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PTU (PTU - Police Tactical Unit) (2003)

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No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0

audience

78

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 4,260

My Rating

Movie Info

Johnny To's police drama PTU details the ramifications of an officer losing his weapon. Seargant Lo (Lam Suet), head of the police anti-crime division, finds his gun missing after an altercation with a gang. Police Tactical Unit (PTU) team leader Mike Ho (Simon Yam), not wanting to get the soon-to-be-promoted Lo in hot water, gives him some time to recover the firearm. While Li and Mike attempt to find the gun before the gang kills anyone with it, police investigators suspect that there may be

Mar 25, 2008

Palm Pictures

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All Critics (17) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (6) | DVD (5)

The point of the exercise is really the unfolding of sundry edgy night-time encounters and action set-pieces, each constructed with To's customary patience, while his vision of Hong Kong after dark exudes an eerie calm that's cumulatively hypnotic.

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Mr. To is a master of the game, and his command supplies pleasure, even when there are no surprises.

October 16, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

... a tight, concise action thriller, played against a backdrop of empty streets and lonely pools of light.

March 28, 2008 Full Review Source: MSN.com
MSN.com

Dark, noirish, and loaded with late night atmosphere, P.T.U.: Police Tactical Unit... is an intriguing take on the standard cops and robbers routine.

March 24, 2008 Full Review Source: PopMatters
PopMatters

An enjoyable, high-energy romp.

June 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Eye for Film
Eye for Film

The droll opening, set in a restaurant where the pecking order is rigorously observed, gives way to a complicated but uninvolving cat-and-mouse game between the police and rival gangs.

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Independent

Characterisation, always a hit and miss affair in To's films, is deliberately rather thin. Instead, To and his cinematographer, Cheng Siu Keung, make the greasy, near-abandoned streets of the Hong Kong capital come alive

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph

It's an oddity in some ways, and its brief appearance in cinemas can only be the precursor to a DVD release, which is how it will mostly be seen. It's a smart, sharp piece of work, however big the screen.

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]
Guardian [UK]

Johnny To favours atmosphere above plotting and though it looks tremendous it won't keep you on the edge of your seat

June 22, 2007 Full Review Source: Times [UK]
Times [UK]

A conclusão interessante não compensa os 80 minutos necessários para contar um fiapo de história aborrecida.

May 14, 2005
Cinema em Cena

...all the moody cinematography in the world can't disguise the inherently dull screenplay...

July 4, 2004 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

Fresh situations, haunting long takes, and a final showdown that is much more interesting than anything in Tarantino's Kill Bill make this film ... purely enjoyable.

October 22, 2003 Full Review Source: About.com
About.com

The characters are all defined by their place in the plot._They don't come alive organically, but seem distant and abstract.

October 16, 2003 Full Review Source: culturevulture.net
culturevulture.net

Has a very promising start and a big, noisy shootout of a finale, but everything in between has been done before and better.

September 20, 2003
Planet Sick-Boy

Style doesn't trump substance in Johnny To's quickie circus act PTU because the style is the substance.

September 6, 2003 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Audience Reviews for PTU (PTU - Police Tactical Unit)

Leave it to Johnnie To to make something good out of what seemingly seems like nothing. He shows once again why he is one of my favorite directors.The film plays out like any other Johnnie To Hong Kong crime drama. Slow paced, minimal dialogue, and little to no action. Sounds boring right? Well, those of you who have seen Johnnie To films should know that with his direction and writing, these films turn out much better than the cliched Hong Kong action films. The great cinematography and storytelling more than make up for the lack of action and dialogue.The story is actually pretty slim at the beginning, but as the film moves on the story becomes a little more deep. There are times when the story may seem off-track, but the great ending is where everything unfolds and all the characters come together. The ending really is the high point of this film. This is where you get the only shootout and Johnnie To, once again, is able to create a piece of work out of it. Great stuff. Another nice thing about this film is that it all takes place in the matter of one nights time. So yes, it is a dark film, settings wise.The usual Johnnie To cast of Simon Yam, Maggie Shiu, and Lam Suet are able to bring the good acting to this film. My only complaint is that Maggie Shiu's character should have gotten more airtime.This isn't Johhnie To's greatest work, but like Tarantino films in America. This film is still much better than many other Hong Kong films out there. Give this a watch if you're a fan of the To.
December 8, 2007
skactopus
JY Skacto

Super Reviewer

I highly enjoyed the pacing of this movie, although some may find it to be extremely slow. I also enjoyed the very unusual music, especially the main theme, which some may find to be very unfitting towards what is accompanying it onscreen. The lighting is probably the best part of the movie to me; great shadows in the nighttime HK streets. However, I do agree with some that the movie is a bit pointless and gets a bit sloppy with all the characters and their motives.
April 7, 2008
Sheldon Chau

Super Reviewer

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