Regie:
John WooDrehbuch:
Barry WongKamera:
Horace WongMusik:
Michael GibbsBesetzung:
Yun-fat Chow, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Wong, Phillip Kwok, Stephen Tung, John Woo, Pai Wei, Jun Kunimura, Philip Chan, Teresa Mo, Pau-chung Tong (mehr)Inhalte(1)
Inspector Yuen (Chow Yun-Fat) vom Hongkong-Police-Department setzt alles daran, die brutalen Waffenschieber-Syndikate Hongkongs für immer zu zerschlagen. Seit Monaten werden Undercover-Agenten eingeschleust und Vorbereitungen für den vernichtenden Schlag getroffen, um hinter die Identität eines Vermittlers zu kommen, der seine schmutzigen Geschäfte in einem chinesischen Teehaus abwickelt. Als Yuen dort auftaucht um einen weiteren Waffendeal zu vereiteln, eskaliert die Situation. Es kommt zu einer wilden Schießerei, bei der die Hauptverdächtigen, aber auch viele Unschuldige den Tod finden. Inspector Yuen steht wieder ganz am Anfang. Doch in seiner sturen Entschlossenheit, Gerechtigkeit auszuüben, bleibt den Waffenschiebern auf der Spur und bricht dabei mit Unterstützung von Tony (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) alle Regeln des Gesetzes. (e-m-s)
(mehr)Kritiken (9)
It's excellent, perhaps the best among all the films where John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat collaborated, but I can't help feeling that when you've seen one of their films, you've seen almost all of them. The gunshots are absolutely captivating; here, you really feel like human bodies are being torn apart. Especially at the end, it's a violent orgy. Otherwise, it's not a film that would make me orgasmic. It’s action-packed, but I might have expected a bit more from it.
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Ein perfektionistischer Knüller, der alle anderen Actionfilme übertrifft. Es ist fast unglaublich, dass ein Film, der so lang ist und so viele Schießereien enthält, nicht überladen, krampfhaft und später langweilig wirkt. Dieser Film ist das komplette Gegenteil. Die letzte halbe Stunde ist ein Beweis dafür, dass John Woo von einem anderen Planeten kommt.
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Tequila slammers, toothpicks, babe in arms, hundreds of smashed tiles and thousands of spent rounds. A perfect piece, down to the smallest detail, from John Woo, Fat and everybody else involved. This ode to action is incredible not only for a John Woo movie. Especially the brothers’ finale in the hospital is inimitable and unmatchable. If you are used to politically correct American productions, you will be shocked by the mass shooting of civilians or the brutal action overflowing with visuals typical for John Woo. Often in his pictures the action element plays just a supporting role to a drama involving two men, and here it is the same, although that motif takes much more of a back seat here. Even the scenes with kids, which elsewhere would be superficially cheap, are handled perfectly here. The entire movie gets by without any humorous element, with the honorable exception of two “sorta" snappy lines at the very end. The only negative aspect of this movie is the rather too disruptive music. One of the zeniths of Hong Kong “gun" movies.
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Had I seen this film at the time of its release, I would have gone higher with the rating for sure. Today, however, the film doesn't offer much anymore, the competition is really strong! There is not much of a story to speak of, at least there's a decent portion of action that is very brutal, clear and very innovative for the 90's. Today only 75%.
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At my age, a person usually already knows what brings them joy and what they should avoid. However, it doesn't hurt to confirm one's priorities and prejudices from time to time. A film in its genre rated as top quality should serve for that. Action films are not my cup of tea, but why not try one of the highest-rated films in its category for a change? Well, I won't lie, in a way, it was quite a spectacle. Action completely devoid of any dependence on physical laws, guns with eight rounds that fire fifty times in a row, a simple story without any elementary logic, flat characters that fit perfectly into their boxes, fighters who take out ten opponents without even breaking a sweat - and so forth. Thank you, I have confirmed all the negatives I feel toward such productions, and if I ever feel the need to be distracted by an action film in the future, I'll watch The Bourne Identity. Practically no genre is as overrated on FilmBooster as East Asian action films. In any other genre, whether it's horror, fantasy, sci-fi, or anything else, there are enough naysayers who can tarnish the enthusiasm of uncritical fans. Surprisingly, it doesn't work like that in this group. Hard Boiled is a one-dimensional film without any significant impact, but it is filmed with professionalism and actors who behave with absolute certainty within the confines of the script. Overall impression: 25%.
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Neat action and cool lines. Both John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat are on their best form here. Technically almost perfect action scenes, ingenious and still surprises after all these years. I’m telling you, this movie suited me down to the ground. Tequila’s apt remarks were really to my taste. A classic that I plan on watching again soon.
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A pioneer of the action genre, with amazing camera and editing work, revolutionary shooting sequences, long shots without cuts, breathtaking stunt work. Before all the modern Hunts, Bonds, Bournes, and Wicks, there was a detective with a cigarette in his mouth and two guns on his belt who set the direction for what action films would look like decades later.
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If Killer has an action drive and narrative poetics that are hard to describe and put into words, there is simply no name in the known universe for the breakneck pace of Hard Boiled. I guess that if all those who couldn't shoot their way through the story and stay alive were Jews, this would have been by far Adolf Hitler's favourite film (if he had the chance to see it, of course) :D You just don't see this kind of disrespectful deprivation of life not only of hundreds of bad guys, but also of dozens of innocent civilians – almost untouchable in Hollywood conventions – anywhere else. Though I'm probably one of the few who didn't fully enjoy the nature of the final hospital shootout, which at times descended into heavy parody, the level of experience of the cinematic action with its grandiose visuals and cleverly upgraded "background" story remains as pure and intense as in few other action films of the 1990s and all the years since.
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As a film critic, watching Hard Boiled was a missing piece in my collection, especially since most viewers claim it’s the greatest classic in the action genre in cinema. And I must admit, in terms of this rating, it truly has no competition. John Woo created a revolutionary film where shootouts need to be both effective and visually striking; his depiction of these sequences is truly unparalleled—it’s a feast for the eyes, whether it’s the moments in the warehouse or the final half-hour showdown in the hospital (I wouldn’t even want to count how much ammunition was fired in total; that number would probably have a lot of zeros), which left my jaw on the floor. So, in this respect, the film is excellent. On the other hand, the story doesn’t offer a thrilling experience full of unexpected twists that will blow you away. It’s a template-like linear affair that moves along nicely (at least it avoids boredom). Yun-fat Chow is perfect. So, I definitely recommend watching the film; it’s worth it. I give it 80%.
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