Jul 11, 2016 john woo bullet in the head ending fight duration. Originally planned as a prequel to the successful a better tomorrow film, the movie became a standalone story after woo s falling out with his longtime collaborator tsui hark who went on to make his own a better tomorrow iii. I am thinking about getting these films by john woo. Bullet in the head 1990 initially intended as the third sequel to a better tomorrow, this particular film suffered from the fallout between woo and his longtime producer, tsui hark, a fact that resulted in woo having to finance it on his own.
When three close friends escape from hong kong to wartime saigon to start a criminals life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever. Three childhood friends run into trouble with the local authorities when a. He directed his first feature in 1973 and has been a prolific director ever since, working in a wide variety of genres before a better tomorrow 1986 established his reputation as a master. Bullet in the head follows three close friends escape from hong kong to wartime saigon to. In 1967, hong kong, ben, paul, and frank are childhood. This is the trailer for john woos bullet in the head. Any number of previous directors had used slow motion to add some tension to their action scenes, but woo made an outright art form out of it, pulling entire dramatic. Bullet in the head follows three close friends escape from. Bullet in the head internet movie firearms database.
It goes without saying that bullet in the head is one of the greatest, most moving films in john woos considerable oeuvre. Bullet in the head trailer hd 1990 john woo youtube. Bullet to the head, with sylvester stallone bluray edition is 20 must never be confused with the john woo film by a similar name, also released on dvd for us players in the original cantonese with terrible english subtitling. Not to be confused with the john woo film bullet in the head. Ben leung grows up in the hong kong slums in the late 60s with best. This clip is taken from the movie a bullet in the head 1990 from john woo. With 1997 bearing down on hong kong, john woo wrote and directed a film about the system of power corrupting even that which is most sacred i. Up until this point, there has been violence in the film but it has mostly been restricted to street level brawling, clashes between armed police and war protesters in saigon and punch ups in hong kong slums. In many ways, the killer and hard boiled are two of the greatest action movies. Jan 16, 2011 john woos bullet in the head is, quite simply put, the best film i have ever seen. With adrien brody, antonio banderas, john malkovich, rory culkin.
In truth, its drab, derivative and more than slightly silly, but its tough to dislike a movie that proceeds as if the 1990s cycle of quentin tarantino knockoffs. Read the bullet in the head movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. A civilian and a soldier become unlikely allies in this allegorical examination of friendship and the evils of war. Bullet in the head is not only one of john woo best movie, but its the most emotional work he ever done. Born in southern china, john woo grew up in hong kong, where he began his film career as an assistant director in 1969, working for shaw brothers studios. Bullet to the head is a 2012 american action film directed by walter hill. Eschewing the glamorous contract killers of woo s previous films, bullet has its carefree and idealistic characters repeatedly in untenable. If youve never seen a john woo movie before, youre in for one hell of a surprise about forty minutes into bullet in the head. Maybe a useless but very entertaining car chase followed by a. John woo, chinese film director noted for action movies that combine copious stylized violence with lyrical melodramatic depictions of male bonding. In many ways, it consists of the best and worst of woos filmmaking. However, the movie suffered due to its lack of adequate funding and the fact that it was shot in haste. Woo manages in an impressive manner to bring his trademarks like dualguns, slowmo and stylish shootouts onto screen, while at the same time creating a piece of film, that doesnt only crawl deep under your skin, but even goes right to your stomach.
Bullet in the head is a 1990 hong kong action film written, produced, edited and directed by john woo, who played police inspector, and starring tony leung. Three career criminals find themselves trapped in a warehouse with the law closing in and an even worse threat waiting inside a nigh unstoppable killer dog. Bullet in the head is without a doubt john woo s most ambitious and for many fans also his best movie. This is john woo s angriest film, by a long, long way. With kathy horner, andrew campbell, jan stychalsky, victoria sands. Bullet in the head commentary by bey logan youtube.
John woo s bullet in the head is, quite simply put, the best film i have ever seen. Set in 1967 with the effects of the vietnam war in the background, the film tells the story of three friends who flee from hong kong to vietnam, with. Three hong kong gang fighters tony leung chiu wai, jacky cheung, waise lee land in 1960s vietnam. Highly ambitious vietnam epic about the dehumanising effects of greed and repression. Official trailer for john woos bullet in the head feature film. The 1990 film bullet in the head engages at every turn. The acting is too intense for words, the way the story pans out is sublime and it is also very moving.
