Hard Boiled (1992) User Reviews

Puts most action movies to shame.

[dvc5159 · 9/10 · 3 December 2007]

When someone mentions, "action movie", the first thing that gets in their minds is guns, fighting, blood, and so on. The people who they instantly think are the likes of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Willis, even the hammy Seagal, Snipes and Van Damme! Not until recently, I found myself confused about which action movie is the greatest. For me, the ultimate action hero is Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I cannot seem to find a perfect action movie.

Until I began checking up films of John Woo, and stumbled upon this baby...

Only a handful of action movies can compare to this, but most fail to be better. This movie IS the epitome of an action movie, it has never-ending thrill-a-minute stylish action sequences that just make your jaw drop in amazement. It has a body count that can be compared to most epic movies, and it has an excellent atmosphere to further enhance the story. The action sequences are a combination of outrageous, unreal and cool at the same time.

The story is weak, but not very. It provides the basis for the action to unfold. And boy, when it does, you'll have a blast! I mean, they took the premise of a basic cops and robbers tale and highly jazzed it up somehow to deliver this truly authentic and unique piece of movie making. This is not just a movie which action fans alone should see, this movie deserves to be sought and recognized by other highly-ranked film critics.

The director, John Woo, ups the ante on this one. After glorifying the gangsters in his "Better Tomorrow" movies and "The Killer" (which almost is as good as Hard Boiled), he decides to glorify the cops, and he does that, but with bigger elements. He doesn't show realism and humanism in this film, because he wanted to emphasize and slightly exaggerate on how big the elements can go. The criminals would kill lots of innocent people to complete their nefarious deeds, and the violence is hyper-stylized to the point where it becomes necessary to subdue the criminals using that technique. He combines unique Chinese Opera dancing techniques and dramatic shootouts to create stylistically significant and exhilarating gunfights for the eyes and ears to behold. The pace is hyper kinetic as Woo relentlessly dishes out whatever tricks he has up his sleeve, much to our delight.

Chow Yun-Fat's status as an action hero is immortalized here in his performance as super cop Tequila, who dodges bullets and shoot crooks while cooing a baby to sleep and covering his eyes from the ensuing violence. This scene also signifies the violence in Hong Kong back in the days, but highly stylized to create a superb action experience. Tony Leung is also splendid as the disillusioned undercover cop, who seeks to regain his humanity and reputation. The rest of the cast gave good performances, with kudos to Anthony Wong as the sadistic villain who will do anything to get what he wants (fully exampled during the film's climax), and Cheng Jue-Luh as one of the most badassed villains ever, Mad Dog.

The atmosphere of the movie further improves its credibility. John Woo's interests are shown through Tequila's passion of jazz and the beautiful and dark cinematography of Hong Kong, which, when combined together, gives an effect that signifies two different worlds, that is, the life of a cop and the life of a criminal. Also, the music score by Michael Gibbs is great, with a perfect melodramatic jazz score during dramatic scenes, and to pumping synthesizers, gritty and haunting scores during the majority of the action sequences. All of these add up to the amazing elements of the movie to make it even better.

Overall, I cannot think of any other action movie than this. This is THE action movie for film-goers, critics, and action junkies alike. This perfectly shot ballet of blood and bullets is an example of how great and reliable Asian movies can be, when we are finally tired of cliché elements from Hollywood. Mr. Woo, Your Midas Touch has its full effect here. This movie is one of the greatest action movies ever made. And I will stand by that decision for as long as I live.

A must see.

9/10

Delton

the gunplay fanatic's dream, and that's enough

[red_core · 8/10 · 9 April 2004]

If you're the average IMDB reader, you probably enjoy a good action movie every now and then, but you approach action films with a certain caution and skepticism (I can't blame you, even though I am an action junkie myself). If you're that kind of viewer, the score I would give (for you) for Hard-boiled is a 6.5. To you, this is a prototypical "good" action movie -- intense, perfectly executed, original action, shown to the tune of a forgettable and occasionally insulting story.

To action junkies, this movie is an easy 9, because the only thing that really matters is that the action is superb and the other elements, if not stellar, don't detract enough from the action to really make a difference.

Splitting the difference, we get an 8/10 -- an outstanding score.

