Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.
Direction
Woo's gunfights are choreographed like tragic opera.
Acting
Chow Yun-Fat makes killing look soulful, almost holy.
Cinematography
Every frame worships smoke, neon, and flying shell casings.
Director
John Woo
Chow Yun-Fat
Jong
Danny Lee Sau-Yin
Insp. Li Ying / Little Eagle
Sally Yeh
Jennie
Paul Chu Kong
Sidney Fung
Kenneth Tsang
Sgt. Tsang Yeh
Shing Fui-On
Hay Wong Hoi
Tommy Wong
Teddy Wong Hung
James Ha Chim-Si
Teddy's Man
Ricky Wong Chun-Tong
Frank Chen
Parkman Wong Pak-Man
Inspector Chan
Teddy Yip Wing-Cho
Tony Wong Tung Yuen
Alan Ng Siu-Hung
Sniper
Yang Sheng
Bodyguard A
Lo Hung
Review Board Officer (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This film essentially created the 'heroic bloodshed' genre, directly inspiring Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and The Matrix's lobby scene. Hollywood spent a decade trying to copy what Woo did with two pistols and a church.
The iconic church finale was shot in a real Hong Kong chapel that production could only afford for three days; Woo storyboarded 72 shots per day. Chow Yun-Fat performed most stunts himself, including the famous blindfolded gunfight, because insurance for Hong Kong actors was basically nonexistent.
HK
