| A Killer of
a Quiz
Note: Move the mouse over each picture to see the description |
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How often is the easiest movie to guess also the most interesting one to
watch? You may not have seen John Woo's The Killer, but the cinematic
style and
the performer (Chow Yun-fat) are instantly recognizable. The top shot is
featured on the cover of the Criterion Laserdisc, and the soon-to-be
released special edition DVD. There are two themes running through
this movie. One is sorrow for causing harm to an innocent victim during the
execution of a hit contract. The second theme is that of personal honor,
including carrying out a deal as promised, and fulfilling unwritten oaths of
personal loyalty, whatever the cost. Woo is not the first director to explore the
complex world of hit men and cops. Germany and the U.S. invented the
cinematic universe of gangsters. This Gun for Hire was one of
the first and best films about a contract killer seeking revenge for an
unpaid hit. Then came the brilliant 60's film, Point Blank, the
story of a criminal betrayed by his wife and partner. If you screw with Alan
Ladd or Lee Marvin, then you pay the price, usually in blood. Woo put the
word Action into thriller/gangster films.
Chow Yun-fat is not a martial arts expert (like Bruce Lee or Jet Li) or a talented stunt
man (like Jackie Chan). Chow's expertise is in handling guns, two or more at a
time, aimed or fired in synchronicity, with a bravura and fluidity that would
rival the motions of any great artist or athlete.
I think Woo's Hong Kong films (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Bullet in the Head, and Hard Boiled) are his best. To attempt to adapt the Hong Kong style of action film to the U.S. made big-budget movie is like trying to package Chinese food in a can or a microwaveable pouch. White men can't jump like black basketball stars, and they can't shoot like oriental action stars.
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