Hard-boiled is the ultimate John Woo / Chow-Yun Fat collaboration. Chow plays an uncompromising Hong-Kong cop who "works" together with an undercover cop (an EXCELLENT Tony Leung) in the triad gun-running organization. Now, when I say "works," I mean "launches thousands of bullets, slugs, and explosive projectiles into HUNDREDS of mafioso baddies." This film has a RIDICULOUS amount of gunplay. Pretty much everyone you see on screen dies at some point. Those that don't die often come perilously close to dying, before getting up and moving on as if nothing had happened. The gunmen in this film have magical powers that enable them to fire about 100 rounds from a Beretta clip without having to reload. And the top good guys seem only vaguely concerned about the loss of innocent life -- at a teahouse, or a large hospital -- except for tiny baby life, of course -- as long as they get to kill the top triad guy. And the story... well... not incoherent, but completely implausible at many points.

Realistic? NO. Is the story good? NO. Is this relevant? Not particularly. You see, one watches a John Woo movie for two things: Strong lead characters; strong lead characters shooting their way to success in surreally choreographed gunplay scenes. "But what if I don't want to watch a movie just for that?" Well, this one forces you to! If you can stand action at all, you'll be glued to the screen the entire time. Chow is a good actor, and Tony Leung is probably even better here -- they make the obligatory story sequences compelling, and when they start firing their weapons, you can't take your eyes away. Slow-motion highlights bullets, explosions, and plaster and sparks flying every which way, even as the actors and stunt men acrobatically move through the air while evading enemy fire. It's a little hard to describe how great this really is, so you just have to take my word for it. Suffice it to say that no one does gunplay like Woo, although everyone and their mother tries. (James Cameron's technique with heavy weapons and muscular guys is the other way to do gunplay, and is great in its own, more limited right.) If you're a fan of Face/Off, an American John Woo movie that actually does not suck, you know what to expect -- but multiply that by 100.

The story and realism are not good, but this makes no difference. Suspend disbelief, and go with the flow, and you're treated to prime-quality action. There ARE however, elements of this film that drag it down quite a bit. Most of them, to me, concern Woo's depictions of violence. It's obvious the man revels in blood. Several times, you see blood spurt copiously and unnaturally -- onto a wall, a desk, even a man's or baby's face. While the action is generally frantic and quick, these shots are slow, deliberate, and in-your-face. Why? To cater to our basest instincts, like a cheap slasher film. With action scenes and character acting done so well, it's embarrassing to watch such gratuitous gore added into the mix. But that's not all! The script's "good" characters are not morally corrupt: You can see them actively trying to avoid other cops or innocent bystanders. This is superficial. The characters aren't corrupt; the final script is. At least 50 innocent people, including patients at a hospital, die violently. The film doesn't display this as a horrific event, but rather as part of the scenery, cannon fodder; the film even gets pretty despicable amusement from this, particularly in one scene involving a baby (don't worry! the baby is not hurt).

Technically speaking, the movie is perfect. Aesthetically speaking, the same is true, with the exception of the music, which is extremely cheesy at times (the sax that suddenly kicks in during "emotional" moments is unbearable -- is that some kind of HK movie thing, or what?).

Such negatives are distracting. Your ability to ignore such distractions will ultimately determine if you give this a 5 or a 9. Were it a little more humane, I'd give it a 9. As it stands, I give it: 8/10.

Brilliant

[snow0r · 9/10 · 7 April 2007]

"Hey!" Chow Yun Fat says, covering a baby's eyes. "X-Rated action!" He's not wrong: Hard Boiled is a film clearly not afraid to embrace its genre's excesses. While most modern action films (Smokin' Aces for one) aspire to some sort of grand intelligence while providing shoot-outs and explosions, this film is a reminder of times when action films suffered no such pretensions.

Crowds of people are gunned down without explanation and the smallest things explode for little or no reason. The bad guys are massively exaggerated cutthroat caricatures and the good guys never miss. Scenes of Fat and Leung running down corridors are inexplicably shot in slow motion. And, for all of these reasons, it is amazing. It's fast, it's exciting, and it never lets up.

Hard Boiled is loud, exciting, and, thanks to quite terrible dubbing and a ludicrous early 90's soundtrack, often unintentionally hilarious. It is a film that places entertainment firmly ahead of plausibility and logic, and is quite frankly awesome for it.

My number 1 personal favorite John Woo's best Hong Kong action film ever made of all time!

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 1 January 2018]

Hard Boiled is my number 1 favorite Hong Kong John Woo action film that I love to death! I absolutely love this movie to death I love it. It is one of my personal favorite movies. Hard Boiled (1992) is literally John Woo's best Hong Kong action film ever made of all time! The movie is a hard-core action, I have ever seen. It is actually the best Hong Kong action film for me. It belongs right up there with Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) the best action classic film of all time. Chow Yun-Fat, toothpick in mouth, a gun in each hand. That's all of the plot you need to know. In fact, this is THE best pure action epic ever filmed. This is my film, my personal favorite Hong Kong action film of all time.

