The Killer

The Killer combines the insane action of Woo would later master with Hard Boiled, and the bromance of A Better Tomorrow to form one of the best Hong Kong movies period. As much as the action, music, cinematography (is this the most stylish John Woo movie?) and performances shine here, it's really the plot that I found to be quite gripping, especially the ending. The premise of a killer who takes care of the woman he blinded is instantly compelling, but it's really how it transforms into a tale of honour in a rotten world that makes the movie almost transcendent. It's a theme that John Woo explores in pretty much all his triad flicks I've seen so far, but in here it's the most front and centre. There's a very poignant sense of regret and longing for a better time that Woo laments in this movie. That ending especially is so fucking bleak. It takes the already tragic ending of A Better Tomorrow and pushes it to the extreme. The heroes in this story are not rewarded, but rather punished in this cruel world, and the only way out is through blood-soaked violence. There's two flaws in this that do hold it back though. Jennie, while understandably helpless, is also a little frustrating in her characterisation. Secondly, I think the pacing is still a little too quick, something I found to be an issue in all of Woo's movies so far.