The Killer

Title: The Killer
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Action, Romantic, Thriller
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat
Language: Chinese
Director: John Woo

“Do all killers have a sense of honour?”

Another John Woo classic action film, it’s uncommon to find one where the dramatic aspect is performed so aptly. The characters are fully fleshed out, believable unique and yet flawed, the action comes as thick and fast as you could want, with his standard ‘gun-fu’ style of gunplay antics that inspired many modern action films. With no simple ‘love interest’ tacked on, she performs a critical role to the story. Forget his Hollywood atrocities such as “Paycheck” and “MI:2,” 20 years since its release, this film shows John Woo at his best.

Following the character of ‘Ah Jong’ (Yun-Fat), the assassin with a heart, working indirectly for the Triad through his friend – an elder in the organisation – he has an unconventional sense of morality and honour. It doesn’t take long for him to accidentally injure the object of his affections, the singer ‘Jenny’ (Sally Yeh), whom he risks his own life in order to attain the funds to afford the surgery she desperately needs, annoying not only the Triad in doing so, but the police – led by the reckless cop Li Ying (Danny Lee) – have also noticed his extravagant antics.

It is the depth of the characters, and perhaps more importantly, how they are worked into the script that delivers its impact. From the assassin considered a cold-blooded murderer by the police, yet known by the Triad as being too honourable and caring to much for the innocent bystanders, being chased by the cliché police character – perhaps at times borrowing too much from ‘Dirty Harry’ and similar ilk – who nevertheless performs aptly as he comes to understand his mindset. And this is not forgetting the driving force behind the plot; the romantic interest, prominent in many scenes it is the determination shown by ‘Ah Jong,’ the recklessness disregard for himself in an attempt to rescue her that feels more than a simplistic love interest, transforming it from your run-of-the-mill action romp into a doomed, desperate struggle for the woman he loves.

Despite this detailed plot, it never gets in the way of what the core of this film should be about; the action. With enough threatening gun pointing to prove that the likes of Tarantino’s “Resevoir Dogs” or “Pulp Fiction” owe a lot to Woo, a constant flow of explosions, double crosses, a seemingly endless supply of machine-gun-toting bad guys getting riddled with bullet holes, gun stunts and dramatic dives for cover, not to mention the ever fitting final shoot out providing one of the most memorable battles put to film. The relationships between characters aren’t drawn out with extensive talking, they’re quickly put to the test at gun point, and its here you realise who you’re real friends are.

Forget Tarantino. Ignore that latest ‘big-budget’ film relying on nifty CGI in place of a well written script, for this is one of John Woo’s finest and even 20 years since its release demonstrates that no amount of money or effects is an adequate substitute for actual talent.