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Summary: Heroic Bloodhshed and Cool Charisma - John Woo`s "The Killer
Review: Anybody who enjoys furiously paced action mixed with superb drama and almost balletic violence should see this film. Probably Woo`s finest and most popular "heroic bloodshed" piece, it details the life of a hitman, Chow Yun Fat, and his policeman rival, Danny Lee. Woo tells his tale in typical flamboyant style, blending incredible action sequences with slow motion and stills. At times the beauty of the violence amazed me. As Chow Yun Fat is pursued by both the mob and the police he manages to present a likeable hero in a tragically difficult situation. The fascinating relationship (and obvious similarities) between the two leading men is brilliantly drawn out through the use of many interesting "gaze" shots, long trakes and close ups. As intense drama, friendship and tragedy unfold in the midst of a terrifyingly brutal world the pace of the film is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat right until the magnificent climax. Without spoiling, let me say that the finale is one of the greatest action sequences that I have ever witnessed on celluloid. This film is an absolute masterpiece and one of my all time favourites. As the SBS film reviewer said "For those of you who are about to see this film for the first time, I envy you". Enjoy.
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Summary: Don't understand some of the action in MI2? See this movie.
Review: Recent action movies are heavily influenced by the HK Action genre and John Woo in particular, especially as Woo makes more movies for North America. Often the origins of some sequences in such recent action movies is not clear. For example in MI2, Tom Cruise has just waved off the helicopter trying to pick him up from the chemical storage island and suddenly two motorcycles come leaping out of nowhere. Most people will ask, "Where did those motorcycles come from?" If you have seen The Killer, the more accurate question is, "Why are there only two motorcycles?"Since HK action has much smaller budgets than US productions, the directors use different ways of creating "big" action without eye popping special effects. One of the staples is an inexhaustible supply of bad guys - after the hero deals with two, ten more show up (these ten seem to tell their friends, and so on and so on). As an enhancement, these bad guys also come on motorcycles and in cars. The Killer also answers why movies often have the hero and the hero's rival pointing guns at each other's heads. The Killer has a sequence where Chow Yun-Fat (the killer) and the police officer chasing him end up in the apartment of Yun-Fat's love interest. She's been partially blinded by an accident and can't see them. They have formed a mutual admiration for each other and are hesitant to shoot each other, but more than willing to point guns at each other. They dance around for a while, until Yun-Fat escapes. This also provides another answer to Scott's question in Austin Powers of why Dr. Evil doesn't shoot his nemesis... in HK action movies, the hero and his nemesis often become friends. 4 stars only since (as good as the action is) after 100 bad guys show up, it becomes a bit hard to suspend disbelief.
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Summary: Vintage John Woo
Review: "The Killer" is a brutal and stylish reworking of Hollywood gangster films, featuring the usual signature touches of John Woo -- cyclopian two-handed gun battles, an abstract treatment of moral issues, excessive male bonding, occasional sentimentality and violence that is inventively orchestrated with, one could say, a poetic and resonant quality. Woo is a master craftsman, who can be compared, without any loss on his part, to the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. His achievement lies in his unique style of filmaking, an exquisite sensibility for symbolic allusion and an aesthetic approach to violence. For many years a moving force in Hong Kong cinema, he has been embraced by Hollywood and justly admired for his genius. "The Killer" is possibly his greatest work, a seminal film in the development of the action films of the last decade. Without John Woo, Quentin Tarantino would have been inconceivable.
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Summary: Action Film School
Review: I've been hearing about John Woo's flicks for a while, and I've even seen a few. But watching 'The Killer' is like digging into an attic of blues records and finally understanding rock & roll. Remember the exploding concrete from 'The Matrix'? It was here first. Remember the nasty car ramming from 'The Peacemaker'? Another John Woo signature action move. Two fisted pistol battles, Mexican standoffs, legions of henchmen, and a million bullets. This is the stuff of John Woo legend. Few films in the past decade have approached the originality of Woo's action directing (maybe 'Heat' & 'Ronin'). But just about every other has borrowed his techniques. Before you see Mission Impossible 2, take a look at this one. And keep it, no matter what.
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Summary: Action-Packed Pulp Melodrama!
Review: This one mixes pulp melodrama with brilliantly staged shootouts and elevates it to near operatic grandeur. John Woo directs this smoothly done action extravaganza, he creates multi-layered characters and a good storyline and interweaves that with a series of spectacularly choreographed shootouts. Chow Yun Fat and John Woo are quickly becoming the Chinese Scorcese-DeNiro team. While traces of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah are evident this one is so original it single-handedly created a new genre. Probably John Woo's best film. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!
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Summary: When Woo was king, and Fat was fierce
Review: You could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss about John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat is. After all, if you're only familiar with their Hollywood vehicles, you might conclude that Woo is just another formulaic director a la Jan "Speed" de Bont. Or you might write off Yun-Fat as just another imported actor, famous at home but a fallen angel in the U.S. Well, think again. Go rent The Killer, and prepare to be blown away: before they "went Hollywood", the John Woo / Chow Yun-Fat duo was the hottest action film team on today's planet. In The Killer, you'll feel vague frissons of "The Day of the Jackal", you'll catch hints of Sam Peckinpah, and you'll love the Hong Kong style and charisma. Unfortunately, Hollywood has broken up this particular Humpty Dumpty, and now no one seems to know how to put it back together again.
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Summary: an Action Movie lovers paradise.
Review: This is the first John Woo film i ever saw, and the best i've ever seen. John Woo has to have the best eye for action in the biz. This is some serious film making! One question: How can a movie this great, not be on DVD?
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Summary: !John Woo's Masterpiece!
Review: This is the movie which cemented John Woo as probably the worlds best action director. After the runaway success of A Better Tommorrow in 1986, Woo proved he wasnt a one time hit by making this masterpiece. The Killer is probably one of the most voilent movies made, with Chow Yun Fat playing the swauve hitman Jeffrey. Woo manages to blend hi octane action and violence with the themes of honour and betrayal which concoct to create one of the most memorable endings ever recorded onto film. The choreography by Chui Sui Tung is excellent creating some amazing action sequences and the script (written by Woo himself) is also excellent. Woo named this film his baby and rightly so as it established him as a player and later paved the way to Hollywood for him. Watching The Killer just once is not enough and it'll simply blow you away!
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Summary: HARD CORE ACTION WITH A LITTLE ROMANCE
Review: This is another one of CYF's best action films. He's a hitman struggling with his life as a hitman, and trying desperately to keep together a relationship with a lounge singer. He will perform one last "hit"..then he wants out of "the life", but it will cost him. This is not a sappy love story. This is a hardcore, high body count, action film. But everyone deserves romance right? The mix of the two are well protrayed in this film. This is a VERY! good movie. The ending..well!..you will have to find out for yourself. Buy it!..its GREAT!
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Summary: a random rental that sparked an obsession
Review: i admit to a chuckle and a smirk at the video jacket. 10,000 bullets? i gotta see this. and little did i know that i would be taking home the coolest movie i have ever seen. some 6 or 8 years ago i'd never heard of Chow Yun-Fat when i picked up The Killer. now i have to agree with a line from Hard-Boiled: 'give him a gun and he's Superman. give him two and he's God. ' Chow is simply the coolest man on the planet and this movie will turn any gwailo into a believer.
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