Hard Boiled

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Action Flick
Review: Hard Boiled is every action fans dream come true. Quite possibly the greatest action film of past years,it encompasses everything that an action film should be. Chow Yun Fat gives a brilliant performance as the vengeful yet charismatic cop who lets nothing stand in the way of his own personal (and yet justified?) revenge on the criminal world of the Triad. Jam-packed with tons o' gun fights and people getting cut down to bloody ribbons,the movie has some of the most extreme action sequences you are likely to see and is extremely well-paced. While most fans will suggest the hospital shoot-out finale as the milestone of the movie,I myself found the opening tea house shoot-out equally as entertaining and mesmerizing (though I do also admire the finale). One can't help but be almost hypnotized by the brutal yet beautifully filmed cinematography of John Woo's films,as he is a truly visionary film-maker and one of a kind. Hard Boiled is a classic that should be in every action fans film library. And if this film isn't in your collection,do yourself a favor and buy it. Don't even rent it. Just buy it. You will not be disappointed,and if you are,I question your definition of "action."

Rating:
Summary: Superior action sequences; inferior structure.
Review: Though one of director John Woo's cult favourites, Hard Boiled actually ranks on my list as his worst post-1986 Hong Kong film, even after the farcical Once a Thief.

Overlength is Hard Boiled's chief weakness. After spending over an hour in that hospital with flames all around and innumberable men in suits getting shot, it starts to get tiring. Chow Yun-fat is impeccable in the lead and Tony Leung Chiu-wai is excellent, though versatile actress Teresa Mo is wasted in a skin-deep supporting role.

The biggest thing to commend on this video release, however, is the dubbing. I speak both Cantonese and English, personally, and I can tell American viewers that the dubbed script is even better than the original, which sounded stilted (Philip Chan Yan-kin's lines were especially forced in the original). The dubbed voices were acting, not just translating (as in dubbed Jackie Chan movies such as the U.S. release Operation Condor, for example). This was one marvelous dubbing job, and a rare instance in which I would almost prefer the dubbed version to the subtitled. Kudos to Orion for doing the movie justice.

Rating:
Summary: A good film and one of the most violent ever.
Review: This revied is for the Criterion collection DVD edition.

This film, John Woo's last film to be made in Hong Kong is one of the most violent films to date. 230 people are killed in this film. It is about a "dirty harry" kind of cop who uncovers a band of gunrunners with a huge cache of arms in a hospital basement.

The Criterion release also includes trailers for several of Woo's Hong Kong films. It also has a student film that John Woo did in the 60's

While out of print it is still worth looking into.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best action films of all time. Beautifully done.
Review: John Woo has moved into the ranks of the American film world with hits like Face/Off and Broken Arrow, but few Americans know about his Hong Kong history. He made over thirty films in Hong Kong, amongst the best were The Killer and Hard Boiled. Hard Boiled is the story of a renegade cop, Tequila, who is on the trail of some international arms dealers. He comes across an undercover agent and soon they become friends. John Woo ties in themes of loyalty and friendship along with his poetic and amazing gunfights. Until the very last scene in a jaw-dropping hospital shoot out the themes remain obvious. Amazing direction and great performances by Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung make this movie one of the best from Hong Kong and definitely one of the best in the world. END

Rating:
Summary: Hard Boiled is Hard ...
Review: I've been watching Hong Kong films for several years now, but til now it was mostly kung-fu oriented films. On a whim, I picked up "Hard Boiled" with Chow Yun Fat after seeing him in Crouching Tiger and taking a liking to him. I'm a big fan of explosive action films and this one is just that. If you're a fan of a lot of action, violence and explosions and want to see it stunningly choreographed, then this movie might just be for you. There is plenty of it and it is all done very well. John Woo is an excellent director and proves his skills in this film as far as the high octane action goes. My favorite scene is near the beginning when Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) is getting shot at and he slides across a table filled with flour. Excellent!

However, there was a few things I didn't like about the movie: I think the story was a little weak and a little hard to follow at times. (Keep in mind that I watched the English dub version, so the story could have lost a lot in the translation [I hate subtitles])

The dvd: The dvd is not very good. The picture is very grainy and has a lot of artifacting and scratches. The sound is low and slightly muffled. For a Hong Kong movie I guess it's not that bad, but looking at it alone, it's not very good. There are several extras to wet your whistle with though and that's always a plus.

All in all, a very enjoyable shoot'em up blood fest with the body count higher that Snoop Dogg in Columbia. 3.5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: +------credit Hong kong cinema + john woo-----+
Review: ===========Hong Kong action and John Woo should be greatly respected by Hollywood b/c most of his movies like THe Killer, Hard Boiled and The Better Tomorrow Series are being ripped off by Hollywood directors such as the movie "DESPERADO," "RESEVIOR DOGS" and etc. The Hong kong cinema should be credited by hollywood.====================

Rating:
Summary: A Spectacular, Beautiful John Woo Film
Review: Before seeing Hard Boiled, I had only seen John Woo's American work - Mission Impossible 2, Broken Arrow and Face/Off. If you've seen these movies, you've seen a glimpse of the style and grace that Woo brings to film. And let me tell you, it is a small glimpse. Hard Boiled, made in Hong Kong, eclipses all of his American work by leaps and bounds.

The plot is solid and the acting above average (I especially liked Tony Leung as the undercover cop - his acting was particularly inspired), but what make this movie such a great movie are the beautiful action sequences by Woo and Chow Yun-Fat, who delivers a better performance than in his American work as well. It's been said many times, but the sequences are absolutely poetic, and unlike M:I-2, original and inspired. This is a great movie, and for those of you who love action, is a great introduction to the master of action (again, forget his American work - there's no comparison).

Rating:
Summary: great film, horrible transfer
Review: This is simply a great action-packed, incredibly violent film. Woo is a master of the shoot-out scene and there are plenty of them in this flick. The camera work is amazing. It's smooth, it's poetic. Its influence on The Matrix is very clear. However, this DVD is one of the worst film transfers I have ever seen. The quality image is almost unwatchable, at least for my taste. Dirt, scratches, burn marks are everywhere. The film looks like it was dragged across the floor, stepped on, dumped on, then left to sit a few days for the rats, cockroaches, racoons, and other wildlife to trample all over it before it was transfered onto the DVD. Do not buy this DVD. Rent it, or if you can afford it (and find it), buy the Criterion Collection edition instead.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest action movies ever?
Review: I think so. It's violent, over the top and you'll feel satisfied. John Woo won me over with this one. The gun fights are crazy and Chow-Yun Fat proves to be a badass. Not a no-budget movie, but by no means is it a big-production film. It's gritty and fast paced and well... violent.

Rating:
Summary: MOST VIOLENT MOVIE.......SURE IS
Review: ENTERTAINIG. If you like movies with guns and violence, guns and violence and more guns and violence and even more bloody Violence. Then 2 Simple Words for this film. RENT IT or BUY IT and most of all WATCH IT.

Brilliant. John Woo is magnificent