Rating: 
Summary: Ferociously Violent Gun Epic
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: When a gun shows you know someone is going down
Review: This is one hell of an action movie, but I think its alittle overdone at times, the bloodless deaths in the shootouts kinda let me down but these shootouts put almost any action movie to shame. The plot Kinda went goes this, Chow yun fat (Cop) is avenging his friends death/investigating a smuggling operation, where he finds a deep insider/undercover cop (Tony Leung,the same one from bullet in the head). Thats it, besides Tequila (Chow) pissing off his superior, but from there on in its all gunfights and violence. Here you'll find Anothey Wong in a solid role as the main bad guy (he hated the role though). Chow is intensely stylish as usual, the best part is in the tea house shootout is when he slides down the rail with a toothpick in his mouth while gunning down numours bad guys. Tony Leung is actually better then Chow acting wise in his role as the undercover cop. John Woo did a pretty fine job for one of his last HK films that he directed. Even though he could have done a bit better this movie is still a great action film for you and your friends to sit back and enjoy the ride. But there is only one version available right now and its the media asia release with no special features.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to John Woo??
Review: If you are an action fan, or just a lover of big screen cinema, this film is for you. As with many other Woo Hong Kong classics. What I want to know is, What happened to John Woo when he came to the U.S.?
Not a single one of his American films can come close to Hard Boiled, and The Killer, and A Better Tommorow. Face Off comes the closest but still falls way short.
Come on John, bring back the "Bullet Ballet".
Rating:
Summary: What iceman890 wrote was incorrect
Review: The screenwriter of Hard Boiled, Barry Wong, was not gunned down by the triad. He died of a heart attack. There were, however, some movie executive producers in Hong Kong who were related to the Triad actually got killed during that time. It's a shame that apparently all DVD versions in the US are currently out of print. This is one of Woo's best works. The only flick he directed in Hollywood that's up the par is Face/Off. Let's hope Hard-Boiled'd be reissued in the near future, as it deserves to be seen.
Rating:
Summary: What John Woo directs when he's angry
Review: Apparently, the screenwriter for this was gunned down by triad gunmen, and John Woo, the films director was furious about it, it shows. For those of you who thought the killer was overly sentimental, this could be a welcome change, or then again maybe not. while the style for this is much more low key, with less slow motion shots of people's expressions, and a much less invasive soundtrack, John Woo went absolutely crazy on the gunfights, in the opening scene, a dozen bystanders are mown down,as the combatants seem more intent on wiping them out than each other. in the director commentary, John Woo states, and i quote, i was very angry. the film progresses at a frantic pace, and its two hour length flys by,with the shootouts getting inreasingly wild. Chow-Yun Fat plays the maverick cop on the trail for vengeance tor perfection, while Tony Leung is outstanding in the mytery triad brother role, oh and look-out for a cameo by phillip kwok who plays a henchman called mad dog, kwok was also one of the action coordinators. overall, this is definately not a film for the kids, but if you prefer shootouts to symbolism, then this could be the film for you
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Summary: Ahh, just the movie I wanted to see
Review: I wanted to see a movie with guns blazing like mad, with blood flying everywhere, but with reason, besides war movies(Well viatnam war movies are part of a sensless war). And I got what I was looking for. When I found out this inspired one of my favorite games Max Payne, I just had to see what this movie was like. I really didn't know what to expect. I read reviews saying it was the most violent/action movie ever, and it has high body counts. My hopes were as high as the sky, and when I poped it in, and when guns were blazing at the tea shop, I knew this movie had to be good. But every action had a reason, just like Max Payne. Heck, the name of this movie, is one of the difficulty levels on Max Payne. This movie has thee longest shootouts I've ever seene. And I am proud to say, this is perhaps the most violent, and best action movie ever. Man the bidget may have been small, but this movie was huge in every way possible. If you are a fan of action movies, or a John Woo fan, this should be in your collection of movies, or go get it. peace
Rating:
Summary: The best action movie ever...period.
Review: Hard Boiled, the story of superheroic cop Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) is by far the greatest action movie ever made. From the opening 10min shootout in the Teahouse, to the motorcycle shootout in the warehouse, and finally to the single greatest (and longest) action sequence ever filmed, the 30min hospital shootout, the film just keeps topping itself. Beautifully filmed and directed by John Woo, this movie shows exactly what he could do if given the freedom in American Cinema. Some criticize the movie for its TREMENDOUS body count, its just too damn pretty to care. By it, watch it, love it.
Rating:
Summary: One of Chow Yun-Fat's best
Review: Great movie, one of the high points of Hong Kong action films.
Rating:
Summary: Woo's Stupendous Swan Song Action Extravaganza
Review: BEST. ACTION. MOVIE. EVER. PERIOD! Shining endorsements aside, Hard Boiled really is one of the finest action movies ever made, and as John Woo's Hong Kong swan song, the pinnacle of his action film career. The story is fairly simple. Tequilla, a hard boiled cop to do Mickey Spillane proud, is out to nail the head of a local gun-running triad (read: Chinese mob) over the death of his partner. He runs afoul of a planted police agent who has become so deeply entrenched in his triad cover that he even kills the head of a rival gang, and the two must eventually team up to defeat the psychotic triad boss and his gang of gun toting thugs. The opening minutes are sheer action ecstasy as a stakeout of a local tea house quickly turns into a shootout where tons of innocent bystanders and policemen are caught in machine gun fire and that ends with a flour-covered Tequilla putting a point-blank shot into the crook's head. Talk about intense action and imagery! Later action scenes take place in one triad's smuggling warehouse (into which Tequilla drops and singlehadedly takes on and wipes out most of the bad guys) and the climatic hospital-filled-with-babies-and-invalids sequence occupying perhaps the last 45 minutes of the film. The film delivers all anyone could want, from one-liners to intense action--and for those wanting something artistic, the film gives us Tony's (the undercover triad/cop) story of wanting to escape the darkness for somewhere it's always light, and Tequilla's mission to not fail his partner again. As for the DVD, the video transfer is fine. However, there is not yet a 5.1 channel version out there--and since other John Woo films made in Hong Kong have 5.1 sound, I can't believe there aren't tracks out there for a suitable mix. Still, the film is so outstandingly outrageously supreme in terms of action that I STILL rate it at 5 stars overall, for to do anything less would be an insult to the film.
Rating:
Summary: The holy grail of action movies
Review: Someone told me prior to viewing that the body count was around 500. Of course, I didn't believe him. After watching the film, 500 doesn't look like a far off number. Hard Boiled is another one of John Woo's greats, created in 1991. Chow Yun Fat is a hard boiled cop, and he's hot on the trail of gun smugglers. The plot REALLY leaves a lot to be desired, but that doesn't matter. What matters is nearly half of the film is composed of relentless, hyperkinetic action. The only negotiating is done through the barrel of a gun, and it is clearly evident in the entire film. People are killed left and right, including helpless civilians. But to the true action fan, this is a dream come true. This movie is a lesson in truly great action scenes, including the last scene in a hospital, where it is nonstop action for almost half an hour. If you liked this one, buy John Woo's 'The Killer' as well. It is in the same vein as Hard Boiled. As long as you have these two movies, they are the only action movies you'll ever need.
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