wrathchild-71087 What can be said that hasn't been said before? No need to explain anything, watch the film, see for yourself. Even if you aren't the action-type person, this one will thrill you nevertheless!

Anssi Vartiainen The problem with Hard Boiled isn't that it's a bad film in any way possible. The problem is that I've already seen The Killer and A Better Tomorrow, both of them earlier hit films from the director John Woo. Both of them are absolutely fantastic, and so is Hard Boiled in many ways. Except that nothing in it feels original. Woo is famous for popularizing the Hong Kong style of action in the West, but even his distinctive style can become repetitive.In Hard Boiled a loose cannon cop nicknamed Tequila, played by Chow Yun-fat because every John Woo main character is played by Chow Yun- fat, loses his partner in a gang shoot-out. He decides to take the matter of revenge into his own hands, which doesn't exactly please his superiors. And then the affair gets even more complicated when one of the most lethal assassins the gangs have turns out to have shifting loyalties. The plot is actually pretty good. The loyalties and morals always switching sides, you're never quite sure how the characters are going to react and it's all-around solid entertainment.Plus, the action works. The ending fight scene in the hospital drags a lot, but I cannot say that I didn't enjoy it. And the earlier fight scenes are all pure gold, exactly what you'd expect from John Woo.But, the story and the style do lack that edge. It feels more paint- by-numbers than it feels proper film-making. If this is the first John Woo film you'll see, you're probably going to enjoy it a lot. But he has done much better films, there's no denying that.

leonblackwood Review: I remember thinking that this movie was amazing when I first watched it, in the early 90's, because of the great action at the end and the coolness of Chow Yun-Fat but I must admit, it does look a bit dated now. The soundtrack is awful throughout the movie and the gun action seemed a bit messy and over exaggerated. Anyway, this movie is about a Hong Kong cop, Officer "Tequila" Yuen (Chow Yun-Fat), who attempts to arrest a group of gun smugglers in a tea house with his partner, Benny (Bowie Lam). During an epic shootout, Benny is killed and many of the officers are badly wounded so Tequila goes on a mission to kill the gang who ambushed there operation. Whilst seeking revenge for his partner, Tequila sets out to kill the gangster who sent out his henchmen to ambush the deal but Tequila's boss, Pang (Philips Chan) wants the gangster alive so he can testify. While all of that commotion is happening, a high ranking assassin, Alan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), works for a triad boss, Uncle Hoi but when Alan is approached by a rival gang leader, Johnny Wong (Anthony Wong) to join his gang because of his impressive gun skills, Alan turns against Hoi and they plan to raid one of Hoi's warehouses. During the raid, Wongs henchmen kill most of Hoi's workers and he demands Alan to kill Wong who is called to the scene. Because of his loyalty to his new boss, Alan kills Hoi and he's left alone with his thoughts while Wong departs. Tequila watches the whole alteration and he attempts to kill Alan but he runs out of ammo and to his surprise, Alan spares his life. Tequila is then told by Pang, that Alan is an undercover officer so they join forces to take-down Wong, while he still is undercover. Tequila's informant, Foxy (Tung Wei) gets fatally injured by Wongs henchmen and Alan shoots Foxy to show his loyalty to Wong but he knows that the shot wouldn't kill him because he gave him a lighter, which he put in his breast pocket. Foxy then tells Tequila about the whole alteration and Tequila takes Foxy to the nearby hospital because of his fatal wounds. When Wong finds out that Foxy is still alive, he sends his henchmen to the hospital to kill Foxy but Alan and Tequila are there to protect him. Whilst fighting against Wongs henchmen, Tequila and Alan come across a secret passage which leads to Wongs arsenal, which they use to defend themselves. Wong then takes the patients and police officers hostage and after killing many of them, without any remorse, Pang and his officers get involved to try and free some of the babies in the maternity ward. Tequila helps to save the babies and the hostages while Alan goes head to head with Wongs head henchman. Wong then plants bombs around the hospital, so Tequila has to fight against time to save the last baby. When Wong starts to murder some more of the patients, his head henchman decides to turns his gun on Wong because he's against killing innocent people but he runs out of ammo and is killed by Wong on the spot. While the building is exploding, Wong comes out of the hospital, holding Alan at gunpoint and Wong tries to humiliate Tequila in front of all of his fellow officers but Alan isn't having any of it and he puts up a struggle with Wong and shoots himself through the belly, giving Tequila enough time to kill him. Once again, it's another detailed storyline with loads of bullets flying throughout the movie but the whole look and feel of the film was a bit dated. I really liked Chow Yun-Fat's character because of his no fear, one man army attitude but the gun action is a bit far fetched and I personally would have enjoyed it more, if it wasn't 2 hours long. Watchable!Round-Up: This movie was John Woo's last release in his native country before he hit the Western market with Hard Target with Jean Claude Van Damme. Its the last movie that he made with Chow Yun-Fat, after a successful run of movies together, which include A Better Tomorrow I & II, the Killer and Once A Thief and I hope they come together again, before Woo decides to retire. Anyway, the signature gun action from Woo is definitely what made this a hit in the early 90's but I was expecting more the second time around.Budget: $4.5million Worldwide Gross: HK$19.7millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/crime/drama's starring Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Teresa Mo and Philip Chan. 4/10

CinemaClown An absolutely ballistic, no-holds-barred, over-the-top yet purely unadulterated action extravaganza to come out from Hong Kong during the the early 90s, Hard Boiled takes action in cinema to a whole new level with its heart-pounding & jaw-dropping sequences and cements John Woo's reputation as the most influential director when it comes to action filmmaking.The story of Hard Boiled concerns two ace cops; one is a tough-as-nails detective in his department while the other one is working as an undercover agent & has risen sharply in the underworld over the years. The plot covers their initial friction with each other followed by a mutual partnership as the two eventually team up to take down & wipe out Hong Kong's most ruthless mobster & his crime syndicate.Directed by John Woo, the film is action-packed from start to finish & features some of the most breathtaking stunts ever captured on camera. The story is equally gripping & never really gets discarded during the moments of action. Cinematography makes heavy use of slow-motions & clever angles during the action sequences yet every detail is firmly captured. Editing keeps the story explosively paced, and the background score makes effective use of jazz tracks to go with the plot.Coming to the performances, the two most impressive work comes from Chow Yun-fat & Tony Leung as the ace detective & undercover agent respectively and both exhibit a charismatic screen presence throughout the film's runtime. Anthony Wong also chips in with a brilliant contribution as the head of the Triad while his henchman Mad Dog, played by Philip Kwok, effortlessly steals every moment he is in.On an overall scale, Hard Boiled is a viciously potent, highly influential, perfectly choreographed, wildly entertaining & immensely satisfying cinema that delivers everything an action junkie can ask for. A top-gear, full-throttled action spectacle & an instant classic in every way, John Woo's Hard Boiled is a must for every film lover out there & is a template for any filmmaker looking to make a quality action entertainer.Although there are moments in the film that completely defy logic, I honestly didn't even care if the rounds in those guns never seem to go empty for the gunfights are so exquisitely filmed & fabulously shot that even after two decades, it remains in a league of its own. If you still haven't seen this genre-defining masterpiece of mayhem & destruction, then get your hands on it as soon as possible. You can thank me later.