The Killer (1989)
Reviewed by: PAUL MARTINEZ on 2006-02-15
Summary: Heroic Bloodshed Masterpiece
The Killer marks the 3rd of 5 pairings of director John Woo and leading man Chow Yun Fat. This was perhaps the most well-known of them and with good reason. While not as well written as A Better Tomorrow and while Hard Boiled may have slightly better action sequences, The Killer is the most complete film in all aspects. A ballistic ballet that will stand the test of time.

On the surface, the plot is of the professional killer with a heart of gold. However, Mr. Woo goes way beyond that here. Showing the characters in a different light than you expect. While the friendship of John and Inspector Li is hi-lighted, I felt it was the relationship between the title character and his agent Sidney which really stood out. the scenes with them were intense. The Jenny sub-plot was well done also. She wasn't put in as a love interest for our hero just for the sake of doing it. Her story made sense and added to the storyline splendidly.

It's in the acting where I feel this movie stands out from the other Woo-Chow collaborations. Chow Yun Fat is great and that's nothing new. Danny Lee, who I've never been a great fan of gives his best performance here. It's in the performances of Sally Yeh, Paul Fong Chu and Shing Fu-On that really impressed me.

The action scenes are of course now legendary. An absolute artistry of violence that
to this day along with Hard Boiled have been the most copied work not just in Asian cinema but Hollywood as well. I would be remiss however if I did not mention how Brian De Palma's Scarface was an obvious influence on John Woo in making this film. I'm not calling it an outright stealing from the film as many like to do of Tarrantino.But there are definatlely some elements as well as some scenes which lended itself from Scarface. Not to mention the score is extremely similar.

To sum it up, if you're reading this and you have never seen this film you should immediately sign off your pc and go get it. I don't care where you're from what kind of movies you like,. This is a must-see!

Reviewer Score: 9