Guest rebelliousreign1 Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 I am now convinced that John Woo is arguably the world's best action film director ever- I find it impossible to pick one film of his above the others...in fact the only other directors I consider his equal are Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood for my tastes. John Woo's flicks are so superb I rather think it's a poor statement to merely call them action flicks: they are very moving, sometimes intensely moving like 'Bullet In The Head' (arguably my favourite movie of all time), and feature the most amazing gunplay action scenes ever shot. But overall, I haven't liked his Hollywood stuff so far- oddly enough, the only one that didn't disappoint me was 'Hard Target', which kept the action if nothing else... Anybody else care to agree with me on these statements? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 I'd pretty much agree with all that. Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow, Hard-Boiled & The Killer are masterworks. And yes, Hard Target is by far the best thing Woo has done Stateside before he got corrupted into being Hollywood hack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dion Brother Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 Now that he is a Hollywood hack, I cannot agree with the statement. 13 years ago, I would have agreed, though. I think FACE/OFF is his best US work. In fact, I prefer it to the cold, plotless HARD-BOILED, the most overrated Hong Kong movie before HERO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 I think FACE/OFF is his best US work. In fact, I prefer it to the cold, plotless HARD-BOILED, the most overrated Hong Kong movie before HERO. Totally disagree with that statement, dude. Hard-Boiled is one the best action films ever made. Face-Off is hammy, over-cooked nonsense. And I thought Hero was very good when I saw it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rebelliousreign1 Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 Me too- 'Hard Boiled' is totally awesome from start to finish with some of the most amazing action ever seen on screen...overrated?? I hated 'Face Off'- it was far too Americanised for my tastes, and I am one of those people who would gladly take Chow Yun Fat or Tony Leung over Travolta or Cage anyday.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted September 12, 2004 Share Posted September 12, 2004 I don't have a problem with Travolta or Cage individually, but here their acting chews up the carpet. I've seen less mugging in a Jerry Lewis film! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jirpy100 Posted September 12, 2004 Share Posted September 12, 2004 That's one of the things about Hard-Boiled, Tony Leung, Chow Yun Fat and Anthony Wong arguably does the best acting any action movie has ever seen. AND then you got shoot-outs too! I hope the upcoming R2 disc on 27 September finally does the film justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dion Brother Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I think HARD-BOILED proves that you can have the best action scenes in the world and still make an uninvolving movie. Thought the characters were dull, which was not the case with Woo's previous policiers, the plot was nonsense. The only time you get a flash of the real Woo is when Phillip Kwok turns on Anthony Wong. It was the only scene that stood out. The rest was just endless stunts and shootouts (and often TOO unbelieveable) and it is a movie about nothing. A letdown after BULLET IN THE HEAD. I'm not saying it was terrible. I'd rate it as a **1/2 movie that everybody else thinks is a ****. At the time it came out, all the fanzines were so into kissing John Woo's ass, you couldn't get an honest review of anything. Now that Hollywood has turned him into a hack, his flaws are more obvious. And I like the over-the-top hamminess of FACE/OFF because it fit the material, but I also dig Ken Russell movies. So what else is new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dion Brother Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 "I don't have a problem with Travolta or Cage individually, but here their acting chews up the carpet. I've seen less mugging in a Jerry Lewis film! " Actually, their acting is closer to what the over-the-top acting you get in Hong Kong movies. ie: Chow's "You don't like my rice?" in ABT 2 and Jackie Cheung's shooting of US soldiers and later psychotic freakouts in A BULLET IN THE HEAD. Overdramatic scene-chewing in both scenes, but becuase they are HK productions, fans overlook it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest magic8 Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I've enjoyed many of Woo's movies, including the Hollywood stuff. I even liked Paycheck and Windtalkers. And yes, Hard Target is by far the best thing Woo has done Stateside before he got corrupted into being Hollywood hack Hard Target is one of the few that I thought was ok compared to the titles listed above. And in restrospect, I find Hard Target less and less appealing. Granted he ain't gonna make Hard Boiled or Bullet in the Head type movies anymore, but he does make entertaining movies, imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkjedi69 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 John Woo. Now there is a phenomonum. His track record pre-Hollywood is very impressive. The Killer and Hard Boiled are both very good. When in Hollywood, do as the American's do - and steal, borrow and blag! Face/Off was ok, Hard Target not too bad and Paycheck, well the less said the better and as for Mission Impossible 2 ....... Seroiusly though, blame the writers. After all a director can only direct what is in front of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheManInWhite Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I love Hard Boiled!! One of the best opening action sequences in cinema history IMO. And it manages to keep its altitude for the duration of the film. Very hard to