IFWT #48 - The Killer (1989)

While John Woo might only be known to the broader audience as the man behind explosion-filled, bullet-ridden 90s American action films such as Face Off, Hard Target & Broken Arrow, his directing career actually began in his native Hong Kong more than 40 years ago. During a pivotal time in East Asian cinema, Woo was making big noise, literally and figuratively, with films like A Better Tomorrow & Bullet In The Head, which combined outlandish gunfights with philosophical undercurrents. The Killer is another such movie. Starring John Woo stalwart Chow Yun-fat alongside Danny Lee & Sally Yeh, it’s a meditation on not just killers themselves, but also on the act of killing and its moral implications. Part over the top action film, part existential think piece, we take this episode to examine how well these elements blend together, and see if the film’s reputation, both at home and oversees, still holds up over 3 decades after its initial release.