(Image courtesy of Milestone Pictures)Before his departure from China to Hollywood, John Woo made a film about a cop. A cop that didn't play by rules, drank an odd tequila and club soda mix and played the clarinet at a Jazz bar on his days off.
He was also very, very good at shooting bad guys.
While "Hard Boiled" did not make much of a critical splash in its home country, the Chinese film was a major hit when it arrived in North America, garnering a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival. Since then, the 1992 flick is widely considered to be one of the best action movies of all time.
Today, we are in an age where CG robots, smart-aleck outlaws and ensemble casts with bullets and explosions in mind make up the majority of go-to action films that fill the theaters. But even the most discerning action fan has at least heard of "Hard Boiled." But, maybe they have never seen it, and at the very least are curious about it. Sure, it is an older movie, but there are reasons (one in particular) why it has the accolades that it does. Does it hold up to the action films of today, though? Quite honestly, yes.
"Hard Boiled" stars Chow-Yun Fat as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen, a hard-drinking detective with penchants for gunplay and defying his superior. When teahouse shootout against gun-runners kills not only his partner but a key witness in the investigation, Tequila's search for the source of the guns puts him close to a crime syndicate led by Johnny Wong, despite him being pulled off the case. On the opposite end of the law, undercover cop Alan Leung (played by Tony Leung), infiltrates Wong's syndicate, while questioning the bloody road he had taken to get there.
If you've gotten used to the tropes of "non-rule-playing-cop" and "deep undercover cop," don't be too quick to judge. In stark contrast to the hail of bullets, the roles played by Yun-Fat and Leung have quite a bit of subtlety to them and are strongly acted. Tequila's inability to follow orders snappy wit squares off against Leung's need to keep cover and the stress of maintaining an alter ego. Not to say that the movie does not have its share of the dramatics, but some of them tend to tire quickly, particularly anything involving an argument between Tequila and his boss (Phillip Chan).
However, even with a surprisingly decent story (despitesome annoying plot holes), the stylishly filmed hail of bullets is the main attraction. Here, Woo seems more than content to let the guns and trigger fingers speak for themselves, and have some impressive camerawork assist. That, and well choreographed stuntwork, translate to action scenes that do not feel forced or lazy by comparison, but have a strong sense of purpose during the fighting.
Overall, they're just fun to watch. Seeing Tequila slide down a handrail in the tea house while dual wielding two pistols that should have run out of ammo three bad guys ago, shows off his style and sense of, "Yeah, I got this." The boat scene, tightly and quickly shot, was over in a matter of a mere minute, thankfully ignoring any sense of padding in the midst of two cops versus three mobsters.
Unfortunately, the warehouse scene felt the weakest. Despite the quiet storm of carnage brought on by Wong's hitman Mad Dog (Phillip Kwok), the motorcycle gunners felt cheesy, and the overall massacre of warehouse workers (despite their putting up a little fight), give a bit of dissatisfaction it all. Tequila's entrance into the brawl improves things just a bit, but as a whole, it was more "meh" then "whoa."
The hospital scene is what gives "Hard Boiled" its top billing among the action fan crowd. Constant destruction amidst a rain of bullets and a showdown between Leung and Mad Dog are but two of the highlights here, along with a team up shootout that is nothing short of exciting. With nothing more than a simple nod to one another, Tequila and Leung begin a firefight down a hallway rife with mobsters at every corner, and under any hiding place they can find. The lone shaky camera tracks the fight beautifully, never stopping as the two cops remove each threat.
"Hard Boiled" still stands as one of the penultimate action flicks for the dedicated enthusiast. Unlike the gun/explosion porn of todays blockbusters, it manages to push itself out as a spectacle that gets to the point, with no fluff or padding, while offering some great acting along the way. If you consider yourself an action junkie, this should already be in your collection.
Reach the reporter at djulienr@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @legendpenguin.
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