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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
John Woo (written by)
Release Date:
September 1990 (USA) more
Tagline:
This film will blow you away. more
Plot:
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(21 articles)
John Woo Unbound: The Red Cliff Interviews
(From The Hollywood Interview. 12 November 2009, 5:03 PM, PST)
Chow Yun-Fat Lets Bullets Fly
(From Atomic Popcorn. 21 October 2009, 5:01 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
John Woo is the master more (195 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Yun-Fat Chow | ... | Ah Jong (as Chow Yun Fat) | |
| Danny Lee | ... | Insp. Li Ying / Little Eagle | |
| Sally Yeh | ... | Jennie | |
| Kong Chu | ... | Fung Sei (as Chu Kong) | |
| Kenneth Tsang | ... | Sgt. Tsang Yeh (as Tsang Kong) | |
| Fui-On Shing | ... | Wong Hoi (as Shing Fui On) | |
| Wing-Cho Yip | ... | Wong Dung-Yu | |
| Fan Wei Yee | ... | Paul Yau | |
| Barry Wong | ... | Chief Insp. Dou / Tu | |
| Parkman Wong | ... | Insp. Chan Bok | |
| Siu-Hung Ng | ... | A killer | |
| Sing Yeung | ... | Bodyguard A | |
| Siu Hung Ngan | ... | Bodyguard B | |
| Kwong Leung Wong | ... | Wong Tong |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Killer (Hong Kong: English title) (UK) (USA)
Bloodshed of Two Heroes (International: English title) (literal title)
Die xue shuang xiong (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min | Australia:96 min | Taiwan:141 min | USA:104 min (R-rated version) | 124 min (extended version)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Germany:18 (uncut) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R (edited version) | USA:Unrated | Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Woo dedicated this film to Martin Scorsese more
Goofs:
Continuity: During the attack at home, bullets from the machine gun riddle the bed, but the gun is pointing in the wrong direction. more
Quotes:
Joe (Cantonese)/Jeffrey (English): I felt someone walk over my grave. more
Movie Connections:
References The Wild Bunch (1969) more
Soundtrack:
Once In A Lifetime more
FAQ
What does the Chinese title of The Killer mean?Is Chow Yun Fat's character called Jeffery or John?
more
more (195 total)
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Before seeing a genuine Hong-Kong produced John Woo movie, I thought I knew what action was, and what the action-movie genre was capable of. I was wrong. The Killer was the single most impressive, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping action movie I had seen in years, and is now one of my favourite movies of any genre. It is #2 on my all-time list.
Why? First of all, the well-known poetic violence of the super-charged action scenes make for a tremendously exciting film. These combine choreographed bloodshed (there is an almost constant stream of bullets) with raw emotion that puts even the best Hollywood actioners to shame. Look at Hollywood action movies today; almost all Hollywood action is inspired (not to mention plagiarised) from the "heroic bloodshed films," the best of which is The Killer.
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are only the most obvious examples of American directors to put Woo's trademark stylized violence to use, and neither handle it as well as Woo.
But beyond this, the characters and the story are what drive this movie and what truly set it apart. The story of the relentless cop and the vicious killer is only the latest in a long line of detective stories, starting with Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe in the 19th century, and continuing in every cop show on TV today. The hero and the villain are practically the same; they are only divided by an almost arbitrary line called the law. In The Killer, both "Mickey Mouse" and "Dumbo" are unrelenting, capable, though misunderstood, professionals. Their motivations differ, but they both have the killer instinct. The classic storyline of the interaction of the two characters who eventually realize their similarities and end up working together has been seen before, but never has it been used to such effect as in The Killer.
Woo's familiar themes of brotherhood, betrayal and loyalty also reach their cinematic peak in this movie. The viewer not only wants to see the next pyrotechnic action scene, but is actually concerned with the lives of the characters, an element that is almost always lacking in typical Hollywood fare.
Finally, the gun-battle scenes, when they come, are simply the most spectacular, mind-blowingly violent, yet strangely beautiful, action scenes ever imagined or filmed. And last but not least, is the unbelievably powerful screen presence of Chow Yun-Fat, as always cool incarnate. His effortless lead and the tension created by his playing off of co-star Danny Lee make The Killer as close as I have yet seen to the perfect action movie. I recommend it to any hard-core action fan and also suggest Hard-Boiled, though Woo's American efforts thus far have not been up to his Hong Kong works.
Rating: 10