"Give the guy a gun and he's superman, give him two and he's God."

Not even Jackie Chan can mess with this film or beat it. The only Jackie Chan film that is close to this film is Police Story. In my opinion Hard Boiled is John Woo's best HK action movie from the 90's and a true masterpiece along with Hard Target (1993) his first American movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the main role.

Chow Yun-Fat stars as Tequila, a cop hell-bent on bringing down the gun smugglers responsible for his partner's death. He teams up with an undercover cop Tony Leung whose secret identity as a Triad hit man hangs on thread.

Hard Boiled is my favorite John Woo's HK action movies. This action movie with twists around, The Hong Kong Cinema Hard Boiled has everything in it, no CGI, the stunts are real, the explosions are bigger and the plot of the film is amazing you can get in to the story without guessing what is going to happened and what the plot is about. The warehouse scenes and a shooting a motorcycles in an explosions from Tequila is my favorite scenes in the movie. Sometimes to me it come for this movie is similar to Miami Vice when Tony Leung was undercover cop on a boat he remind me on Sonny Crockett, but the shout outs in this film are awesome. Just Miami Vice TV series where more about drug cartels, this is arms dealer weapons about triads.

The stunts are real and very dangerous. There was a hospital siege which was actually Die Hard in a hospital. Hard Boiled is a classic action film from Hong Kong, they don't make movies like this anymore. Phillip Chan is also in this film which I forgot to mention in my review Philip Chan was also in Van Damme's Bloodsport. You have a great action sequences in the tea house, where the guns are hitting in the bird cage, he shoots a dozen guys and saves a baby, the hospital sequences are real. The first time I saw this film I had no idea that how great film it is, the greatest movie of all time in the cinema. John Woo is also as a bartender in this film. The hospital sequences for me is real, the action is real. The best Chow Yun-Fat and John Woo movie ever made.

Hard Boiled is a 1992 Hong Kong action film written by Barry Wong and directed by John Woo. It stars Chow Yun-fat as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

10/10 I love this movie to death it is my favorite Hong Kong Action film and it is my second favorite film that I love. It is also my number 2 favorite action film.

"Give the guy a gun and he's superman, give him two and he's God."

[Backlash007 · 10/10 · 25 August 2003]

Chow Yun Fat, toothpick in mouth, a gun in each hand. That's all of the plot you need to know. Hard Boiled was my first John Woo movie and, in my opinion, his best. No other action movie comes close to this. In fact, this is THE best pure action epic ever filmed. Upon viewing it, I immediately fell in love with Woo's style and his star. It's full of the most stylized gunfights ever seen and Chow Yun Fat is the definition of cool. The full blown finale defies description. Someone once called it an action fan's wet dream. There's not much more I can say because actions speak louder than words. So go see the movie.

Truly mind-blowing action flick.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 10/10 · 26 June 2001]

Director John Woo has a powerful and explosive style that will leave you breathless after watching this extremely violent action flick.The camera is everywhere flying from place to place.And there are people everywhere.All of them firing a gun or two.I have never seen such energy before.The violence in "Hardboiled" is very brutal and well directed.The last half hour of this film,which take place in the hospital is full of inventive action sequences.Chow Yun-Fat is really good as a tough policeman and it's also very nice to see Anthony Wong("Bunman:Human Meat Pies","Dr Lamb","Bullet in the Head")-what a great performance!I like Hong Kong-action films by John Woo.Anyway, if you're tired of Hollywood's action trash,then this one is a must-see.Recommended!

Classic Hong Kong action film

[bob the moo · 29 October 2001]

Ever since John Woo came to America he seems to have lost the ability to crack the stylish violence up to 10. Only Face/Off has really come close to the type of style that he displayed in Hong Kong - Hard Boiled being a perfect example.

Hard Boiled sees cop "Tequila" Yuen (Chow Yun Fat) lose his partner in a violent shoot out in a tea-house and aims to bring revenge on the gangs causing chaos on the streets. During the film he come across a deadly assassin Tony (Tony Leung) who may or may not be an undercover police officer.

The film's plot is pretty good considering with several double crosses, good twists and the bonding relationship of Leung and Fat. However this is all about the action scenes and these are spectacular. Full of highly stylish violence, double handed gunplay and exciting near misses. Fat and Leung are both excellent in their roles but the stars here are the action scenes.

