Rating: 
Summary: Hard Boiled is worth it alone.
Review: "Give a man a gun and he is a hero. Give him two and he is God"
Nothing can quite prepare you for the amount of bullets that are used in this film - all done to an impeccable action style that has still not been beat. If there was ever a Guinness Book of Records for the "Most bullets shot in a film" John Woo's Hard Boiled would be first place for a very long time. It is a terrible shame that this director has only been toned-down by Hollywood. There is not a hope that he would be allowed to do what he has done here with Hong Kong actors to the Hollywood cream of the crop. It seems that it is okay to have a Hong Kong Asian to shoot the hell out of everything but this same action when applied to Western culture would only shock and shame. The same can be said for the star of Hard Boiled - Chow Yun-Fat (Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who since moving to the West has fired less bullets in all his Hollywood films put together than he does in the first five minutes of this film. Does that really matter? In many ways - Yes it does. Unlike THEIR Hollywood films the gun violence here is not gratuitous. It is artistic and warrented. No one can come away from this film to say that have seen unjustified and unnecessary amounts of actions. It is all integral to the style and plot of this movie. Yes, innocent people do get mowed down in a hail of hot lead and yes the violence is bloody, but is that not what gun violence is? Here you see exactly what guns do to people. Forget Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" - The true message of gun control is right here! The plot is even about the dangers of gun smuggling!
One thing for sure is that there is more gratuitous gun violence in most Hollywood productions than there is here. Here we have a hard boiled cop who is assigned to tracking down gun smugglers. He is a hard boiled cop because he knows how to use his guns. His superiors are using him to fight fire with fire. The action gets going from the word go as the hard boiled cop busts a gun dealing operation. His buddy cops and innocent people get killed in the process. He then goes to extract some revenge and put the big gun runners out of business - only problem is there are literally thousands of them he must cut down. Cue unrelenting battle sequences from start to finish all done in excellent style and slow-mo. You have not seen anything like Hard Boiled before, nor will you again. The ending in the hospital is like DIE HARD with ten thousand times more suspense.
Hard Boiled is also a wonderfully acted movie with excellent first rate action direction. The story is also coherent and good, especially for an Asian production. This is every action fans wet dream. Believe me if you have not seen Hard Boiled then it is about time that you did.
Majestic Filmmaking, not to mention John Woo's greatest film. This is the stuff of Legend with an action hero to root for.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY!
Review: After licensing restrictions forced Chow Yun-Fat fans to look to Hong Kong for these 2 fine films, the gods of DVD have finally smiled and given us the nod. For the uninitiated, these 2 movies are quite possibly Chow Yun-Fat's 2 best. In my opinion, if you would have added A Better Tomorrow, you would have had the trifecta. But this is properly a John Woo box set, and rightfully so, as he has much to do with the movies' huge success, acclaim, and popularity. Do yourself a favor and don't judge Woo from his American efforts (FaceOff, Mission Impossible 2), use these 2 fine films as the real yardstick and you will not be disappointed.If you are looking to get into Hong Kong cinema, or just want a change from the typical bloated Hollywood fare, then I would highly recommend getting this box set. Both the acting (CYF) and the filmmaking (JW) are top notch. Not to mention the event of merely being able to obtain them for a reasonable price.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: After seeing both of these films on video, I wished with all my heart I'd seen them on the big screen. Despite John Woo's success with "Face/Off," after seeing "Hard Boiled," I realized just how much the American movie system dumbed down his work. "The Killer" is a nifty little thriller more about friendship, loyalty, and redemption than about filling flying bodies with lead in slow motion. While some of its scenes are a bit trite, the overall message is sincere, heartfelt, and punctuated with an almost Shakespearean tragic ending. (4 of 5 stars) "Hard Boiled," though, is the perfect action movie. No car chases or aerial stunts are to be found here, but I assure you that it goes through MANY shell casings with extreme grace and style before its operatic denoument. Chow Yun Fat gives a more wrenching performance in "The Killer," but here he exudes his famous charisma like a fire hydrant in summer. "Hard Boiled" is every action fan's dream come true. (5 of 5 stars) Overall: 4 1/2 stars for the two films together.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: After seeing both of these films on video, I wished with all my heart I'd seen them on the big screen. Despite John Woo's success with "Face/Off," after seeing "Hard Boiled," I realized just how much the American movie system dumbed down his work. "The Killer" is a nifty little thriller more about friendship, loyalty, and redemption than about filling flying bodies with lead in slow motion. While some of its scenes are a bit trite, the overall message is sincere, heartfelt, and punctuated with an almost Shakespearean tragic ending. (4 of 5 stars) "Hard Boiled," though, is the perfect action movie. No car chases or aerial stunts are to be found here, but I assure you that it goes through MANY shell casings with extreme grace and style before its operatic denoument. Chow Yun Fat gives a more wrenching performance in "The Killer," but here he exudes his famous charisma like a fire hydrant in summer. "Hard Boiled" is every action fan's dream come true. (5 of 5 stars) Overall: 4 1/2 stars for the two films together.
