Hard Boiled (1992)

Hard Boiled (1992)

7/10

Starring

Chow Yun-fat

Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Teresa Mo

Philip Chan

Directed by John Woo

John Woo’s Hard Boiled is a blueprint for how you should craft an action thriller. The movie has so many layers that the explosive ending is a twist on its own. The screenplay is to die for and the effects are tremendous. This was a blow-em up movie that takes no prisoners and the acting is one you will fancy.

The action in this movie is one to behold, especially the ending when everything is happening at once and you have to be so attentive to keep track of everyone. This further added to the already exciting plot this movie dishes out.

I have seen many action movies try to out blow-up more than this movie did in the end, but none comes close. Here is where you will admire John Woo, we have two main characters trying to contain a situation, but then the movie creates time for us to see the supporting cast also getting involved in the saving of lives and that of babies.

The plot starts with an introduction to Tequila (Chow Yun-fat) who lost his partner at an operation where the police were watching the triads carryout an illegal trade. Tequila’s anger at the loss of his friend led to him killing one of the gangsters which his superior wanted alive, so he can stand as a witness. For what he did, Tequila was taken off the case, but he being head strong still sticks to it.

On the bad guy’s side, we meet Alan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), who was sent to kill a man and he is one of the muscles of the main man of Uncle Hoi. Hoi has a rival who recruits Alan to help in taking down Hoi.

During this plan, things did not go on as smoothly as they would have hoped and Tequila comes into the play to mess things up the more.

Then there was a showdown between Tequila and Alan, and from there both start to be on each other’s case.

I read somewhere that even though this movie is rated more highly than two other Woo movies (A Better Tomorrow and The Killer), it was not as financially as successful as they were.

The movie does not play stingy with time. It is over two hours long, but that does not affect the power and intensity the movie packs. The pacing is well arranged to make sure we have a seamless continuity.

Here is a movie every action should see and should you too.