The Killer (DVD)

note: also appears on Flixster and The Student Room in part The Killer is one of the very best films from John Woo, and part of what would come to be known as the "heroic bloodshed" series of films, including his other works Hard Boiled, Bullet in the Head and A Better Tomorrow, all starring Chow Yun-Fat. This is a stunning action film and among the very best that the genre has to offer with regard to gunplay and sheer scintilating stunt work. The film revolves around Ah-Jong (Chow Yun-Fat), an assassin who is actually trying to retire and go straight. However, during his final hit, he accidentally blinds Jennie (Sally Yeh) with the flash ...  Read the complete review

To call this movie the best action film of all time is quite a bold statement to make, however I really do feel it is. Take into account that I am not saying this has the biggest special effects and also this was made quite a few years back in 1990 in the USA. John Woo is a director who has made a name for himself back in his home country and has made many big Hollywood movies, with the best example being Face/Off which is another excellent movie. The Killer however will rank as the fans favourite John Woo films and is a film to remember. Cast ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yun-Fat Chow as Ah Jong Danny Lee as Insp. Li Ying Sally ...  Read the complete review

Arguably the greatest action film ever made, John Woo’s 1989 Hong Kong masterpiece could hardly be any better. Initially, viewers may find off-putting the relatively poor visual and sound quality, not to mention the fact that the speech and text is in Cantonese. But once these small obstacles are overcome (the latter with the help of subtitles), a truly magnificent action film emerges. The Killer is a story of loyalty, betrayal, tragedy and friendship amongst the worlds of assassins and cops in Hong Kong. And there is indeed a story – this isn’t simply an excuse to go from one fighting arena to another, but an interesting and at times ...  Read the complete review

'The Killer' is generally regarded as John 'MI2' Woo's best pre-Hollywood film. However if you're expecting the big-budget slick shenanigans of his recent films, you might be disappointed. Starring Chow Yun Fat, Hong Kong's number one action hero, 'The Killer' is about a hit-man who decides to do one more hit to pay for an operation to heal a girl who he blinded. At times it's thrilling and it has some great action sequences. There is also much attention given to the relationship and eventual friendship between the killer and the policeman leading his hunt, a trademark of Woo's films. However the film ...  Read the complete review

All the elements of the american gangster films of the thirties and fourties are here: The renegade cop ('Tom'); the killer with a conscience ('jerry', d'ya get it?); the ruthless gang and the femme fatale... But the femme is blinded by the killer and from there on in his only desire is to give as much help as he can to the now blind woman. Eventually enlisting the help of the renegade cop, the assassin fights back at the gang and goes for the girl: only to have fate deliver its own twist to the story. Directed by John Woo, this is a top-class Hong Kong action flick that later leant its style to Quentin Tarantino's films ...  Read the complete review