everything you have heard about this movie is true.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Ia m trying g to watch the movie at the same time I am writing this comment. To be honest with all of you, I know there are man different kind of tastes but this sis simply too much for me. Johnnie To is one of the greatest directors ever in this century, but with this movie he showed me at what kind of a level a good director has to drop down so you get at least good money income in theaters. How is it possible that the people are so dumb to go watch rubbish like that and wanted for example. And the worst case scenario is that the actors don't even seem to think about what kind of movie they are acting in. Bad special effects, a plot with no sense at all, bad directions from Ka Fai and to and I think, the worst acting ever in a chines movie.I really wish people start to change and to go to cinema to see some good and interesting movies so the directors with talents can go back to their former passion of doing a movie.

Spoilers `Karma' is not only a smorgasbord, but also a fusion. Gathered from Hollywood are the Hulk, Spiderman, Sleepy Hollow and The Blair Witch Project. Mix these with Hong Kong style brutal police action, traditional Chinese Shaolin martial art and sprinkle it with a pinch of the bizarre such as contortions, you have this rather interesting flick. As to the Buddhism to which the movie appears to be steering towards, the Karma talk is about as meaningful as the mumbo-jumbo on cause and effect in Matrix Reloaded, both of which, happy for the movie producers, will attract the likes of who that believe, against all common sense, that they can become instant philosophers after watching a movie. Don't get me wrong though; there's nothing wrong with Karma as an entertaining flick, and the smorgasbord approach does have some appeal. And I do enjoy watching both Andy Lau and Cecelia Cheung. Let me complete the karma of these brief comments by going back to the beginning: the timpani that starts the movie is one of the best sounds I've ever heard in a movie.

3 types of people in this world: 1st, try to explain this world, and got the good/right/bad/wrong answer. 2nd, not trying to explain this world, just live in it. The first type, we call them intellectuals, they use their intelligence and logic to explain this world, maybe they got a totally wrong answer, but at least they used the right way(reason) to explain it. The second type of people are common humans, are most of us, maybe they know their abilities, so they don't try to, or they just don't eager to explain it. AND... there is the third type of people, who have no much wisdom, but still wanna show their "wisdom" to others, try to explain the world with their stupid way... These kind of people made this movie: Running On KarmaI thought this is a Kung fu/Comedy. I was totally wrong, it's nothing, it gots no laughing( or got some cheap ones), no real actions, fake romance, and a lot of disgusting scenes(with only commercial purpose)... And, all of these are ok, i've seen too many movie got these elements, and i still enjoyed them. (I never expect too much on movies, any kind of cheap movies, if it has any kind of spark, i will still watch it to the end). But, Running on Karma, it got more than these...The movie tried to tell you a truth about the world... a Buddhism concept: Karma. I really love to listen to a philosopher talking about it, but I really really hate to hear it from a crazy writer/director who knows nothing or little about it then filmed a movie tell their nonsense "idea" and "truth"... Please, show some respect to human intelligence, not only others, your own too!Sorry, maybe i used too much bad words, but i think any modern educated human will feel what i felt when they watched this movie. Sick, disordered, stupid...Worst movie this year.1/10...

So far this year for mine the contenders had been City of God[(Brazil), Infernal Affairs(Hong Kong) and Auto Focus] (United States). But on Saturday night a new film stepped up to the plate and made it's claim to the throne heard, (one may say it threw down the gaulent) the film was Running on Karma, (Hong Kong).Some background to the cast and crew of R.O.K.. Directing duties were handled by Johnny To, a mainstream director known for smart scripts of intervening nature compounded with heavy bloodletting long before Tarantino had left that video store, and Wai Ka Fai, an art house director known for making beautiful looking films which usually had under-developed characters, (think Chow Yun-Fat's Peace Hotel).The main actor is Andy Lau. Easily the biggest actor to never try to break into Amerikkkan mainstream from Asia, Lau is like a Tom Cruise type, young and fashionable (but now like Cruise is aging), and his films usually make a llllllloooooottttt of money, even if they aren't all that great. Oh and yes, on the side he's a bit of a popstar. I'd never actually liked Lau, but he had done a couple of decent films recently, the passable Fulltime Killer (another Johnny To/Wai Ka Fai film) and the excellent Infernal Affairs with the king on Wong Kar-Wai films Tony Leung Chui-Wai, (think John Woo's Bullet in the Head and Hard Boiled plus Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and Happy Together). The supporting actress is twenty-three year old Cecilia Cheung, (think Shoalin Soccer, Tokoyo Raiders and Tsui Hark's The Legend of Zu)who really has done anything of real note to a non-Hong Kong fanatic.Ok now for the film. To label this in one genre would be the height of arrogance, because despite being advertised as an action film, it is far from it. In fact it's far from anything. I went with a seasoned Hong Kong film watcher, and a mainstream American orientated viewer. Not one of us could tell which way this film would go. None of us could predict what was going to happen next. The plot of this film is fantastic. However one must go into this film with no preconceptions, so to read anymore than I will lay out below would be foolish.The opening scene shows Lau[ doing a strip act in a nightclub in believe or not, a huge rubber suit that's meant to make him look more buff than Vin Diesel. Ok, Hong Kong doesn't have the biggest budgets, this suit is here to stay and folds whenever Lau moves, (and funnily enough he's naked for about a quarter of the film). Nearby a C.I.D. investigation is proceeding and when the victim runs from the scene at the same time that Lau the stripper runs from an undercover cop (Cheung) the paths cross but the story doesn't come together as one might expect. What does happen? Get into the film and find out.Now the film starts out as a sleazy comedy, moves to a crime thriller, moves to a martial arts flick, to a romantic comedy, to a supernatural thriller, to a ...it goes on and on, and it would seem to a mess, but except for a small flat spot about and hour and twenty in this film stays brilliant. Unlike P.T.U. Johnny To actually remembered to write a third act, and let me just say that the last act has some absolutely classic scenes, (and yes, I can see American cinema copying it in five years or less). Wirework is used how it should be done, as is what has always been Asian style cinema, but in the west has now been dubbed Matrix-like fights.Some classic scenes I can mention without ruining the plot: about five or so tasteful but bloodily decapitations by a Japanese with a samurai sword. An almost vigilante like police-captain hitting a bag with a very flexible man inside it with the butt of his shotgun until the bag becomes bloodstained. An amazing fight in front of a huge statue of Budda. A classic scene that I can't describe due to spoilers involving a rock, a stick and a handy cam, (you'll known what I mean when you see it). And oh yes the one scene I can definitely see American copying involving a tissue, (yes that's right a tissue)!Now how can you see this film? Well I saw it on a one-night only preview screening in Adelaide on Saturday the 27th of September, despite it being released in Hong Kong on October 1st, (this coming Wednesday). I've heard that it will be showing in Melbourne this week, if you can't catch it you may have to wait for dvd and vcd import. Hopefully Miracut won't touch this one.Eight out of Ten.Peace. Scott.