☆ ☆ ☆ ½
The
Killer (1989) – J. Woo
Back in the day, I really enjoyed the
movies of John Woo – so much so that I think I went and saw Hard Target (1993;
with JCVD) in the theatre. But years
have passed and Woo’s profile has dropped; originally, he was touted as a grand
stylist of action; in Hollywood he was reduced to making a Lost in Space TV
movie; now he is back in China making grand epics. He seems to have lost his personal style
which paid homage to Melville and the honour among men (thieves or cops or both). The Killer was the centrepiece of his oeuvre
up to that point, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee as hitman and cop,
respectively, who form a bond over a blinded nightclub singer. Woo brought all of his stylistic trademarks
to bear, with slow-motion flying doves in a church, syrupy Cantonese music, Mexican
stand-offs galore, and some very sensitive tough guys trying to follow their
feelings while also unleashing lovingly choreographed ultraviolence on anyone
in their way. Possibly due to the fact
that I watched a version of the film with dubious discontinuous subtitles, it
just didn’t resonate with me the same way this time. However, my recent rewatches of Hard Boiled
(1992) – 4 stars, and A Better Tomorrow (1986) – 4 ½ stars, suggest that Woo
did have the goods. Perhaps I’ve been
too hard on The Killer this time? Melville’s Le Samourai (a key inspiration) is
a personal favourite (not sure how that might influence my verdict).
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