Simply put, John Woo is one of the greatest action directors of all time. Known in America as the director of such gems as "Face/Off," Woo is much more. His "Hard Boiled," which is playing at the Hop tonight, is only a pale reflection of his many Hong Kong successes.
Born in 1948 in Guangzhou (Canton), China, Woo made his first film in 1973 in Hong Kong. Prolific from the beginning, Woo made 14 more films before becoming nationally, and indeed, internationally recognized as a master of the gangster-crime-action flick. It was 1986's "A Better Tomorrow" that made him a star in Hong Kong. Classic Woo, it was a story of brothers on opposite sides of the law that come into conflict in balletic uber-violent gun battles. It also became one of Hong Kong's highest grossing movies.
It was not until "The Killer" (1989), however, that Woo received any recognition across the water in the world's largest film marketplace. A masterpiece in every sense of the word, "The Killer" marked Woo's achievement of total synergy between the classic strengths of his work. Woo's themes of brotherhood and betrayal, law and its irrelevance to human goodness were masterfully interplayed with his gift for the over-the-top action scene.
The result was a film that captures the viewer in an inescapable lock. I challenge any action fan to even carry on a conversation during the incredible gunfights of "The Killer." Even when the action slows down (rarely), Woo regular Chow Yun-Fat's electrifying performance and natural charisma keep the viewers eyes locked to the screen.
After "The Killer" was released, a cult following cropped up in America. Fortunately, Hollywood took notice, and Woo was offered a contract. He continued to make movies in Hong Kong, but it was not long before American audiences got their first taste of Woo's style. His first American film, "Hard Target," starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, opened in 1993. Interestingly enough, it was also the first mainstream Hollywood movie by an Asian director. Unfortunately, "Hard Target" was corrupted by both Van Damme and the studio system (it had seven producers!).
Woo's next effort, "Broken Arrow" (1996) was even worse. Instances of genius shone through, but for the most part, bad scripting and acting produced a film that was more laughable than entertaining.
The faithful were rewarded in 1997 with a little piece of brilliance called "Face/Off." With "Broken Arrow" star John Travolta and Nicolas Cage (who made his action bones the year before in "The Rock"), "Face/Off" was poised for success. And success it achieved. It was one of the summer's highest grossing movies and received the critical acclaim of his best Hong Kong work. Finally Woo had made the film his fans were waiting for. "Face/Off" combined his heartfelt themes and his unparalleled action direction with serious Hollywood money to make the best action movie since "Die Hard."
John Woo's consummate skill reveals itself in many ways, but none is more salient than in his trademark outsized gun battles. As intricately plotted out as Alfred Hitchcock's excessively storyboarded suspense scenes, Woo's gun battles are, in many ways, a triumph of filmmaking. For this critic, the most incredible aspect is the simple clarity of the action. American audiences are bombarded with action movies where the action is so convoluted, dark, complicated, and generally badly shot that it's almost impossible to tell what's going on.
As an enormous Jerry Bruckheimer fan, I was disappointed upon leaving "Con Air." I felt that something was missing. "Face/Off" made it clear to me. Many times in "Con Air" (for a really egregious violation, check out "Batman Forever") it is absolutely impossible to tell what's going on. Who's fighting who ... where people are shooting ... it's all too dark and fast-paced to tell. From the incredible airport chase scene (as explosive as any other action flick's beginning) on, Woo's expert use of slow motion, lighting and creative shot angles make every action scene a ballet.
All of that is history. As we await Woo's several upcoming films, however, we may still feast on the best of that history. Along with "The Killer," 1992's "Hard Boiled" is synonymous with the name John Woo. To give an inkling of what "Hard Boiled" is all about, its alternate English titles are "Ruthless Super-Cop" and "Hot-handed God of Cops." The incredible Chow Yun-Fat rewards Woo with another phenomenal performance, this time as a detective who loses his partner to the mob. He seeks revenge ruthlessly and without remorse through a series of mind-blowing action scenes, building to a spectacular climax in a hospital.
Some have called "Hard Boiled" Woo's best work. It has all the trademarks from the cops n' gangsters plot to Chow Yun-Fat sailing through the air blasting with a gun in each hand. More importantly, it has the incredible style that Woo does so well. For any of you who oohed and ahhed at Cage's billowing coat or gold-plated .45's in "Face/Off," prepare yourselves to be amazed at the style that the Chow/Woo combination is capable of. Words cannot describe it.
For any reader of this article with even the slightest proclivity towards action, I have these words of advice. Get thee to tonight's showing of "Hard Boiled." Or Chow Yun-Fat's going to blow you away.
