The Killer (DVD)

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 ...

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 ...

'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 ...