Review #709: 'Hard Boiled' (1992)

Before he was whisked off to Hollywood where his talent seemed to stagnate and eventually fade into obscurity, John Woo conquered the world of action cinema with bullet-ridden delights such as A Better Tomorrow (1986) and The Killer (1989). His Hollywood career would consist of sub-standard genre movies such as the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Hard Target (1993) and blockbuster pap like Mission: Impossible II (2000). But he had one more balletic, hyper-kinetic Eastern thriller left in him before he left Hong Kong, and with Hard Boiled, he not only topped his previous films, but made one of the finest action movies in history; a non-stop orgy of explosions, slow-motion, and homoerotic undertones of brotherhood and honour.

After accidentally killing an undercover police officer in a bloody shoot-out, loose-canon cop Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat) vows to get revenge on the gangsters involved. Meanwhile, Triad boss Uncle Hoi (Hoi-Shan Kwan) has unwittingly employed undercover cop Alan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) as a hitman, using him to bump off a gang member who has been secretly working for rival boss Johnny Wong (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang). Impressed with Alan's skills, Wong tries to recruit him, causing him to turn on his former employer in an effort to move up in the criminal underworld. Learning of Alan's undercover role, Tequila seeks him out so that they may take down Wong together. But the shooting of a police informant leads the two cops to the hospital, where Wong keeps his secret stash of weaponry.

The film ticks off the genre cliché's at a rapid rate, even playing it dead serious in the quiet moments between the carnage. But all the wailing saxophone music and loose-fitting shirts that were so prevalent in the 1990's make the film even more likeable, and a nice little time capsule for an era that seems not so far gone yet is shockingly over 20 years ago. It would be silly to dwell on the simplistic story, as it only really plays the role of McGuffin so that John Woo may deliver two hours of ludicrous, heart-pounding action-porn. The extended climax is a barrage of slow-motion gun-fire, leading to a shockingly high body count, but Woo squeezes everything he can out of the hospital setting, naturally leaving it in ruins. It's a exhausting and cheesy two hours, featuring some of the best action scenes ever filmed, yet it soberly reminds you of what could have been if Woo had resisted the glamour of Hollywood and stayed in Hong Kong.


Directed by: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Teresa Mo, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Country: Hong Kong

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie