Time and Tide (Shun liu Ni liu) (2001)

63% of critics liked it
(43 reviews)
70% of users liked it
(4,262 ratings)

Two men who have a great deal in common become friends, only to find themselves turned into enemies in this slam-bang action fest from Hong Kong. Tyler (Nicholas Tse) is a man trying to make a career in a rough section of Hong Kong. One night, after several drinks too many, he hooks up with Ah Jo… More Two men who have a great deal in common become friends, only to find themselves turned into enemies in this slam-bang action fest from Hong Kong. Tyler (Nicholas Tse) is a man trying to make a career in a rough section of Hong Kong. One night, after several drinks too many, he hooks up with Ah Jo (Cathy Chui), an off-duty undercover cop who has also had a bit more alcohol than usual. Tyler and Ah Jo spend the night together, even though she usually prefers the company of women, and Ah Jo soon finds she's pregnant. Ah Jo has no desire to remain involved with Tyler, but he wants to do the right thing, so he takes a job as a bodyguard for low-level gangster Uncle Ji (Anthony Wong) and sends her his money, all the while wishing he could be in Brazil. Meanwhile Jack (Wu Bai), who once lived in Brazil, is back in Hong Kong with his very pregnant wife Ah Hui (Candy Lo), the daughter of a triad kingpin targeted by Brazilian gangsters. Uncle Ji is in charge of protecting the triad leader, and he makes Tyler one of his right-hand men. Tyler and Jack get to know one another and become close friends, but their friendship comes to an end when the Brazilian mob makes Jack an offer he can't refuse, putting the two men on opposite sides of a gangland war. Seunlau Ngaklau was directed by Tsui Hark, who returned to Hong Kong filmmaking after a brief sojourn in Hollywood. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Tsui Hark, Hark Tsui
Written By: Koan Hui, Tsui Hark, Hark Tsui
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International

In Theaters: May 11, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Aug 7, 2001
Studio: TriStar Pictures

Critic Reviews

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Goofy, outlandish and exhilarating.
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
Makes for compulsive viewing even though its noirish plot doesn't make a lick of sense.
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
Proves once again that it doesn't matter if the camera is dancing a jig on the ceiling if the storytelling is no good.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Spectacular and exhilarating, plot be damned.
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
All and all, Time and Tide is, to be completely unprofessional for a moment, really damn cool.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
I can't find any entertainment value in this cartoon-like violent film.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tsubaki S

I can forgive a lot of things to a HK movie: bad script, bad acting, low production values, if i get a good chainsaw fight or something equally over the top i'm a happy man. But some HK movies just can't hide the fact that they're extremely generic and easy to forget.… More
I can forgive a lot of things to a HK movie: bad script, bad acting, low production values, if i get a good chainsaw fight or something equally over the top i'm a happy man. But some HK movies just can't hide the fact that they're extremely generic and easy to forget. Time and Tide tries way too hard to stand from the rest with some silly camera tricks that end up being far from "cool" and actually very annoying. Hark, just watch The Killer again, that movie works because, among other things, i can see who is shooting who, not because i could see a bullet coming out from the inside of a gun in first person view.
Justin Y

Nothing out of the ordinary here, unless you haven't seen a Tsui Hark film before. Basically, this is your typical Hong Kong crime action movie with a Tsui Hark twist to it.The first 5 minutes of the film is actually deceiving. The story actually feels like a romantic… More
Nothing out of the ordinary here, unless you haven't seen a Tsui Hark film before. Basically, this is your typical Hong Kong crime action movie with a Tsui Hark twist to it.The first 5 minutes of the film is actually deceiving. The story actually feels like a romantic comedy of sorts. A few minutes later the film takes a turn and you now have the action adventure you should be expecting. The thing with Tsui Hark is that his cinematography and editing can make any type of film feel frantic. What would usually be a moderate to slow paced film actually feels like a thrilling roller coaster ride. While this is fine and dandy it can also confuse the viewer and throw off what should be a simple story. With that said, the first half of this film isn't anything spectacular and the action is somewhat limited. There is more of a focus on character buildup, which isn't too bad. The last 40-50 minutes of the film is all one big Tsui Hark stylized action sequence. Fairly entertaining.Like other Hark pieces, the action is different from other films of this genre and the choreography is quite good. What really sucks here is the editing and camera shots. At times it is good, but at many other times, and not just in this film, the fights become degraded by this. If it wasn't for Hark's editing and camera work, the action sequences could be impressive.The acting is pretty good for this type of film. Nicholas Tse is a good lead and most of the supporting cast is up to par. The only disappointments are the villains. They have a bunch of English lines and we all know how those turn out most of the time. It isn't as bad as other films though.The only people I would recommend this film to are fans of Tsui Hark or people in need of a different style of action film.
Dean M

Nicolas Tse does a great performance as a streetwise young man who becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash and befriends a former mercenary (Wu Bai) who determined to begin life anew with the woman he just married. Terrific hardcore action in the building of apartments and train… More
Nicolas Tse does a great performance as a streetwise young man who becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash and befriends a former mercenary (Wu Bai) who determined to begin life anew with the woman he just married. Terrific hardcore action in the building of apartments and train station.
Steven V

Time and Tide works on two levels, as a dramatic film and as an action film, both benefiting from each other. The action becomes more intense because the audience cares for the film's characters, and at the same time the drama is more emotional because the… More
Time and Tide works on two levels, as a dramatic film and as an action film, both benefiting from each other. The action becomes more intense because the audience cares for the film's characters, and at the same time the drama is more emotional because the audience wants the characters to succeed in their redemption. This movie occupies a unique place in the action-cinema genre. One of the best Hark Tsui's movie.
alan j

Hard plot for me to follow..but great cam work and nick does his usual best...enjoyed the action sequences..entertianing if a bit confusing...