i remember picking up the 'made in hong kong' vhs of this back in '94; it was my first john woo film and my first chow yun fat film. i'd watched a few hong kong films before this, as well as a bunch of other asian films, but this was the one that really kicked off my passion for hong kong cinema.

ah jong (chow yun-fat) is a professional killer, who performs hits for the triads via middle-man fung (paul chu). during a hit at a restaurant, ah jong accidentally damages the eyes of a young singer, jennie (sally yeh). wracked with guilt, ah jong befriends jennie and they plan to travel abroad so that she can have surgey that will save her eyesight; ah jong just needs to complete one more hit, which will give them enough money to do this.

unfortunately, after carrying out the hit, ah jong's employers decide that they want him dead, severing any links between themselves and the assassination. ah jong's friendship is tested as he is pusued by the triads and inspector li (danny lee), a cop who seems to have a lot in common with ah jong...

it is quite difficult to watch 'the killer' objectively these days; in the past eighteen years it has inspired, been rippped-off and parodied, by so many other films that it seems to be riddled with cliche. still, for myself and many others, for whom this film served as introduction to the 'bullet ballet' / 'heroic bloodshed' of hong kong cinema, it will always have a special place.

looking at the film, it is a simple story about characters who try to remain true to a defined set of ethics; be it the rules of the triads or the law of the land. using this simplicity to his advantage, john woo manages to explore the relationships between characters, whilst examining the way that their world changes around them. a changing world that they live in seems to be creating complex grey areas that lead them to become outsiders;

"you're an unusual cop."
"well, you're an unusual killer."

then, there's the action. from the opening exchange in the nightclub to the final showdown in the (dove filled) church, woo and ching siu-tung combine to produce some of the most innovative and exciting sequences of the genre; even watching it last night, i was still blown away by them. chow yun-fat going all out with a gun in each hand is still a sight to behold; he and danny lee put in performances which can be considered amongst their best, with more than adequate support from paul chu and kenneth tsang.

an iconic piece of cinema.