2. THE KILLER (1989)
John Woo’s (Face/Off, Mission Impossible: 2, Windtalkers) classic story of a assassin with a heart of gold who must perform one last hit to pay for a cornea operation of the singer he accidentally injured. Chow Yun-fat is the assassin, Danny Lee is the cop who Chow develops a bond with, as ironically he understands him better than anyone.
Inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouri, this film cemented Woo’s trademark style of mixing incredible action set pieces with heartfelt themes of love, brotherhood and honour. This also features work by Crouching Tiger’s cinematographer Peter Pau.
The film that probably sparked more interest in Hong Kong movies than any other, and helped change the face of action movies worldwide!
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Last Hurrah for Chivalry(1978)
Early Woo that owes much to the Shaw brothers films of the time, but has those familiar themes of honour and betrayal.
A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Woo’s first ‘heroic bloodshed’ movie set the tone and pace for all that followed. Chow stars with Leslie Cheung and Ti Lung in the film that made stars of them all.
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Woo’s first ‘Woo does Woo’ film, later seen in MI:2. Largely disowned by Woo himself but a great deal of fun, includes a scene with Chow doing a Robert De Niro impression - in English!
Bullet in the Head (1990)
A gritty, dramatic telling of three Hong Kong friends who get involved in the Vietnam war with excellent performances from Tony Leung Chui-Wai, Jacky Cheung and Simon Yam.
Hard Boiled (1992)
Woo’s last HK film, and what a send off! You won’t see action scenes like this anywhere else!
