Believe it or not, this is my first foray into John Woo’s Hong Kong oeuvre.
I’ve seen three of his American films (four if you count his BMW short), so I’m well aware of the hallmarks (guns, motorcycles, slow motion, doves), but I’ve never truly seen him in his element until now.
And boy-oh-boy is Hard Boiled his element. I don’t know if Woo counts Peckinpah as an influence, but I’m sure he was smiling down on this one.
I have to say though, as over-the-top as the action is, Hard Boiled is a much more measured and grounded film than I was expecting, which I appreciated. I often find myself lost in translation with Hong Kong movies (e.g. Police Story 2, Eastern Condors) when they get a little too silly and/or melodramatic, but Hard Boiled never really goes there; maybe a little towards the end, but nothing that takes you out of what you’re watching.
Also, I appreciate that the story actually matters and isn’t just a framework to hang action upon. I mean, sure, it’s not The Third Man, but in terms of an action movie screenplay it’s certainly better than, say, Lethal Weapon 2.
Of course, what would a story be without characters, and actors to play them? I’m not going to say that Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung are great, but they’re charming enough for what they need to be, and the rest of the supporting cast is more than adequate.
Really though, you come to theis movie for the action, and it delivers. It starts out over-the-top, and it finishes over-the-top, and yet I never found myself getting exhausted by it (a la watching John Wick movies back-to-back; I can only handle so many head shots).
It’s bloody, and bloody good. I definitely recommend it.
Rating: ★★★★☆