RUNNING ON KARMA Blu-Ray Gets The Masters Of Cinema Treatment Through Eureka In January
Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai’s 2003 hit film, Running On Karma, is coming to the U.S. on Blu-Ray re-release on January 28. Rolling out through Eureka Entertainment’s Masters Of Cinema line, the film will come in the form of a Limited Edition Blu-Ray package with 2000 copies (per territory), exclusively featuring an O-card slipcase.
A lot has happened in the last two decades since this title, and I’m old enough to remember that Asian news outlets and adjacent websites like this one picked up on word of a sequel that was in the works that would have also starred Jacky Heung (100 Yards). Eventually Heung and To did collaborate on one other fantastic venture which managed to pull off a North American festival premiere.
It really has been that long, though, that it feels like a Running On Karma sequel would hardly happening at all. I’m open to be proven wrong on this end if someone has the legit source to point to, but this classic is one to collect if you’re a To or Wai fan, that of starring actor Andy Lau regardless if he’s in a muscle suit or not.
Read on for the details below!
The tenth film co-directed by Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) and Wai Ka-fai (Peace Hotel) following a string of collaborations that included comedies, romances, action films and historical epics, Running on Karma is a crime thriller with a distinctly Buddhist flare starring a titan of Hong Kong cinema in Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs).
Big (Lau) was once a devoutly religious man, but turned away from his vocation as a Buddhist monk when he could no longer bear the weight of his unusual gift: the ability to see people’s past lives and predict the impact of karma upon their present and future. Having found a new life as a bodybuilder, he is drawn to use his sixth sense for good after meeting Lee Fung-yee (Cecilia Cheung, The Legend of Zu), a cop investigating a homicide. But as the two grow closer and work together to catch a murderer, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Big can see Lee’s past lives, too…
A film that balances genre thrills with deep philosophical questions on the nature of spirituality and faith, Running on Karma stands with Mad Detective as one of the most interesting and unique collaborations between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.
Special Features:
• Limited edition of 2000 copies
• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray
• Original Cantonese stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• New audio commentary by East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto
• Reap the Whirlwind – new interview with Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal
• Archival “making of…” featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by David West of NEO magazine