The only problem with this is that it is very violent and may be a turn off for some. That said if you're watching a John Woo Hong Kong film then you're probably not that bothered about a bit of stylish killing.

"Mr. Action" Delivers Again

[jhclues · 9/10 · 29 December 2000]

Master of Action John Woo delivers once again with his hard-hitting, action-packed thriller `Hard Boiled,' starring Chow Yun-Fat as a veteran cop known as `Tequila,' Hong Kong's answer to San Francisco's own `Dirty Harry.' In this one, an undercover officer infiltrates a gangland Triad dealing arms, and when a rival gang threatens to take over, Tequila joins in the melee, and once it begins the action never stops until the last of the credits have rolled off into the recesses of the darkened screen. Along the way there are tests of loyalty, mistaken identities and a staggering display of superbly choreographed violence. There's a couple of plot twists, but it's a rather straightforward story, and as usual, Woo melds it with the action with his trademark style and perfection. The action sequences are incredibly well staged and delivered, but so exceedingly violent that it passes beyond reality at times (especially during the climax) into a somewhat surreal state of being, only to be ultimately drawn back in again by the grounded core of the story. It's a fine line that Woo treads successfully time after time in an arena in which many other `action' directors have foundered. A consummate professional, Woo knows exactly what he wants and what works, and he doesn't quit until he gets it. Among the directors of the `action' genre, he is quite simply the best there has ever been. As the somewhat jaded and `hard Boiled' cop, the charismatic Chow Yun-Fat demonstrates that if Jackie Chan can team up with Chris Tucker, he most certainly could find a place at Eastwood or Gibson's side. He has the attitude and the look that make his character credible, which helps anchor Woo's art in reality, albeit a rather violent one. As with the `Dirty Harry' or `Lethal Weapon' movies, it gives the audience someone to whom they can relate and root for. And it's all buoyed with symbolism and metaphor and Woo's impeccable sense of timing and deft and sparing use of slow motion, which in his hands becomes an extremely effective tool. The supporting cast includes Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Alan),Teresa Mo (Teresa Chang), Philip Chan (Superintendent Pang), Hoi-Shan Kwan (Mr. Hui) and Philip Kwok (Mad Dog). The true brilliance of Woo's films lies in the fact that he never sacrifices story for action, but instead blends the two together to create a whole that is artistically rendered (his action sequences are something akin to visual poetry) and substantial, rather than having an action film that-- like so many others of the genre-- is hollow inside. Like his earlier film, `The Killer,' which also starred Yun-Fat, `Hard Boiled' pushes the envelope and will keep you on the edge, right along with the characters in the film, right until the very end. As with all of Woo's movies, this one is a satisfying foray into the intense, cutting edge `Action' world of one of Cinema's Master directors, and a must-see for any true film buff. I rate this one 9/10.

Relentless and explosive

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 7/10 · 10 July 2004]

An action film at heart. The story of gun smuggling is just a backing just big enough to support the relentless action scenes.

Motorcycles exploding in mid-air, cars blowing up, shotguns, pistols, submachine guns, bombs...it's all here.

They all make for some of the best action sequences ever filmed. A good mix of the gritty and realistic with the improbable and totally fake. Though I think that the ending is bit too much. But what can you expect from Woo aside from a molotov cocktail of intense explosive action and violence?

Action and cult movie fans are advised to watch this film, however others might be turned off by it. 7/10

Rated R: intense strong violence

The mother, father, brother, and third cousin of all action films.

[CurtisG-3 · 10/10 · 12 April 2000]

So what if Chow Yun Fat fires a hundred rounds apiece from his pistols without reloading? Who cares whether shotgun rounds explode when they impact? Hard Boiled isn't about the reality, it's about the action--which is so over-the-top that reality takes a back seat. HB is like Tequila's toothpick: It's all about the Cool.

John Woo bombastic masterpiece

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 9 November 2015]

Hong Kong police detective "Tequila" Yuen (Chow Yun-fat) raids a triad gunrunning scheme from China into HK. His partner is killed in the shootout. He executes a gangster and is ordered off the case. Alan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) is an expert assassin hired by the gang to kill off its rivals.

Director John Woo has an unique overblown action style. It is massive, bombastic with the prerequisite slow motion replay and Mexican standoffs. For fans of his style, this is heaven. For me, it gets a bit repetitive. It's big but not necessarily intense. The story is a bit messy. The lead actors are great and the movie keeps my interest throughout.

