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The Killer (1989)
"Dip huet seung hung" (original title)

7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 29,530 users  
Reviews: 211 user | 65 critic

A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss.

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
Ah Jong (as Chow Yun Fat)
Danny Lee ...
Sally Yeh ...
Kong Chu ...
Fung Sei (as Chu Kong)
...
Sgt. Tsang Yeh (as Tsang Kong)
Fui-On Shing ...
Wong Hoi (as Shing Fui On)
Wing-Cho Yip ...
Wong Dung-Yu
Fan Wei Yee ...
Paul Yau
Barry Wong ...
Chief Insp. Dou / Tu
Parkman Wong ...
Insp. Chan Bok
Siu-Hung Ng ...
A killer
Yamson Domingo ...
Bodyguard A
Siu Hung Ngan ...
Bodyguard B
Kwong Leung Wong ...
Wong Tong
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Storyline

A violent Hong Kong action film, this is the story of an assassin, Jeffrey Chow (aka Mickey Mouse) who takes one last job so he can retire and care for his girlfriend Jenny. When his employers betray him, he reluctantly joins forces with Inspector Lee (aka Dumbo), the cop who is pursuing him. Together, the new friends face the final confrontation of the gangsters out to kill them. Written by Jeff Hansen <jmh@umich.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

One Vicious Hitman. One Fierce Cop. Ten Thousand Bullets. See more »

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

September 1990 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Killer  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (R-rated) | (extended)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 92 days, at a cost of 14 million Hong Kong dollars (2 million US dollars). The shootout at the beach house was filmed in 28 days; 20,000 rounds of ammunition were fired. The final shootout at the church took 36 days and 40,000 rounds. See more »

Goofs

The cars change during the chase. See more »

Quotes

[about his gun]
Joe (Cantonese)/Jeffrey (English): Easy to pick up, hard to put down.
See more »

Connections

References Magnificent Obsession (1954) See more »

Soundtracks

"It's Been Written"
Performed by Sally Yeh
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Just about the coolest movie in the planet!
19 December 2000 | by (Järvenpää, Finland) – See all my reviews

Warning for an action-film lovers: after John Woo's totally brilliant ultra-violent masterpiece "Die xue shuang xiong /The Killer", American action movie is not worth one penny. It's so great and extraordinary words can't simply describe it! I watched it twice on a movie theater. Regretfully I didn't get a chance to see it a third time on cinema but subsequently I've watched it over and over again on VHS and it still kicks ass - harder and harder every time I see it!

This is the reason why I'm slightly against Woo's current career in Hollywood. He could never stretch himself to do anything like this in America! All the actors are too fantastic to be true: Danny Lee (as Lee), Sally Yeh (as Jennie), Chu Kong (as Sydney) and especially charismatic Chow Yun-Fat in the leading role as the killer Jeffrey ("I always save the last bullet - either for myself, or my enemy"). When he draws his guns and starts to use 'em we know who's the unconditional king of action!

Intelligent and profound story is hard and unsparing but somehow truly beautiful. Score is delightful: lovely and engaging and a bit sad. Charming song as performed by Jennie captivates in an unimaginable way. Bottomless, thrilling and balletic action just gets wilder and wilder and the stupendous end sequence in the church is definitely the craziest shoot-out in the history of movies and it's so cool I almost cry when I see it in an emotional moment. That's the magic of Woo. "The Killer" is a spectacular masterpiece! It's just perfect as hell and above any American film ever. John Woo's "Bullet in the head" (1990) is the only motion picture I know that gets higher than this in my book.


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