Rating: 
Summary: Killer: 4 Stars Hard-Boiled: 2 stars
Review: After seeing John Woo's American movies, I thought that Woo was a very over-rated director. Hard Target wasn't bad, I hated Broken Arrow the first time I saw it (I've seen it a couple of times and now it's not so bad), and I enjoyed Face/Off until the last ten minutes which really sucked. Then I saw Killer and realised what all the fuss was about. This is a great action movie. It is very violent, but the plot seems to outweigh the violence, which is very strange in this day and age. Hard-Boiled, however, is a different matter. It gets off to a corker of a start with a typical two-pistol shoot out John Woo style, but then it gets really bad. Chow Yun Fat survives so many gun fights and explosions that eventually it doesn't get exciting because you know he's going to survive anything. The last third of the movie is merely a Die Hard clone. There is probably only a few people who like Die Hard more than I do, but I expected something a lot more original from John Woo.
Rating:
Summary: THe Killer is Good- Hard Boiled is Great
Review: Curl up and pop some corn because Chow Yun is PHAT.
Rating:
Summary: JOHN WOO'S HARDBOILED/THE KILLER
Review: HARD BOILED IS A VERY GOOD MOVIE, THE LOVE STORY IS REALLY A NICE ONE, AND THE HOSPITAL SCENE IS REALLY RIVITING! THE KILLER IS MY VERY FAVORITE. I BOUGHT THESE TOGETHER AND WATCHED THEM OVER AND OVER. ANY CHOW YUN FAT FAN WILL LOVE THEM BOTH.
Rating:
Summary: The Killer and Hard Boied are hardcore action
Review: Hard Boiled is one of (if not THE) best action movie ever. Woo's gunfights are like some kind of lethal, but beautiful, dance, especially the opening scene in the teahouse; I've yet to see a better action scene. The Killer is a little more dramatic, but no less good for it. I love the way that Woo interweaves violence and religion, the last shootout in the church is cool (this was probably the inspiration for the standoff in Face/Off). Of course, how could I forget Chow Yun Fat? He is the man, and although he is often typecast as the "killer with a conscince" I haven't gotten tired of it (even in Anna and the King, he was a bad-a**). If you thought Face/Off and Misson Impossible 2 were cool, The Killer and Hard Boiled blows them away.
Rating:
Summary: Great flicks last forever-special effects age!
Review: I don't understand the other reviewer. The Killer is, with Die Hard, the best and most influential action movie of the 1980s, period. Sure, the budget is visibly tighter, but there's more energy and drama in here than just about any action flick ever made! Hard-Boiled was made later and is essentially just a setup for a one-hour-long shootout -- which is great! It has some of the best-designed (and bloodiest) action scenes ever made, but it's not perfect.
Note: I have the Video versions, not the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Why are these in DVD Mono??
Review: I don't understand this at all. While I know that these are the greatest action movies made so far on film, the sound transfer is mono. It won't deter the action, or your appreciation of John Woo's genius. But if you do want the DVD Dolby 5.1, surround sound versions, you need to find the MEI AH Laser Company copies of these films. There is no commentary, just the film itself. But the video transfer has the same quality. hassan@pipeline.com
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