The Five Best Films of John Woo
A Look at Five Great Movies from the Director of Red Cliff
Jun 9, 2009
In 1986 John Woo changed the face of Hong Kong films with A Better Tomorrow. Almost single-handedly creating the heroic bloodshed genre, and making a star out of Chow Yun-Fat, Woo went on to release a string of critical and commercial hits. In the early 90’s Woo made his way to America where he met with great commercial success, but little of the critical acclaim for which he was known. Multiple factors lead to the lack of critical success, but the biggest was Hollywood’s inability to let Woo do what he did best. Woo returned to China where he made a triumphant return with Red Cliff. Here is an overview of the director’s five best films.
Red Cliff
Released in two parts, Red Cliff is an epic period movie that signaled a triumphant return to form from Woo. A fictional recreation of the historic Battle of Red Cliffs, Red Cliff’s plot is far too dense to recap here. The film takes place during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and involves an ambitious general’s attempt to seize power and the two kingdoms that unite to stop him. What matters is the movie is epic on a scale China has never before produced. Woo mounts action scenes that give Peter Jackson’s battles in Return of the King a run for their money. More importantly though is the time Woo takes to set up all of the characters, giving each of the personalities and depth. The characters are never lost in the action, and Woo is aided by fantastic performances from Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Red Cliff can only be described as Woo’s masterpiece, and if he never makes another film, he will go down as one of China’s greatest directors on the strength of this film alone.
The Killer
Perfecting the formula he started in A Better Tomorrow, The Killer is the pinnacle of the heroic bloodshed genre. Chow Yun-Fat plays a hitman who has a change of heart after accidentally blinding a singer during a hit. Danny Lee plays the cop on his trail. This is where Woo perfected his blend of deep male friendships and deliriously elaborate shootouts. The Killer still sets the standard for choreographed gunplay, and is a huge reason Woo is known as the master of the bullet ballet.
Bullet in the Head
Woo’s loose reworking of The Deer Hunter, tells the story of three friends (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Waise Lee, Jacky Cheung) who, after a run-in with the law, escape Hong Kong to Vietnam during the war. While there the three befriend a Eurasian hitman played by the always reliable Simon Yam and discover a cache of gold. The gold ultimately drives the friends apart, and Bullet in the Head becomes a tale of revenge and retribution. An unrelentingly bleak film, it is still a masterpiece of human emotion and over-the-top gunplay. Easily stands tall as one of the best films about the Vietnam war ever made.
Hard-Boiled
If The Killer perfect Woo’s heroic bloodshed formula, the Hard-Boiled turned it up to 11. The story fails to reach the fantastic heights of The Killer or Bullet in the Head, but the action is exquisite. Chow Yun-Fat plays a tough cop seeking to bring down a triad organization. Aiding him is triad hitman Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, actually an undercover cop in so deep he is not sure who he is anymore. The highlight is a 40-minute shoot-out in a hospital where Woo pulls out all the stops. Everything from slow motion, quick cuts, Mexican stand-offs, and Chow dispatching bad guys while carrying a baby merge to create one of the bloodiest and most exhilarating action climaxes ever. The climax of Hard-Boiled rivals the climax of The Wild Bunch.
A Better Tomorrow II
A Better Tomorrow is actually a superior movie to its sequel, but the sheer audacity of A Better Tomorrow II earns it its place on this list. Chow Yun-Fat returns as the previously unmentioned twin brother of Mark, the character he portrayed in the first film. Once again, the classic Woo themes of loyalty, brotherhood, and vengeance are on full display. The final assault on the villain’s mansion is another action classic, and well worth sitting through some of the rough parts of the movie. The storyline is truly unhinged, but the action and acting are first class.
John Woo hasn’t had the success he deserves in America, but these Chinese classics show he is phenomenal filmmaker. With the stunning Red Cliff, Woo shows his best may be yet to come.
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