Directed by:
John WooScreenplay:
Barry WongCinematography:
Horace WongComposer:
Michael GibbsCast:
Yun-fat Chow, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Wong, Phillip Kwok, Stephen Tung, John Woo, Pai Wei, Jun Kunimura, Philip Chan, Teresa Mo, Pau-chung Tong, Fa-yuan Li (more)Plots(1)
Hard-Boiled is the last film directed by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo before his arrival in the U.S. This 1992 thriller, along with The Killer, is widely seen as one of his best from his Hong Kong days. Every ingredient of the quintessential Woo thriller is present, including his ever-present anti-hero (Chow Yun-Fat). Yun-Fat portrays a maverick, clarinet-playing cop nicknamed "Tequila" whose partner is killed in the dizzying chaos of a restaurant gunfight with a small army of gangsters. It is soon revealed that one of the mob's high-ranking assassins is Tony (Tony Leung), an undercover cop who, despite his badge, is dangerously close to the edge. Tequila and Tony must team up in a tense partnership, and their common pursuit of a vicious crime lord results in a brilliantly elaborate climax in a hospital, where the heroes must rescue newborn babies from the maternity ward while fighting off dozens of mob soldiers. The characters Tequila and Tony are two sides of the same coin, another trademark theme of Woo's films that would later be most fully realized with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the American hit Face/Off. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (9)
Hard Boiled is a perfectionistic work that overshadows all other action movies. It is perhaps impossible for a film that is so long and packed with shootouts not to come across as over-the-top and spasmodic and not become boring after some time. But this one does the exact opposite. The last half hour is proof that John Woo is not from this planet.
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Had I seen this film at the time of its release, I would have gone higher with the rating for sure. Today, however, the film doesn't offer much anymore, the competition is really strong! There is not much of a story to speak of, at least there's a decent portion of action that is very brutal, clear and very innovative for the 90's. Today only 75%.
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A pioneer of the action genre, with amazing camera and editing work, revolutionary shooting sequences, long shots without cuts, breathtaking stunt work. Before all the modern Hunts, Bonds, Bournes, and Wicks, there was a detective with a cigarette in his mouth and two guns on his belt who set the direction for what action films would look like decades later.
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It's excellent, perhaps the best among all the films where John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat collaborated, but I can't help feeling that when you've seen one of their films, you've seen almost all of them. The gunshots are absolutely captivating; here, you really feel like human bodies are being torn apart. Especially at the end, it's a violent orgy. Otherwise, it's not a film that would make me orgasmic. It’s action-packed, but I might have expected a bit more from it.
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Tequila slammers, toothpicks, babe in arms, hundreds of smashed tiles and thousands of spent rounds. A perfect piece, down to the smallest detail, from John Woo, Fat and everybody else involved. This ode to action is incredible not only for a John Woo movie. Especially the brothers’ finale in the hospital is inimitable and unmatchable. If you are used to politically correct American productions, you will be shocked by the mass shooting of civilians or the brutal action overflowing with visuals typical for John Woo. Often in his pictures the action element plays just a supporting role to a drama involving two men, and here it is the same, although that motif takes much more of a back seat here. Even the scenes with kids, which elsewhere would be superficially cheap, are handled perfectly here. The entire movie gets by without any humorous element, with the honorable exception of two “sorta" snappy lines at the very end. The only negative aspect of this movie is the rather too disruptive music. One of the zeniths of Hong Kong “gun" movies.
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