The best thing about this DVD is the anamorphic transfer. The print is very good and the colors and black levels look great. There is some minor artifacts during the credits but other than that this transfer is really a step up from other imports. Hopefully this will start a trend towards releasing more anamorphic titles.

For the soundtrack, you have a choice between Dolby 5.1 or DTS. I chose the Dolby 5.1. The mixing is well done. There isn't too much activity from the rear speakers. The score sounds good even though it doesn't always fit the movie. The sound overall is above average.

Lau Ching Wan reprises his roll of the street smart cop, Inspector Ho from the original RUNNING OUT OF TIME. This time around we have Ekin Cheng as his foil instead of the terminally ill thief that was portrayed by Andy Lau. Ekin plays part thief, part magician. He steals some important artifacts and holds them ransom. The insurance company who insures these artifacts, headed by Kelly Lin, is preparing for a merger and is eager to pay him off and get this behind them so it doesn't affect their business plans. This is were Lau Ching Wan comes in and the game begins.

I really wanted to like this movie, being a fan of Johnny To and the original ROOT. After watching ROOT 2, I have mixed feelings about it. The performances are good but the movie drags and feels much longer than it actually is. There isn't a lot of action and I can't help but wonder how such a top notch cop like Lau Chin Wan's character can keep getting one-upped by Cheng. In the first movie, it was like a chess game. Andy Lau would make a move and Lau Chin Wan would counter. In ROOT 2, he just plays catch up.

Another minus is some scenes that are in English. It seems forced and unnecessary. The movie does have some pluses. The cinematography is great and the DVD is anamorphic. As with other Johnny To movies, there are some of those little moments that shine through. Ekin's character teaches a negotiator that gambling is bad by flipping a coin and letting him guess the outcome. It is drawn out but by the end of the movie you'll know why. There are a few other glimpses of what makes the characters what they are but not too many.

The subtitles are easy to read although they do contain some spelling and grammatical errors. Most noticeable is when "Hell" is used instead of "He'll". This happens a couple of times but it isn't so distracting as to ruin the movie.

The extras consist of a "Making Of" feature which I couldn't find English subtitles for. The DVD also lacks a trailer.

ROOT 2 would be considered average if not for the association with Johnny To. As I mentioned in the review for FULLTIME KILLER, the bar has been raised very highly on his movies and it is impossible to fulfill everybody's expectations. Ekin Cheng is under used as the bad guy who isn't really all that bad. He is more like a benevolent Joker from Batman. The movie is far from great, but fans of Johnny To will most likely want to check it out.