One of the most impressive slices of actionentertainment ever made!

[action-6 · 10/10 · 15 May 2000]

Hard Boiled was the first Hong-Kong-movie that I saw. The movie blew me away. I had never seen so much action, so much violence, so many cool characters and above all perfectly coreographed action. Excellent actor Chow Yun-Fat plays Tequila, a cop who is determined to crush the biggest syndicate in Hong-Kong, after his partner and friend was killed in a shoot-out at a teahouse. The action in this movie is so intense, that you will not believe it untill you`ve actually seen this classic movie. This movie is better and a lot more violent than anything Hollywood has ever made. I thought that this was the best actionmovie ever made, until I saw "The Killer"(also directed by John Woo and starring Yun-Fat). American actionmovies like Face/Off are kindergarten, when compared to the likes of Hard Boiled and The Killer.

10/10

An amazing action film which has influenced many national cinemas all over the world

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 7/10 · 18 February 2009]

Hard Boiled-a top notch action film from Hong Kong must be hailed as a true role model for all action films.It is one of the best action films of its kind where speedy action mixes freely with dramatic sequences.This is something which creates a feeling in the minds of viewers that they are not being taken for granted as everything that is being depicted is serving some kind of purpose.One of most amazing things about John Woo's film "Lat sau san taam" is that its actions scenes are truly unbelievable.They have been filmed with such an accurate precision that they would easily put to shame some of the most accomplished artists whose every stroke is the result of immense patience and concise concentration.Hard Boiled is also a film with a bizarre twist as we get to see some hardworking cops mixing freely with hardened criminals.Although gang violence is a core issue of the film John Woo has not deceived fans of melodrama by showing how difficult it is to lead a life of a cop.The best part of this film comes in the form of John Woo appearing every now and then à la Alfred Hitchcock.

Was I wrong to expect a plot?

[hubcap18 · 3/10 · 19 October 2003]

This movie was a real disappointment. My brother is a fan of cult movies, and I decided to watch because I like John Woo. Sure, there was plenty of action, but the film was devoid of anything else. It was just two hours of blood and gunplay. That wasn't the only thing wrong with this movie. Although this was more the fault of the DVD maker, some of the subtitles(English) disappeared too fast for me to read them! The action was also very repetitious. Where's the plot? At least other Woo films like Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2 had somewhat unique plots, especially Face/Off. This one was just a two hour exhibition of people firing handguns at each other. Another thing wrong with this film were the sound effects. The sound was very low quality and unrealistic. I watched the Usual Suspects about 50 minutes after this film and was amazed at how much better the gunfire sounded in that film compared to this one. I can't really think of anyone to recommend this movie to. 3/10

AWESOME

[zdz8888 · 1 August 2001]

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. No movie has ever had this level of stylishly directed action, NOT EVEN CLOSE. This movie has the 3 best action sequences in the history of cinema, PERIOD.

The story is about a cop named Tequila who, at the beginning of the film, loses his good friend and fellow cop, in a teahouse shoot-out. He goes against all orders in trying to bring down the Triad that caused his friends death. In doing so, he inadvertantly finds out that there is an undercover cop, Tony, in the Triad he is trying to bring down, and eventually teams up with him.

This isn't your standard buddy cop fair like Lethal Weapon with tons of cheesey lines, dorky action and sappy side stories. The dialogue is insightful the action is the best ever and the side stories are well thought out, if a bit abbreviated (due to lack of time to shoot John Woo admits).

Tequila is trying to deal with a failed relationship and the death of his partner, Tony is torn against blowing his cover and defending his honor and the Lieutenant insists on playing it by the book even though it isn't fair.

John Woo said he made this film in honor of the men and women of the Hong Kong police force and the good work they do. He wanted to make a movie about the good guys winning. What he has done is made one of the most pivitol action films ever made, influencing every action movie since.

Best Action Movie in the world

[Li_85 · 10/10 · 12 June 2006]

If you like movies with guns and action, more guns and action, this is your movie. Hard Boiled is simply the Best Action movie of all time. Hard Boiled is given the name Most Violent Movie by many critics, when it first released. If you see this movie, you'll know exactly why. John Woo is in my opinion the Best Action Movie director. If you see this movie carefully, he does many Action Scenes in one camera take. One spectacular scene is the ending where the Hospital is hijacked and The Two Heroes are shooting there way out. Its like a computer game, a shoot em up that reminds you of Virtual Cop. The scene shows both actors Shooting a dozen guys each and moving one place to another on the same floor of the hospital. This is a 2 minutes scene that was recorded in one take. This is one example of his great directions. Chow Yun Fat is brilliant as the hard boiled cop. Tony Leung is superb as the undercover cop and Hit man. This is a roller coaster ride of Violence and Entertains to the max.

