Search The Archive
A wild, hyperkinetic demonstration of style, Nowhere to Hide is a propulsive action comedy that cites almost every genre and then comes back for more. If John Woo mounted an assault on MTV he might arrive at a film something like this gang-busting crime romp. An arresting pre-credit sequence introduces the super-cool Detective Woo as he devastates a triad gang armed only with a deckchair. The mood turns darker with the so-called '40 Steps Murder', a bloody, slo-mo ballet. Woo and pals at the Western Precinct catch the case which seems to be the handiwork of a particularly vicious underworld figure, the icy Chang. Between scenes of interrogations and Woo's squad goofing off, Nowhere to Hide becomes an elaborate chase mounted over months as the authorities attempt to snare the elusive Chang. The sheer joy in cinema, visual panache, gags and a gallery of well-drawn characters mark Nowhere to Hide as a Festival hit. Trivia note: be thankful for poetic license in translation, the film's Korean title roughly translates as "I Don't Give a Shit About Anything"!