The Killer (1989)

Pretty darn cool shoot-'em-up, and Chow Yun-Fat owns the role of the assassin! Lots of bullets fired in this, and a very high body count! I really liked the scenes that were interspliced with different scenes. I didn't like the freeze frames, slo-motion overkill, and the flash backs to things that literally just happened! I also find it strange that everyone is so easy to follow in this movie. Can't anyone lose a tail? I liked the ending, especially Jenny and Ah Jong crawling away from each other. Powerful.

At times John Woo's The Killer has segments that seem directly lifted from those Chinese karaoke videos that my parents and their friends used to crowd around. They share the same dreamlike qualities - random flutterings of doves meant to be symbolically relevant, a hazy background that seems perfect for the haunting vibraphone score, slow motion for the most emotionally tense moments and so on. It is problematic because throughout the film Woo piles on these elements, combined with the shoot-outs upon shoot-outs that seem to last an eternity, and it is difficult to know whether to laugh or not. When Detective Li Ying storms up towards Ah Jong's hideout in fury after the death of his partner, he cocks his gun and right before climbing over the wall, does a forward roll for seemingly no reason. Later, two of the white suited goons of Frank's hire execute a similar manoeuvre as they drive up to assault the house. There are good characters, and there are terrible characters. The latter is firstly Frank, who Woo seems to think can be made menacing merely by suiting him up and placing Ray Bans on his head. This does not make for the deadly assassin that he is stated to be. It is funnier yet when his apparently deadly methods include sending endless hordes of gunmen at the target and in reality just providing fodder for yet another shoot-out. There is also the object of Ah Jong's desire, Jennie, who falls in love with him pretty easily. Their initial encounters evoke a rather neo-noir aesthetic with the grimy neon signs of the karaoke bar, and the glistening asphalt in the back alley. Magical and slightly surreal, but her character itself is bland, displaying no distinct qualities apart from being the voice of innocence which shouts out (okay well she's quite meek really) plot points and warnings. Why is the room so dark, she inquires, right before the dark dramatic shoot-out which will end with her lover's death. There is one moment of saving grace, where she fires a gun then immediately collapses into tears at what she thinks she has done, which highlights exactly how the average civilian might react to such events. Both Ah Jong and Li Ying are portrayed quite well, and manage to create real emotion from the rather oddly paced script. You can almost believe the tears of rage at the end as Li Ying succumbs to his anger and murders the triad boss, renouncing his former morals. Maybe they aren't so different after all. The best character however has to be Fung Sei, Ah Jong's close friend who encounters and struggles with several dilemmas involving friendship, honour and betrayal. Here is a man who has long given up the assassin life but who still has vestiges of pride and commitment to long term friendship left in him. Woo builds up his heroic escape, and then makes him misfire literally by miscounting the number of bullets in his gun, a great moment of characterisation using a dialogue callback.But it still remains impossibly hard to root for these characters when Woo seems to prefer the endless shoot-outs and their dramatic role. They are used to build character and resilience, but very early on they blur and become all too repetitive, and trivial, because although our main characters take hits, they seem to be fine moments later. The first infiltration by Ah Jong is quite well choreographed and edited, but after that point The Killer seems to descend into repeated massacres. I can acknowledge the gun-fu influence on similar Hollywood type action scenes (The Matrix, Tarantino, Rodriguez), but even so The Killer's action sequences are horribly disjointed and chaotic. Hordes of nameless and faceless goons seem to stumble and teleport into the frame, their lifeless bodies spasming onto the ground before we are even aware of what has occurred. Do not fret however, for the most gory and vital bits always seem to be emphasised via this self-important slow motion. This does not build tension, but sentimentality. Sometimes, like when the Triad boss shoots Ah Jong from outside the church and around the door, the action will not make logical sense. Other times, the action is put on pause altogether for moments of melodrama; after Fung Sei is shot within an inch of his life, the goons suddenly stop storming the church to allow our dear friends to say goodbye. Woo seems to lean onto these elongated action sequences as if they are the most important moments for the main characters. After the trio escape from yet another ambush, there is a chance to reflect or simply bask in the reluctant alliance they have been forcibly pushed into. But Woo cuts to that dramatic confrontation where they both refuse to kill each other, and then cuts again rapidly to them tending to each others wounds. Where is the meat? My favourite little tidbit is when Li Ying infiltrates Ah Jong's apartment, sits in his chair and slides over to the doorway, imitating the same shooting action as Ah Jong when forced to defend his home. A bit of subtlety in visualising how they are not so different from each other, both armed guns shaped by larger, uncontrollable forces. It's all very sad of course, but Woo cannot wrap it up. The end of the film has perhaps the most karaoke-like scene of them all, a wistful Chow Yun Fat solemnly playing the harmonica beside the window. Surely we are not meant to take this seriously?

John Woo has certainly proved in Hollywood now that he has what it takes to be a top rate international action film director. The Killer is an early example that shows the maestro of mayhem and action at his very best. I really liked this film and I think it's one of John Woo's best films along with Hard Boiled. You get to see a vulnerable side to Chow Yun Fat's character as the hit-man Jeff who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer. What I liked was the way in which Woo showed that hit men are tortured souls doing a job that they don't always like doing and that there are so many emotions that they have to deal within in carrying out their job. I found it touching the way the central character Jeff is racked with guilt over blinding the nightclub singer Jenny and that he is willing to risk his life for her so that he can raise the money for an operation that may save Jenny's life. A superb action thriller and one of the finest ever made. Woo's hit men have soul and depth unlike the vicious killing machines that we see in most Hollywood action/thriller films.

Now going into The Killer I expected a good movie considering it's a movie with Chow Yun-Fat movie directed by John Woo. Like any other Chow Yun-Fat and John Woo collaboration, the movie ended up being great.A disillusioned assassin (Chow Yun-Fat) accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss. I found the story to be well paced, but some will probably complain how it's not evenly spaced out between action and drama, but they won't mind it once the movie shift into full gear and delivers the goods on it story. The story is masterfully told in my opinion and doesn't suffer from having to much action either. Even though I saw the dubbed version, I can tell you the movie still had some great lines. I got more into the story when it showed that our killer was sympathetic and caring giving him depth instead of just making him look like a cold heartless killer like other movies.The action is nothing short of spectacular as you would expect with any movie directed by John Woo. It's beautiful to watch, it's intense, it's enjoyable, and has a purpose with the story. I have to praise to Woo for his good camera work in this movie and writing what I consider to be one of the best action movie ever made. Beside the acting, I want praise the music in the movie, while it may pass viewers as they get entertain by what they see, I want to say that adds to the greatness and entertainment value for this movie.The Killer is amazing experience I would recommend for anyone. It's a great action movie that delivers the goods on the story with some of the best action sequences ever filmed. The Killer is by far one of the greatest action movie i've ever seen.