One of the best action movies from Hong Kong or anywhere else

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 25 July 2016]

I was highly anticipating seeing this, one of John Woo's most acclaimed films. Having seen and loved HARD TARGET and FACE/OFF, I had heard about how good this film was, and I literally couldn't wait to see it after all the good words were said. Did it fulfil my expectations in the end? Hell, yes! The police procedural style plot will be familiar to anyone who's a fan of Hong Kong crime thrillers. We get an on-the-edge cop, and his murky world of villains, grasses, and untrustworthy allies. It's a simplistic plot in the extreme, averagely written, nothing much to set it aside from all the others. Chow Yun-Fat is good, yes, but he hardly sets the screen alight.

And then comes the action. Starting off with a tea-house shoot-out, it ranges from massive showdowns in warehouses to the forty-five minute, hospital-set climax. During this time in which my opinion of the film completely changed. The hospital shoot-out has to be one of the best moments ever in an action film, it just goes on and on as criminal after criminal is shot, no, riddled with bullets, glass smashes, and literally loads of people die. Then the building gets set on fire, and babies are being rescued while Chow runs around shooting people with two guns in one of the longest, yet most consistently exciting action sequences ever filmed.

I loved it. I hope, in the course of things, that I can discover more films which equal this kind of spectacle. Since I wrote the above comments I've rewatched HARD-BOILED a number of times and it's grown on me every time, offering perfectly shot action, full of excitement, highly stylised and never letting up on the violence and bloodshed. Tremendous, unsurpassable stuff.

Seriously one of the best action films out there

[wrathchild-71087 · 10/10 · 12 February 2018]

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!

"Give a guy a gun, he thinks he's Superman. Give him two and he thinks he's God."

[Hey_Sweden · 9/10 · 24 June 2018]

A cool-as-can-be Yun-Fat Chow ("The Killer") stars as the character with the title personality. Hong Kong police inspector "Tequila" Yuen is out to righteously destroy the gun running mobsters who caused the death of his partner. To do so, he will disregard the words of his superior (Philip Chan, "Double Impact") and team up with Alan (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, "Infernal Affairs"), a cop working *deep* undercover as a Triad hitman. Their primary nemesis will be a brash, psychotic young mobster named Johnny Wong (Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, "The Painted Veil"), who's keeping his not-so-secret stash of weaponry in an unlikely location.

This viewer has seen the films made by HK action specialist John Woo in America, but had still needed to experience the original genre films with which he established himself. Suffice it to say, this one lives up to its reputation. We've seen many expertly executed action sequences in the genre over the years, but here Woo takes this element to a whole other level. There's a degree of intensity here that is a true revelation. Squeamish audience members will be dismayed by the sheer volume of beautiful bloodletting on display, but people not bothered by gore will be amazed. This is an *operatically* violent film in which even heroes don't emerge unscathed. Lots of characters will be required to take their lumps before this is over.

And yet, the story is an engaging and very involved one, giving its participants some key moments. One of Tequilas' defining characteristics is his affinity for jazz music, the path he would have chosen had he not decided to become a cop instead.

Chow and Leung are vibrant performers, and get some great chemistry going. The supporting cast is first-rate, with the distinctively featured Wong making a memorable impression as the bad guy. The only female in a featured role is the gorgeous Teresa Mo as Tequilas' co-worker and girlfriend, but she gets to do some heroic things herself during the extended finale in a hospital.

And this finale is not just one set piece, but a whole series of them. It's so dazzling and explosive that you're hardly able to catch your breath.

The sight of guys leaping sideways with guns in both hands certainly has become quite the iconic image for fans of the genre. Woo deserves all the accolades that he receives for his home-grown efforts.

Nine out of 10.

'HARD-BOILED' provides fast and furious set pieces with unstopped action

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 January 2007]

This noisy action film deals with a dedicated cop (Chow Yun Fat) who join forces with a strange murderer (Tony Leung) working as a mob enforcer to chase a ring of weapon dealers . The gang is commanded by a vicious killer . The only answer to stop the ominous assassin seems to be his death in cold blood . Besides , it happens some romantic touches when his girlfriend (Terese Mo) asks him insistently marry themselves .

