Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

PTU

  • 2003
  • R
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
PTU (2003)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:53
1 Video
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

When an obnoxious detective loses his gun to four young thugs, it's up to the P.T.U. (Police Tactical Unit) and their iron-willed leader to recover the weapon and clean up the mess before da... Read allWhen an obnoxious detective loses his gun to four young thugs, it's up to the P.T.U. (Police Tactical Unit) and their iron-willed leader to recover the weapon and clean up the mess before daybreak.When an obnoxious detective loses his gun to four young thugs, it's up to the P.T.U. (Police Tactical Unit) and their iron-willed leader to recover the weapon and clean up the mess before daybreak.

  • Director
    • Johnnie To
  • Writers
    • Nai-Hoi Yau
    • Kin-Yee Au
  • Stars
    • Simon Yam
    • Suet Lam
    • Ruby Wong
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    4.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Johnnie To
    • Writers
      • Nai-Hoi Yau
      • Kin-Yee Au
    • Stars
      • Simon Yam
      • Suet Lam
      • Ruby Wong
    • 22User reviews
    • 63Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 14 wins & 25 nominations

    Videos1

    PTU
    Trailer 1:53
    Watch PTU

    Photos328

    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)
    PTU (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Simon Yam
    Simon Yam
    • Sergeant Mike Ho
    Suet Lam
    Suet Lam
    • Sergeant Lo Sa
    • (as Lam Suet)
    Ruby Wong
    Ruby Wong
    • Inspector Leigh Cheng
    Maggie Siu
    Maggie Siu
    • Kat
    • (as Maggie Shiu)
    Raymond Ho-Yin Wong
    Raymond Ho-Yin Wong
    • Supervisor Wong
    • (as Raymond Wong)
    Eddy Ko
    Eddy Ko
    • Eye Ball
    • (as Ko Hung)
    Hoi-Pang Lo
    Hoi-Pang Lo
    • Bald Head
    • (as Loi Hoi Pang)
    Jerome Fung
    • Sergeant Fung
    Frank Michael Liu
    Frank Michael Liu
    • Triad
    • (as Frank Liu)
    Chi-Ping Chang
    Chi-Ping Chang
    • Insp. Chan's subordinate
    • (as Chi Ping Cheung)
    Soi Cheang
    Soi Cheang
    • Undercover cop
    • (as Pou-Soi Cheang)
    Moon-Yuen Cheung
    Moon-Yuen Cheung
    • PTU Orderly
    • (as Kenneth Cheung)
    Chi-Shing Chiu
    • Ponnytail
    Wai-Kwok Kwok
    Roderick Lam
    Roderick Lam
    • Mike's team member
    Ching-Ting Law
    • Robber in final shootout
    Tian-Lin Wang
    Tian-Lin Wang
    • Uncle Cheung
    Chi Wai Wong
    Chi Wai Wong
    • Brother Hei
    • Director
      • Johnnie To
    • Writers
      • Nai-Hoi Yau
      • Kin-Yee Au
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Mission
    7.5
    The Mission
    Election
    7.1
    Election
    Exiled
    7.2
    Exiled
    Breaking News
    6.7
    Breaking News
    Running Out of Time
    7.3
    Running Out of Time
    Mad Detective
    7.1
    Mad Detective
    Election 2
    7.4
    Election 2
    The Longest Nite
    7.2
    The Longest Nite
    Sparrow
    6.7
    Sparrow
    Drug War
    7.0
    Drug War
    The Chinese Feast
    6.7
    The Chinese Feast
    Life Without Principle
    6.9
    Life Without Principle

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Sergeant Mike Ho: Everyone in uniforms are brothers.

    • Connections
      Featured in Johnnie Got His Gun! (2010)

    User reviews22

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    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!
    helpful•10
    1
    • DICK STEEL
    • Apr 12, 2007

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 17, 2003 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Languages
      • Cantonese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • PTU: Police Tactical Unit
    • Production companies
      • Mei Ah Films Production Co. Ltd.
      • Milky Way Image Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $849
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital EX
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    PTU (2003)
    Top Gap
    By what name was PTU (2003) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.