Film: The Killer
Release date: 21st October 2002
Certificate: 18
Running time: 111 mins
Director: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu, Kenneth Tsang
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Studio: Hong Kong Legends
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
During the 1980s and early-90s, Hong Kong cinema was introduced to a new subgenre, ‘heroic bloodshed’. These movies featured similar themes of gangsters, gunfights, lots of blood, and would usually involve the main hero either dead or dying as they look for redemption in the violent world they inhabit. A seminal movie of this genre is John Woo's The Killer. Its influence can be seen in many action movies since, both in Hong Kong itself and across the world.
The film opens with a nameless killer, who later uses the alias Ah Jong, undertaking a hit on a mob boss. During the ensuing gun battle, a singer is caught in the crossfire and blinded. Driven by a desire to put right this wrong, the killer watches and slowly befriends this woman. He finds that his feelings, originally based on guilt and remorse, soon turn to affection and finally love. He is forced to do one last job in order to raise the money he needs to take her to America for the operation that will return her sight.
This last job brings him into the sights of a rogue cop, Inspector Li Ying. What starts as a routine search for a killer becomes much more after Ling witnesses Ah Jong risk his own life to help a child who is accidentally shot when Jong is betrayed by the Triad boss who hired him. Ling soon becomes obsessed with finding this enigma of a man, who seems to follow a set of rules and codes that are becoming defunct among the new breed of gangster that walk the streets of Hong Kong.
As Ying and Ah Jong face off against each other, an unlikely friendship develops. However, it is not long before they are beset on all sides as the man who wants Jong out of the way comes to finish the job. Finally, trapped and surrounded inside a church, these two men must put their differences aside to save the girl they both care for…
Underneath the action is also a good story which in some ways feels like, had it been in a more subdued film, would have gotten much more attention than it receives as a bridge for the action here. It puts a mirror between Ling and Jong and asks the question, is all that separates the hunted and the hunter a badge? The two men are both similar, from their wanting to do what is right to how far they will go to protect and uphold their ideals. This is an interesting comparison as, at times, it is shown that the killer is the more compassionate of the two. They are both men who no longer fit into the jobs they do; Ying is an embarrassment to the rest of the police, whilst Jong lives by rules that are now non-existent in the profession he works in. A scene that perfectly captures their similarities visually is a panning shot of a chair both men have sat in. The scene cuts between the two and shows them to be almost of one mind. They are the last of a dying breed and this cements a friendship that could easily have fallen flat on its face without the two charismatic leads.
Chow Yun-fat once again appears as Woo's alter ego. Outwardly, he is handsome, funny and deadly, though behind this we can see a man struggling with himself and the things he has done. Danny Lee, as a cop on the edge, is more self assured than Jong. He believes what he is doing is right and is frustrated at others for not being able to see it. Their relationship is played well and the two show a wide range of acting skills when they share the screen, whether exchanging pleasantries whilst pointing guns at each other (a dramatic yet comic highlight to the film), their interactions as they slowly start to become friends or, as they spend much of the film doing, fighting for their lives.
Sally Yeh does a good job with what she is given. Admittedly, she is mainly there to facilitate the relationship between the two and is given little to do when not in focus as the object of both the men's affection. She also provides some of the songs that help drive the film, reminding the heroes and the audience what they are fighting for.
Shing Fui-on as the Triad leader who wants Jong dead, is everything you want in a villain. He is ruthless, power hungry, has an army of killers on his payroll and the annoying ability to survive almost everything the protagonists can throw at him. Whilst this doesn't give much scope for the actor, his willingness to throw himself into the role makes for a satisfying antagonist to root against.
One of the best yet under-rated performances comes from veteran actor Paul Chu Kong as Jong's manager/mentor. Like Jong, he has no place in this new world of killers. An injury hinders him from being able to perform the job and his code of honour lead him to being seen as little more than a relic of days gone by. He is the one who betrays Jong to the triads, and spends the rest of the movie trying to rectify this mistake and regain the self respect he has lost over the years.
John Woo's ability to mix the ballistic and the balletic are fully on display in this movie. The action scenes, directed by martial arts maestro Ching Siu-tung, take gun fighting to a new level. They play out more like a dance number than a series of men taking pot shots at each other, which was the norm at the time. John Woo uses techniques that have since become synonymous with his name. Slow motion, doves, bodies that are literally ripped apart from gunfire, plus just the right mix of action and melodrama. The use of a church in the finale is a beautiful touch; it adds a sense of hopelessness for these two men. Whilst they seek redemption, they are forced to battle for their lives in the very building that is usually associated with peace and sanctuary.
Saying this, Woo's style does come with its own caveat of annoyances for anyone unwilling to embrace the suspension of disbelief that is required to enjoy this movie fully. The heroes can fire an unending stream of bullets, usually running out only when it adds dramatic tension to the scene. Their aim is almost always perfect whilst the villains appear to have no knowledge of what the sight on their gun is used for. Lastly, whilst the bad guys are taken down with minimal fuss, the two leads seem to almost absorb the few bullets that actually hit the mark - and use this slight inconvenience to spur them onto greater acts of violence. Whilst fans of the genre and Woo himself will take these with a pinch of salt, the excessive carnage and overblown action may put some off.
A true action classic. A great story, brilliantly choreographed action and an ending that is both touching and controversial. When it comes to ballistic gun play, Woo's touches bring this head and shoulders above most rivals in the genre. This story of a killer and a cop turns the tables on similar themed movies by forcing the two to confront their core beliefs and realising that, underneath it all, they really are two sides of the same coin. DM
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