In 1950 woo and his family immigrated to hong kong, where they lived in a crimeridden slum. In 1967, frank, who is on his way to bens wedding, is mugged by members of a gang. Bloodshed in the streets was john woo s second movie to take place in the vietnam era. Bullet head is an intense and frightening indie drama. Three childhood friends run into trouble with the local authorities when a gang fight turns sour.
John woo bullet in the head hong kong action suspense movie. An exhausting and harrowing study of loyalty, friendship, and greed in the darkest depths of the human soul, bullet in the head found hong kong action director john woo helming one of his most personal efforts to date when the film was released in 1990. Bullet in the head 1990 trailer for john woos hallucinatory. John woo director jacky cheung frank waise lee paul. Additionally, the melodrama overshadows the action, excluding the final scene, which is done in john woos usual bloody fashion and is utterly impressive. It goes without saying that bullet in the head is one of the greatest, most moving films in john woo s considerable oeuvre. Woo recreates the infamous news photo of a vietnamese executed by a gun to his head. The film stars sylvester stallone, sung kang, sarah shahi. After pulling a heist three criminals hideout in an abandoned warehouse but soon discover that its an underground dog fighting ring, and. First off, the case looks incredibly bootlegged, but as far as i know, its legit.
With tony chiuwai leung, jacky cheung, waise lee, simon yam. So one night, i rent bullet in the head, one of the classic woo films i havent seen. I was fortunate enough to find a subtitled, uncut version of this film and i was not disappointed. Eschewing the glamorous contract killers of woo s previous films, bullet has its carefree and idealistic characters repeatedly in. Drunk kungfu master blacks out before every knock out from the magnificent butcher duration. Bullet in the head is a 1990 action drama directed by john woo.
Jacky cheung, tony leung chiu wai, waise lee, simon yam, john woo. Mention those two words, and immediately several things come to mind. Bullet in the head 1990 directed by john woo genres action subgenres action thriller, gangster film, war adventure run time 120 min. He is best known for the films a better tomorrow 1986, hard boiled 1992, broken arrow 1996, and faceoff 1997. John woo celebrity profile check out the latest john woo photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. I have hard boiled, but not a chance to watch it yet. What john woo was attempting with bullet in the head is anybodys guess, but the pieces are plainly there. Bullet in the head ist ein actionfilm des regisseurs john woo aus dem jahre 1990.
John woos brand of hyperkinetic action crime movies may be divided into two periods, the second of which beginning with 1993s hard. He is considered a major influence on the action genre, known for his highly chaotic action sequences, stylized imagery, mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to neonoir, wuxia and western cinema. The film follows the lives of three friends paul, frank, and ben during the vietnam war. Originally planned as a prequel to the successful a better tomorrow film, the movie became a standalone story after woos falling out with his longtime collaborator tsui hark who went on to make his own a better tomorrow iii. I was expecting some more of the balls to the wall, highly entertaining bullet ballets that hes known for, and while bullet in the head offers some of those, it evolves into so much more. John woo, chinese wu yusen, born may 1 or september 23, 1946. It goes without saying that bullet in the head is one of the greatest, most moving films in john woos. Bullet in the head packs an enormous emotional punch and is very much an all time classic of hong kong cinema. To watch this film, obviously, first you have to like watching sylvester stalloneat least sometimes. This john woo collection box set from fortune star contains two of his very best films, the killer and bullet in the head, and reminds us of what an exciting talent he once was. Bullet in the head 1990 woo s grimmest and most emotionally devastating flick yet, this movie combines the trademark john woo gangland action with the horrors of vietnam, and showcases the destructive power of gold fever on the heroic bloodshed bond of brotherhood between three wouldbe gangsters who try to strike it rich in the nam while. Find release information for bullet in the head 1990 john woo on allmovie allmovie. Inspired by the horrors of the tiananmen square massacre, woo has crafted an almost overwhelmingly violent antiwar film, which also happens.
733 431 1213 911 342 633 610 353 902 1282 336 1070 1500 859 218 126 1146 1035 724 959 1352 595 8 471 1019 1507 1047 1378 124 111 175 168 54 1212 1410 1157 344 97 1361 906 663 900 511 527 166