When the ’90s Hong Kong explosion happened in America, Yuen Biao was mainly considered as part of the Three Dragons with his longtime pals Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He was the third guy in Wheels on Meals and Project A. I don’t recall his solo films sticking out on the VHS shelves at the video stores in my area. Even at Dave’s Videodrome in Carrboro, he was just part of that all-star trio. The good news is that Yuen Biao is finally having his chance to shine as several of his films receive Blu-ray releases. Perhaps the most impressive of them so far is On The Run that mixes the athletic stunts we expect from Biao with an unrelenting dark cop drama. Not only does Yuen Biao gets dirty and bloodied on the screen, but has no problem sharing the action with Pat Ha (Winners and Sinners). On The Run must be considered one of the jewels of the Heroic Bloodshed era.
Heung Ming (Yuen Biao) is in a bit of panic as his police department is in the process of being shutdown. He meets with his estranged wife for dinner with a bit of a proposal. While her job is secure in the Hong Kong Police’s drug division; she has plans to move to Canada with their daughter. He wants them to stay married so he can leave Hong Kong with her. He fears what will become of Hong Kong after the 1997 handover to China. She doesn’t like the idea of sponsoring him. He heads out into the night a dejected man. Chui Pai (Pat Ha) quietly enters the restaurant and puts a bullet in the forehead of the estranged wife. When Heung returns the place is covered with cops. He isn’t supposed to be part of the investigation. Did one of the drug cartels put a hit on her? While flipping through the newspaper, he sees the face of a diner from the restaurant who struck him as suspicious. Turns out a truck had hit the guy in a phone booth. When he shows up at the hospital, the banged-up guy ends up giving him information about finding Chui Pai. Heung cuffs her and calls for back up. This is when he learns that someone in the police department is involved in the hit. And he’s being made the patsy for his wife’s murder. How deep does this conspiracy go? The only person Heung ultimately can trust is Chui Pai. Can he avoid the fate of his wife?
On The Run is an unflinching film that seems like it could break into an action comedy. But quickly turns dark. You could think this was going to be funny since earlier in 1988, director Alfred Chueng and producer Sammo Hung made Paper Marriage. But whenever there’s a minor hint that things could be humorous, Chueng puts a bullet through it. Nothing is sacred and protected on the screen. This might be the reason why distributors in America weren’t eager to acquire the film. This was not a 48 Hours clone. The normally good-natured Yuen Biao hacks off a guy’s hands with machete in one scene. Pat Ha matches him in her ability to play a stone-cold killing machine. If On The Run had been distributed in America during the end of the ’80s, the film could have received the same reputation as John Woo’s The Killer (which came out a year later). It would have played the art houses as a more intense version as Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita. Pat Ha as Chui Pai should be on more t-shirts like Chow Yun-fat roles from this era. She and Yuen are amazing in the third act when they have to get revenge on the real killers with a series of bloody stunts. I won’t give away the ending other than to say that I’m surprise Quentin Tarantino hasn’t copied it. On the Run deserves a place with the Heroic Bloodshed films of John Woo, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam from this era.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is a 2K restoration from the original negative. You can really appreciate the stylish lighting details and Corey’s gritty performance. The Audio is Cantonese LPCM 2.0 mono. You’ll hear the footsteps coming down the hallway. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast On Fire Network has them enjoying the movie. They view this as a powerful classic. They give background on cast and crew. This is their favorite Alfred Cheung movie.
Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto is great for more local context and background. Frank knows the restaurants near the place in the opening scene. Anytime I can watch a film with Frank, it’s a pleasure.
Running Away (20:35) lets co-writer/director Alfred Cheung talk about his life in film and this movie. He wrote scripts to pay his college tuition. He was able to become a director after establishing himself as a screenwriter. He made it as a film noir after being known as a comedy writer. On The Run is his darkest movie. Golden Harvest wanted Yeun Baio and an action-packed movie. He was able to make it happen. We learn what it’s like to work with Sammo Hung as a producer.
Predicting the Future (18:49) is an Interview with David West about how ’88 was a boom year for cinema viewing and box office. Three hundred films were made in Hong Kong that year. But the anxiety of the 1997 handover of the colony to China. Things were tense since in 1981 the British made it so Hong Kong Citizens couldn’t come to their islands. The joint declaration in 1984 between Great Britian and China led to a lot of people moving to Canada or Australia. This is the backdrop that there was no future for life in Hong Kong.
Alternate Ending (1:29) has things end abruptly.
Hong Kong Trailer (4:54) is best watched after you see the film. This has a lot of the movie.
88 Films presents On The Run. Directed by Alfred Cheung. Screenplay by Alfred Cheung & Keith Wong. Starring Yuen Biao, Pat Ha, Charlie Chin, Lo Lieh, Philip Ko, Yuen Wah, Idy Chan, Chan Cheuk-yas Lin & Lee Heung-kam. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: January 20, 2026.