do but Woo pulls it off brilliantly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vlade2002 Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Come to think of it? thats a forgetable movie, all honesty Hard Boiled isnt that great as a film. Once A Theif, The Killer, A better Tomorrow 2 on the hand are not forgetable, they are classics. My Favourite John Woo US film is Mission Impossible 2, people hate it because of obvious reasons (ITS NOTHING LIKE THE FIRST PART, MAN! - yeah no @#%$) though I just love the dialogue between Anthony Hopkins and Tom Cruise, which are some of the better scenes in the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkjedi69 Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 As per my thread in Martial Arts Film 1985 - Present, apparently his next but one film, is called 'The Unbeatable'. Sounds interesting. Check out my thread for what details I know. :| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kenichiku Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 He's certainly the most imitated of all films from 80-90s that feature some sort of gunplay to the point of cliche, though his reign and influence worldwide now is still huge. His first American film was not too shabby. His best American I'm going out on a limb to predict is yet to come after a slide. MI2 I liked better than most people but didn't care too much for all the others. I found most of John's HK stuff tops but the balancing act of all his themes - epic operatic violence, a real sense of male chivalry, nostalgia and a touch of pathos has to go to 'A Bullet in the Head', even with the blatant scenic references to well known American Vietnam films. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rebelliousreign1 Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 Yep I'd agree on 'Bullet In The Head'- Woo himself called it his most personal film, and this comes across- for once I found many of the non-action scenes to be as gripping, possibly more gripping- than the action itself. Tony Leung gives a truly outstanding performance, and Jackie Cheung is superb also, the two delivering what I consider to be the most moving scene I have ever seen in a film when Jackie Cheung is a drug addled mentally ill killer. Simon Yam is super cool as the killer Luke; possibly only Chow Yun Fat could have done as well. Waise Lee isn't too bad in my opinion- certainly not as good as the other leads, but you end up hating his character anyhow- possibly due to his overacting I dunno... Though the climax is overlong, I still find it very effective- particularly how Woo intercuts between the crazed car duel and the gentle bike rides of their early days, and I think the ending is perfect- a terrific long shot of Tony Leung throwing his gun away amongst the burning carnage... A true masterwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkjedi69 Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 I am hoping that he redeems himself some what with his next film, which is being shot in Hong Kong & China. The name of it escapes me at the moment, but it stars Chow Yun Fat and Jet Li, and is out late next year. Should be good. Looking forward to seeing a trailer nearer the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shaolinmonk85 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 the killer own hard boiled all day everydays. better plot, deeper emotions, better actors, @#%$ the last scene is the best action scene ever. hard boiled is a bigger the killer, without the emotions. i think once a thief is equally excellent, with better tommorow , bullet,killer and boiled. still i like also a better tomorrow 2 and i taugh heroes shed no tears was really funny dont forget last hurray guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daisho2004 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I have to agree John Woo is the best action Director that is out there today, a lot of Directors use his style in there movies today. Daisho2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkjedi69 Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 His next film is now called 'Brokeback Mountain'. Dont know much about it. The Unbeatable has been put on hold due to financial difficulties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BKarza Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 Woo seemed to have more problems than anyone else coming stateside to keep his creativity. Leone had OUaTiA hacked up by the studio but that was his only "stateside" film. I'd say Face Off is his best movie here. I like Hard Target the best. It's the only one that looks like HE did it. See the workprint to really see what he did. It's all there. Broken Arrow seems like someone hacked him. Hell, all of the movies, save Hard Target come off like someone hacked him. Hollywood was scared of his violence level and film style and neutered him. I've heard stories of producers assigned to his sets to watch what he was doing, content wise. You'll notice the only time his trademark visual stuff was seen, was when he did his own tv projects. While he has lost it all as far as we're concerned, he's rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkjedi69 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 John Woo has apparently agreed to direct the movie of the ultra successful computer/console game 'Rainbow Six' according to www.empireonline.com Could be very good indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Ooh!! Another video game turned movie. Can hardly wait!! :rolleyes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest godzillakungfu Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Even better he optioned the rights to Metroid. Whhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!:rolleyes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jirpy100 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Now if only I could present my script about killer ninjas from an alternate dimension to him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.