Lat sau san taam (1992)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

John Woo (story)
Barry Wong (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 April 1992 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

As a cop, he has brains, brawn, and an instinct to kill.

Plot:

A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Undercover | Partner | Detective | Hong Kong

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Insp. 'Tequila' Yuen
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Tony (as Tony Leung)
Teresa Mo	...	Teresa Chang
Philip Chan	...	Supt. Pang
Philip Kwok	...	Mad Dog (as Cheng Jue-Luh)
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	Johnny Wong (as Anthony Wong)
Hoi-Shan Kwan	...	Mr. Hoi (as Kwan Hoi Sang)
Wei Tung	...	Foxy (as Tung Wai)
Bowie Lam	...	Ah Lung
Meng Lo	...	Lonny (as Johnson Law)
Bobbie Au-Yeung	...	Lionheart (as Bobby Au Yeung)
Shui Ting Ng	...	Ah Chung (as Ng Shui-Tung)
Kong Lau	...	Hospital Director
Wai-Sun Lam	...	Hitman 1
Benny Lam	...	Hitman 2

Also Known As:

Hard Boiled (UK) (USA)
Hard-Boiled (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
God of Guns
Hot-Handed God of Cops (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
La shou shen tan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Ruthless Super-Cop

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive violence and some language.

Runtime:

126 min | Germany:92 min (cut version) | Taiwan:131 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1994) | Finland:K-18 (2001) | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (video rating) (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (re-rating) (JK/SPIO) (uncut) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Sweden:15 (uncut) | Malaysia:(Banned) | USA:R | Philippines:R-18 | Chile:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Canada:XXX (Nova Scotia) | France:-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | Germany:16 (heavily cut)

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Golden Princess Film Production Limited

Trivia:

Phillip Kwok, who plays Mad Dog, had his part specifically written for him by John Woo. The character did not appear in the original script.

Goofs:

Continuity: Location and the position of Benny's (Tequila's partner) body in the Teahouse. When he was shot, he was inside the kitchen with the door entering the kitchen to his left. Yet after Tequila comes to his side after the shoot out, Benny is outside the kitchen on the floor in the dining area. That would mean that as he was being shot, his body would have to have had to make a left turn to get back out side the kitchen even though he was seen being shot and falling within the kitchen.

Quotes:

Tequila: If all cops were as selfish as you, Hong Kong would be dead

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shoot 'Em Up (2007)

Soundtrack:

Mona Lisa

AWESOME

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. No movie has ever had this level of stylishly directed action, NOT EVEN CLOSE. This movie has the 3 best action sequences in the history of cinema, PERIOD.

The story is about a cop named Tequila who, at the beginning of the film, loses his good friend and fellow cop, in a teahouse shoot-out. He goes against all orders in trying to bring down the Triad that caused his friends death. In doing so, he inadvertantly finds out that there is an undercover cop, Tony, in the Triad he is trying to bring down, and eventually teams up with him.

This isn't your standard buddy cop fair like Lethal Weapon with tons of cheesey lines, dorky action and sappy side stories. The dialogue is insightful the action is the best ever and the side stories are well thought out, if a bit abbreviated (due to lack of time to shoot John Woo admits).

Tequila is trying to deal with a failed relationship and the death of his partner, Tony is torn against blowing his cover and defending his honor and the Lieutenant insists on playing it by the book even though it isn't fair.

John Woo said he made this film in honor of the men and women of the Hong Kong police force and the good work they do. He wanted to make a movie about the good guys winning. What he has done is made one of the most pivitol action films ever made, influencing every action movie since.