The Killer (1989)

Directed by John Woo

Produced by Tsui Hark

Starring Chow Yun Fat, Danny Lee Sau Yin, Sally Yip Chi Man, Shing Fui On, Paul Chu Kong, Kenneth Tsang Kong, Tommy Wong Kwong Leung

The Killer

One the best films ever committed to the screen. Well, that's how I feel about John Woo's magnificent take on Jean-Paul Melville's "Le Samourai"(1967), and it's an opinion I will probably take to the grave with me.

The story is impossibly simply, even downright cliched, but crafted so effortlessly that within minutes of its opening you are immersed in its universe. Jeff (Chow) is an ice-cool assassin, so ruthlessly efficient in his profession that he can ask any price he likes for a hit…and get it. When a triad takedown goes painfully wrong, and a nightclub singer (Yip) is blinded in the crossfire, he becomes haunted by guilt. Middleman Sidney Fung (Chu) procures him a million dollar job as a vehicle to exit the profession, make amends to his victim, and regain the humanity he is missing. His target is Tony Weng, an industrialist and crime figure, but once executed the job explodes his world into one of double-crosses, blurred boundaries and unholy deception. His only confidante remains night club singer Jenny, whose physical restoration fuels the flame of his spiritual redemption.

Enter maverick cop "Eagle" Li (Lee), whose driving passion becomes the apprehension of Jeff's tortured soul. Behind the manic pursuit of his quandary, Li finds more and more an affinity for his criminal alter-ego. The closer the two men find their lives intertwining, the more they find their honour values, and very beliefs system, a direct parallel of the other. Ultimately boundaries cross, blurring in a yin-yang mirror of brotherhood that throws the adversaries together to face their common enemy, the amoral, loyalty bereft, psychotically greed-driven overlord Johnny Weng (Shing). Redemption through blood becomes the catalyst for a conflagration of such epic proportions it promises little but total devastation, both physical and spiritual, for all involved.

Sigh, the last time I tackled this film the exercise ended up blowing out to a twenty odd page treatise on the themes and undercurrents of Woo's visionary masterwork. Although nigh on impossible for me to undertake this in a smattering of hyperbole, I doubt Alan could afford me the space this film deserves. Thus, this is the Cliff Notes version. Woo's film is a near perfect amalgam of his varied influences (Melville, Leone, American Westerns, Chinese folklore), that simply gets better with each successive viewing. Its themes of brotherhood amongst men, loyalty, chivalry, betrayal, redemption and honour are universal, transcending language and cultural boundaries. It is both simplistic in its plot, and densely layered in its emotional impact. Its notions of all encompassing love, and forgiveness inherent in that context, are deeply moving. It is a passionate reflection on a changing world; morals and society, juxtaposed against the place "old fashioned" values have in the face of a greed driven culture.

Its collective elements run smoothly in harmony like a well oiled machine. Lowell Lo's lyrical, haunting score adds heart-rending depth to Woo's imagery, echoing back to the integral part Morricone's work played in Leone's Westerns. Tony Ching Siu Tung and Lau Chi Ho's action choreography is without a solitary peer in the Action genre, the kinetic mayhem on display never either matched or exceeded. The cast are extraordinary, Chow a juggernaut that dominates the screen, tingeing his character with an all too real humanity. Lee is dynamic; driven, managing to deliver a performance that has gone on become his career high point. Yip is enchanting, Chu understated without underplaying, Tsang the perfect foil for Lee's "Eagle", and Shing a powerhouse fury of criminal intensity (must have had something to do with his pre-screen triad background). Conclusively, there is nary a facet of Woo's film that does not gel together in perfect unison. For me, this was, and always will be, the purest example of perfect cinema. But anyway, personal opinion aside, on to the disc…

Being the Hong Kong edition of "The Killer", one would expect nothing less than a presentation that falls far short of doing justice to the sublime piece of cinema it contains, right? Yeah, well, guess again! Image wise, this is definitely one of the better Chinese discs I've seen over the last couple of years. Correctly letterboxed, though not anamorphically enhanced (few Asian discs are!), Universe's disc is an exceptionally good-looking rendition of a decade old film. The print may not be in the best of shape, but this is hardly surprising considering Hong Kong's track record with film preservation. Colours are vibrant, detail levels above average without being exemplary, and there is a consistent lack of the usual technical problems associated with Hong Kong discs. The big plus herein is the 5.1 remix that Universe have afforded Woo's film. Purists will be up in arms and bursting blood vessels in their collective temples, but before complete panic sets in let me impart the good news. The new sound mix is extremely subtle, adding depth to Lowell Lo's score, expressive nuances to some of the dramatic scenes, and a pleasant ambience to others. It is a pleasing mix that enhances the already strong emotional impact that Woo had imbued his work with.

Extras are limited per the usual for Hong Kong discs (don't expect a commentary track here!), but worthwhile all the same. There's the original Hong Kong theatrical trailer which, if you're not used to the Chinese style of "outline the whole plot in three minutes", might be a bit disorienting. There's Talent profiles for Chow Yun Fat, Danny Lee and John Woo, which are all good reads. And that's it! I am full well aware that Criterion's US disc contained the five deleted scenes that were included in Made In Hong Kong's VHS box set some years back, but as these scenes were from the Taiwanese edition of the film and cut from the film as extraneous by Woo himself, I don't miss their exclusion. Universe's disc is a perfectly acceptable, and eminently affordable, edition of the film that more than does justice to its source materials. Being a big Hong Kong film junkie, I'll happily go a Hong Kong original over an over-priced Western release any day, but that's just my own personal preference.

One of the best Hong Kong films ever made, if not one of the finest films ever made, and undoubtedly Woo at the pinnacle of his career. This is not necessarily true SGM material, but it is a film that manages to transcend genres to be embraced by fans of all cinema, irrespective of personal preference. When personal experimentation with cinema was high on my agenda, this was the film that steered me away from the wild excesses of Hong Kong horror. Oddly enough, straight into the wild excesses of Hong Kong gangster cinema. It's tough, bloody, chivalrous, evocative and moving all in one fell swoop. It's also a masterpiece of cinema, that I can't help but heartily recommend to all and sundry.

Review by M.C.Thomason


 
Released by Universe Laser & Video
Category II - Region 0
Running time - 111m
Ratio - Widescreen 1.85
Audio - Dolby 5.1
Extras :
Trailer; Star files
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