Cinema
The Killer
喋血雙雄
John Woo · 1989
Synopsis
A triad hitman who is thinking of retiring kills a man in a nightclub; during the shootout, he accidentally wounds Jenny, the singer performing there, in the eyes. He watches over her from a distance, then gets closer to her. When he learns that only a corneal transplant will save her sight, he accepts one last contract, the assassination of a triad boss, to pay for the operation. Inspector Li, demoted after a botched operation, spots him during the murder and relentlessly sets out to find him.
Context
The producer, Tsui Hark, first turned the story down, and Chow Yun-fat helped raise the money. John Woo drew inspiration from Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï. The shoot lasted more than ninety days, nearly double the norm in Hong Kong. Released on 6 July 1989, a month after the repression in Tiananmen Square, which weighed on its start, it finished ninth of the year at the box office. Shown in Toronto in 1989, then at Sundance and Cannes in 1990, it was released in France on 3 May 1995 according to Offi and returned there, restored, on 26 November 2025.
Who it is for
A film of about one hour fifty minutes, in Cantonese, with stylised violence; rereleased in France in 2025.
Prizes and reception
Prizes for best director and best editing in Hong Kong; Tarantino cites it among his models.
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