Tsui Hark's 1986 caper crams espionage, cross-dressing farce, opera-stage slapstick and three magnificent leads into 104 minutes that never once stop moving. It plays in a 4K restoration inside Metrograph's Tsui Hark retrospective, named for the 1980 provocation Don't Play with Fire, which is also screening all weekend. Quentin Tarantino has called this one of the greatest films ever made.
What to expect
A 4K DCP, 104 minutes, with English subtitles, in Metrograph's assigned-seat house. The Sunday 9:15 pm slot closes out the theater's day. The surrounding retrospective puts Don't Play with Fire and Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain on the same weekend.
Good to know
- Part of Don't Play with Fire: The Films of Tsui Hark, running from September 4.
- It also screens Friday, September 11 at 6:30 pm.
- Screening format is a 4K DCP, distributed by GKIDS.
- $18 general, $11 members; late arrivals are not seated after 15 minutes.
- Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain plays Sunday at 4:40 pm in the same series.
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Common questions
Can I see it on Friday instead?
Yes. Metrograph lists a Friday, September 11 screening at 6:30 pm as well as the Sunday 9:15 pm show.
What else is in the series that weekend?
Don't Play with Fire screens Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain plays Sunday at 4:40 pm.
How long is it?
104 minutes, on a 4K DCP.
Is it subtitled?
Yes. Metrograph states that all foreign-language films include English subtitles.
