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Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 35 in total
Zachary George Najarian-Najafi
4May12
The experience of watching a John Woo film is unlike any other. The first few minutes of his films always feel like an 80s cigarette ad. The slow motion pans and zooms, soft lighting, bossa nova soundtrack and what not. Then the killing starts. The Killer boasts one of the nastiest body counts I’ve seen in a movie. I swear that someone dies at least every second or so during the later parts of the movie. It may feel absurd, and silly, but there is a method to Woo’s madness. The Killer is essentially about a hitman with a heart of gold who accidentally blinds a night club singer while on a job. Being the nice guy that he is, he falls in love with her and accepts one last job to pay for her operation. Too bad the cops are closing in on him as well as his former associates who have sold him out. For all the fantastic choreographed wham-bham action, The Killer is ultimately a film with a heart. Woo is primarly concerned with questions of love, honor and friendship. Name one other action movie that pulls at the heart strings as much as this one. The relationship that develops between our hitman and the police officer trying to catch him is beautiful and universal; a paean to male bonding the world over. And then there’s the action. It’s like watching a ballet of blood. The framing, the tumbling bodies, the extravagant gun fights, the cutting is all perfect. Woo is definitely the latest in the tradition of filmmaking that includes Seijun Suzuki, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Sergio Leone. The Killer is the ultimate boy’s night in film, full of masculine energy. Few films are as thrilling as this one.
Hisham Teymour
8Apr12
"On a 2nd viewing, ``The Killer`` immediately leaps from the ridiculous to the sublime...The violence is a direct and pure extension of the drama, an externalization of the characters` raging emotions...A movement metaphor-a gesture as grand as those of a Jackson Pollack painting or a Twyla Tharp ballet." - Dave Kehr Didn't think this would happen. A week later I'm rid of any 'camp' preconceptions and FEELING this.
Maudy Puteri
1Mar12
Same as A Better Tomorrow, the greatest action combines with deeply drama about respect, friendship, ironically fact between triad and police. Although the best of all for me is still A Better Tomorrow and i don't feel satisfied as much as i watched it, The Killer is a good description for action with heart.
crmantao likes this
Michael Harbour
19Jan12
Quintessential (and essential) John Woo. This movie has all the hallmarks of a John Woo film: honor, respect, family, responsibility, debt, regret, self-possession and brilliantly staged, elaborate gun battles. Yun-Fat Chow and Danny Lee are perfectly cast as brothers in arms on opposite sides of the law.
Matt likes this
Zachary Curl
6Jan12
Nobody (including John Woo) makes movies like this anymore. This and Hardboiled are among the best, maybe ever.
Zachary Stahlman likes this
Judicial Joe
3Dec11
Beautiful, pretty much LE SAMOURAI meets THE GETAWAY with a hint of JULES AND JIM. I was in tears at the end.
The Dude likes this
Jack Lehtonen
24Aug11
In a Michael Mann film, when the protagonist meets his double, he kills him. In a John Woo film, they dance.
There Will Be Josh Schasny
15Aug11
This is where Woo starts to get lost on me. The sheer spontaneity of this film is beyond ridiculous. It's still enjoyable, but I would say this one is the hokiest of all Woo's action films. At first it looks pretty promising, but it just winds up so over-the-top and the final payoff is actually pretty laughable despite its tragedy. It's a good guilty pleasure and nothing more. Not as good as A Better Tomorrow series.
Stu Witmer
13Jun11
I get real restless when the first five minutes of a film contains a torch song with “meaningful” lyrics and pensive glances followed by a shoot out by guys with guns containing endless supplies of bullets. Then, when the next 5 minutes is climaxed by a pretty girl being frightened by a loud noise that is revealed by the handsome hero to be a cat… well, I’m outta there! So, the only John Woo picture I like is STILL “Red Cliff”.
Murat Benbanaste
23Apr11
almost all the formal qualities were pretentious and cliche, the acting was bad, and the directing was a lesson in how not to make a film in my taste; but, still, it has it's vibe and I enjoyed watching it for the sake of its story- even though the way the story was told did not satisfy me at all.
Stephen Campbell
24Jan11
Combining Peckipah.Mellvill;e and Hawks and some great action this is one of the directors masterpieces
VENIMOS LOS JODIMOS Y NOS FUIMOS
25Nov10
Clasico indiscutible del cine de acción Made in Hong Kong, donde es posible apreciar en todo su esplendor la garra del director John Woo (a quien directores como Tarantino y Rodriguez le deben horas y horas de inspiración) para las escenas de acción y violencia. A medio camino entre lo sublime y la estupidez total, se disfruta enormemente, solo si no se presta demasiada atención a los dialogos y a su "argumento".
Zach Kaigler
8Jun10
Further proof that Woo was (at least at one time) the master of the bullet ballet.
Christopher
19Oct09
Atrocious soundtrack, overly cheesy characters and story line, with only a few good shootout scenes....meh 2/5
