Running on Karma

Running on Karma
Film poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese大隻佬
Simplified Chinese大只佬
Transcriptions
Directed byJohnnie To
Wai Ka-fai
Written byWai Ka-fai
Yau Nai-hoi
Au Kin-yee
Yip Tin-shing
Produced byJohnnie To
Wai Ka-fai
StarringAndy Lau
Cecilia Cheung
CinematographyCheng Siu-Keung
Edited byLaw Wing-cheung
Music byCacine Wong
Production
companies
Distributed byChina Star Entertainment Group
Release date
  • 27 September 2003 (2003-09-27)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
Box officeHK$26,339,848

Running on Karma (traditional Chinese: 大隻佬; simplified Chinese: 大只佬/大块头有大智慧; Literal Title: Big Guy/Big Guy Has Big Wisdom), also known as An Intelligent Muscle Man, is a 2003 Hong Kong action thriller film produced and directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. The film is ultimately a Buddhist parable about the nature of karma. There were some cuts in the mainland China edition to meet the requirements for release there.

This is the second film starring Andy Lau in which he wears a prosthetic suit. In his previous film, Love on a Diet, he wore a fat suit, while in this film, he wears a muscle suit. Principal photography began from March to July 2003, though filming was interrupted in April due to the SARS pandemic.

Running on Karma was a critical and commercial success, grossing HK$26,339,848 at the Hong Kong box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film of the year in the territory, and received 13 nominations at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards, winning Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor for Lau, who wins the award for the second time after being awarded for his performance in Running Out of Time in 2000. In addition, Lau's performance in the film also won him the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor and the Chinese Film Media Awards for Best Actor of the Hong Kong/Taiwan region.