The picture contains frenetic action , spectacular explosions , emotions , incredible gun-down and lots of explicit and grisly violence . Exciting and bloody action thriller which became one of Hong Kong's grossest ever and gained international reputation with success around world , although sometimes the violence could be deemed excessive . Fairly awesome vehicle Chow Yun Fat as a two-fisted police inspector , while Tony Leung goes undercover to infiltrate an organized crime ring . Chow gets to play splendidly a heavy and Tony Leung makes a terrific tough hit man . Film displays an overlong showdown in the hospital with ultra-violent confrontation and explosive set pieces. John Woo , who also wrote the screenplay , appears as an employee in a Jazz club where Chow plays music . Taut , suspenseful direction by Woo but delivers the extreme action required of the genre , though it is not as assured as his later American work (Mission impossible 2 , Face off) . Followed by inferior sequels . Rating : Better than average . It's a fun , surprise-filled entertainment for the cinema action lovers .

Hard Boiled (along with Hong Kong cinema) has found a new fan in me

[kingofdanerds · 10/10 · 15 August 2021]

I am not a huge expert when it comes to talking about foreign cinema whatsoever. But I know enough about a specific foreign film called Hard Boiled. Hard Boiled is a Hong Kong film released in 1992 where it was first released in Hong Kong and eventually North America. The film was directed by John Woo (Face/Off) and stars Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs). The film was a huge success critically worldwide but according to sources was not as big of a box office success in Hong Kong when compared to Woo's other films. The film would receive a sequel in the form of a videogame in 2007 called Stranglehold (of which I have played and would recommend if you are a fan of this film).

Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat) is a tough cop. While doing his cop work, he finds out about an undercover cop (Tony Leung), who is going undercover as part of a scheme to get into the Triad gang. But this cop's cover is about to be blown.

I seriously cannot express my true feelings for this film. I have not quite seen anything like it before and perhaps never will again. This is a film that proves John Woo is one of the best. He knows how to perfectly film an action scene. There is not any sort of quick and choopy edits with the scenes but rather we get to see everything happen and it is quite beautiful in fact. The scenes are exciting and hard hitting and went beyond. The camera work is absolutely amazing. The effects are even more impressive seeing that this was at a time when action films were not CGI. So when something explodes in a beautiful fireball, that is real. Gunplay is top notch here. Words fail me, so pardon for me being so basic here. Let's just say that if you have seen great action films like Terminator 2, Die Hard, Robocop etc., Hard Boiled is all of those films combined times one hundred in terms of action scenes which are often considered some of the best action scenes of all time and rightfully so. But what is a good film without it's story and characters/acting? Well, the story is a nice thriller that without the action is suspenseful on it's own and is well acted. For me, foreign films (for me, that is films released outside American) are hard to decide whether a performance is good or not simply by line deliveries alone. So what I look for is facial expressions and just body movement. Got to give credit to these actors because their facial expressions and body movements alone tell me that they are good actors. The characters are memorable with Tequila being a hard ass. But oddly enough, the way I see it, this film is much like Big Trouble In Little China where the main actor portrays the supposed main character/hero. In that film, Kurt Russell plays Jack Burton but the real hero and main character in a sense is Dennis Dun's character. With this film, Tony Leung's character Alan, makes it out to be that this film is more about him and I am completely fine with that. One last thing (that I can think of) that is worth mentioning about this film is it's music. We get some decent jazz music and more.

Hard Boiled is perhaps one of the best, if not the best action film of it's kind. It does something unique and rather different with the genre and does so fantastically.

Hong Kong Action

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 27 May 2015]

A tough-as-nails cop (Chow Yun-fat) teams up with an undercover agent (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) to shut down a sinister mobster (Anthony Wong) and his crew.

When you think about great action films, the decade you probably think about is the 1980s. For whatever reason, that decade made some of the finest action films (and horror films), which have not yet been matched. And the company responsible for them was often Cannon.

Somehow, Hong Kong and Golden Princess did not get the memo. With John Woo at the helm, he makes what may be his best film. Apparently Asian audiences prefer "The Killer" and American audiences like "Hard Boiled". They are each good in their own way, but this one is above and beyond when it comes to the action department.

One of the best over-the-top action movies from Hong Kong...

[paul_haakonsen · 8/10 · 23 June 2018]

"Hard Boiled" (aka "Lat sau san taam") is indeed the embodiment of the pinnacle of director John Woo's career and it is definitely one of the movies that helped define the action genre of the 1990s for the Hong Kong cinema.

