PTU (2003)

Over the course of one night, a team of cops frantically search for their colleague's missing gun.

Director:

Johnnie To

Writers:

Nai-Hoi Yau, Kin-Yee Au

Stars:

Simon Yam, Maggie Siu, Suet Lam

11 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Simon Yam	...	Sergeant Mike Ho
Maggie Siu	...	Kat (as Maggie Shiu)
Suet Lam	...	Sergeant Lo Sa (as Lam Suet)
Ruby Wong	...	Inspector Leigh Cheng
Ho-Yin Wong	...	Supervisor Wong (as Raymond Wong)
Eddy Ko	...	Eye Ball (as Ko Hung)
Hoi-Pang Lo	...	Bald Head (as Loi Hoi Pang)
Jerome Fung	...	Sergeant Fung
Frank Michael Liu	...	Triad (as Frank Liu)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pou-Soi Cheang	...	Undercover cop
Chi Ping Cheung	...	Insp. Chan's subordinate
Kenneth Cheung	...	PTU Orderly
Chi-Shing Chiu	...	Ponnytail
Roderick Lam	...	Mike's team member
Ching Ting Law	...	Robber in final shootout

Storyline

Over the course of one night, a team of cops frantically search for their colleague's missing gun.

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Plot Keywords:

one night | shot in the stomach | police violence | murder of a policewoman | shootout | 

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Taglines:

Into the Perilous Night...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Pathé [fr]

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English

Release Date:

17 April 2003 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

PTU: Police Tactical Unit

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$156,712 (Hong Kong) (18 April 2003)

Gross:

$362,671 (Hong Kong) (2 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mei Ah Films Production Co. Ltd., Milky Way Image Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sergeant Mike Ho: Everyone in uniforms are brothers.

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Connections

Followed by Tactical Unit - No Way Out (2008)

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: PTU

The reason why I bought this was simple. Since I was on a DVD buying spree, and had picked up Johnnie To's The Mission (see review here), I thought I might as well pick up yet another of his movies which I have not watched, and so PTU presented itself because of the price, and the uber cool slip case cover.

PTU, or Police Tactical Unit, is quite unlike To's movies like the Election series, or The Mission. Here, we look at cops. Ordinary cops, who like everyone else, just want to go home safe and sound after their tour of duty. The movie started off with the sounds of the bustling streets of Hong Kong, before we find ourselves inside a police truck, with everyone in sombre mood during their trip to their patrol grounds of Tsim Sha Tsui, and listening quite ominously to an announcement over the radio regarding the death of a cop.

And so begins am eventful night, which is the time period where PTU takes place in. We follow quite a number of characters - Lam Suet as Lo from the Anti-Crime Division, whose firearm was lost during a scuffle with thugs, and forms the crux of the story in which the lives of everyone else in the movie revolves around, Maggie Siu as Kat, sergeant of her team of PTU cops, and Simon Yam as Mike, her counterpart leading the other team. It's a great character study piece of the three main characters, initially one who knows he's in lots of trouble for the loss, and desperately trying to recover it, in order to save face, and keep his reputation intact for an upcoming promotion, Kat's sense of doing what's right, following procedure, and Mike, who's willing to risk it all to help another of his own "for kay" (slang for cop).

Under To's direction, PTU is a brilliant visual piece. Creative use of light and shadow illuminates PTU, making it a visual spectacle, so much that you'll still enjoy the movie even if you turn off the volume. I particularly enjoyed the rather quiet moments which were plenty throughout the movie, rather than the usual wham-bang kind of action with guns ablazing. In fact, a shot is never even fired, until the end-all finale, combining all the separate threads of the story into one heck of a finale. What could probably raise eyebrows, are the unorthodox methods employed by the upholders of the law. You can't help but ponder over the methods, and how the lieutenants either turn a blind eye to, or are in full agreement with the provocative procedures meted out by their captain. Surely a talking point, if fire should be met with fire when dealing with scum.

There are many subtle touches in this compact tale of less than 90 minutes, with the ubiquitous mobile phone being so important as a plot element, and that strong sense of irony in the narrative. And again in To's cops and robbers / triad movies (though I may be wrong), it seemed that the cool soundtrack which is peppered throughout the film, seemed to stem from a single primary theme music, this time with some electric guitar riffs.

PTU doesn't get bogged down by wasting time explaining the many whys and how comes, and prefers to zap you right into the moment. It's the sense of contemplative urgency that makes it compelling to watch, and every turn brings something unexpected. The ending is particular interesting too, especially for those who have written statements in uniformed groups - you surely know what they're doing!