Their bond has a certain heaviness when Big explains her Karma which turns into her fate. It’s a touching relationship with a fatal ending.

The muscle suit works well with Tony Lau. It’s a second skin to him as he flexes around the screen. You might believe he achieved that fantastic physique with a lot of squat thrusts and using the thick ropes at Planet Fitness. Running On Karma is a brilliant film that’s good to watch now since it’ll probably help you get an upgrade in your next life.

Image

The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p HD presentation was taking off a new 2K restoration. You’ll see a lot of detail in Hong Kong and Andy Lau’s muscle suit. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 in Cantonese. The mix sounds right for the action and the spiritual moments. The English subtitles have been newly translated.

O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow that’s limited to 2,000 copies.

Audio commentary by East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto. Turns out the two did the commentary track for the DVD that came out nearly 20 years ago. Djeng points out that he’s come to a deeper understanding of the film from the previous track. The best part is when Frank points out his old school in a scene.

Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng solo. He gets into how the movie was a response to a previous film they made with Andy Lau. The actor won his second Best Actor award from the Hong Kong’s version of the Oscars. Djeng gets into the karma aspect of the movie. He gives a lot of background on the cast and crew. This doesn’t repeat his previous commentary with DeSanto.

Reap the Whirlwind (24:52) gets into the films of Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai with Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal. The producer/directors changed up their production strategies as Hong Kong filmmaking changed. He gives background on how Running on Karma came about for the filmmakers. We learn about the censored Mainland Chinese version. You don’t want to see that.

Archival “Making Of…” (18:39) shows how rather skinny Andy Lau worked his way into the massive muscle suit. Cast and crew talk about the character of Big. Johnnie To points out that it’s not a comedy. They wanted it to feel mysterious. We get to see Andy Lau testing out the bodysuit and how they repaired it after scenes. Lau talks about learning to striptease under all those muscles. He also discusses shaving his head for the role.

Theatrical trailer (1:18) has Lau flex that muscle suit.

Collector’s booklet with “The Burden of Hope” essay by David West of NEO magazine.

Eureka! Entertainment presents Running On Karma: Special Edition. Directed by Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai. Screenplay by Wai Ka-fai, Yau Nai-hoi, Au Kin-yee & Yip Tin-shing. Starring Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Cheung Siu-fai, Karen Tong, Chun Wong, Wong Wa-wo, Hon Kwok-choi, Yuen Bun, Yu Wenzhong & Hou Liansheng. Running Time: 93 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: January 28, 2025.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.