While realisms takes a backseat throughout the course of "Hard Boiled", then the action and adrenaline takes the lead, and those things do carry the movie quite well. Everything in the movie is so outrageous that realisms has no chance of bidding in with anything. Bullet count? Don't even bother, because that is non-existing here. So every single handgun and rifle has infinite ammo, well right until it becomes a pivotal scene for the storyline, then suddenly there is no more ammo.

The movie starts out in a high pace and it doesn't really slow down. So that was a great accomplishment on behalf of director John Woo.

The storyline, while it is not the most complex of storylines and plot ever to have been constructed, is actually entertaining and does have some nice turns to it. Was it predictable? It most certainly was. But it is the type of storyline that picks you up and carry you along for a great action-packed thrill ride.

One of the more impressive things about "Hard Boiled" aside from the amazing action sequences, was the cast. They had Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong together in this movie; three of the major names in Hong Kong cinema.

"Hard Boiled" is actually a rather violent movie if you take a step back and look at it from an aesthetic viewpoint. There is a lot of violence in the movie and a lot of innocent bystanders do get gunned down throughout the course of the movie. But doesn't that sort of add some perverse sense of realism as well, because psychotic people would actually succumb to such wanton random violence and bloodshed.

I have watched "Hard Boiled" many times, and return to it every now and again solely because of the impressive action and the ultra fast pace that there is to the movie. And "Hard Boiled" was actually one of the reasons why I have such a profound and deep love for the Hong Kong cinema.

It has more gun shootings, explosions, non stop bullets blazing than most war films but also has a ridiculous baby peeing n wire holding jump scene.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 15 September 2020]

I first saw this in the mid 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. I am not generous with an 8 inspite of the film an all out action fiesta cos of the absurd baby peeing scene n the lame wire holding jump scene. It was John Woo's last Hong Kong film before his transition to Hollywood n the film is filled with massive amount of gun shootings, people flying/jumping, bullets blazing non stop, the slo mo, etc. Dont worry, the lack of pigeon n birds flying is substituted by a pigeon painting. It has guys wearing silly n ill fitted suits n blazers n we have Mad Dog, an honorable, deadly, one eyed fighter. The villain's lair/vault for hiding arms n ammunitions is very innovative but at the same time a big wtf.

Its impossible to hold a rope/wire in one arm n jump from top. U dont get a proper grip n chances of shoulder dislocation n rotator tear.

The baby peeing scene is copied by a Bollywood film Shapath (1997), a very lousy film.

Bullets, ballet and bloodletting. Oh, and Bonkers!

[j30bell · 5/10 · 22 December 2004]

There can be few cop movies which can boast a body count higher than Spielberg's entire Omaha Beach Landing in the first 5 minutes. Possibly no cop film except, of course, Hard Boiled.

Hard Boiled is John Woo's Hong Kong swansong, and many regard it as his finest film. It stars young Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu Wai, two of the finest actors in Hong Kong; the usual "maverick cop hunts big boss bad guy" routine; oh, and lots and lots of blood. Imagine a slightly more realistic version of the Arnie midi-gun sequence in T2 – more realistic in that when someone starts firing a midi-gun and blowing up cars, the cops get killed. That, in a nutshell, is the plot of Hardboiled. All two hours and six minutes of it.

The plot – well that makes about as much sense as a wolverine in a fruit salad, but I'm not sure addicts of HK Cinema care too much about that. Tequila (maverick cop and certified nutcase with a heart of gold - Chow Yun Fat) shouts and swears at his boss, shoots up bad guys, gets drunk and ends up (implausibly, if iconically) in a hospital, holding a baby in one hand and a shot gun in the other. Tony Leung lives Miami Vice-Style on a boat (alas, no Alligator) while committing murder, getting paid by the HK Police, and wearing loose tee-shirts with white jackets.

If all this sounds like style over substance – erm… that's 'cos it is.

The film definitely has its moments. In fact, like most John Woo films, it seems mostly to be a series of moments strung together to feature length. It also has some real grit. I appreciated the scene where a regular cop kills an undercover cop by mistake in a raid. Realistic, and not something that Hollywood would ever broach (the closest to this is in a truly class film like The Reservoir Dogs).

However, while this is a true Hong Kong bullets and ballet classic, Western audiences are likely to feel slightly cheated by its totally bonkers story. Less bonkers than many, perhaps, but that's not really saying much.

I enjoyed it. It was a guilty pleasure, but I'm man enough to admit I enjoyed it. John Woo has yet to make a better film. And has never yet made a sensible one, so don't blame him or me if you find it a bit daft. 5/10 (but watchable).