IMDb > The Killer (1989)
Dip huet seung hung
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The Killer (1989) More at IMDbPro »Dip huet seung hung (original title)

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The Killer -- 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.

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   26,011 votes »
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MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Woo
Writer:
John Woo (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Killer on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
September 1990 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Action | Crime | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
This film will blow you away. See more »
Plot:
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. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
2 wins & 5 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(139 articles)
J.J. Abrams Sets Up Another Mystery Sci-Fi Project at Paramount
 (From FilmJunk. 28 May 2012, 9:15 AM, PDT)
Seven Stars Finances "The Killer" Remake
 (From Dark Horizons. 20 May 2012, 10:03 AM, PDT)
Remake of John Woo's The Killer Gets Financing
 (From Twitch. 18 May 2012, 8:00 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
A true masterpiece See more (206 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Yun-Fat Chow ... Ah Jong (as Chow Yun Fat)
Danny Lee ... Insp. Li Ying / Little Eagle
Sally Yeh ... Jennie
Kong Chu ... Fung Sei (as Chu Kong)

Kenneth Tsang ... 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
Sing Yeung ... Bodyguard A
Siu Hung Ngan ... Bodyguard B
Kwong Leung Wong ... Wong Tong
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chung Lin ... Jueng Wan / Ah Jong's first victim (uncredited)
Hsiang Lin Yin ... Syndicate man (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Woo 
 
Writing credits
John Woo (written by)

Produced by
Hark Tsui .... producer (as Tsui Hark)
 
Original Music by
Lowell Lo  (as Lowell Lowe)
 
Cinematography by
Peter Pau  (as Peter Pao)
Wing-Hung Wong  (as Wong Wing Hang)
 
Film Editing by
Kung-Wing Fan  (as Fan Kung Ming)
 
Art Direction by
Man-Wah Luk  (as Luk Man Wah)
 
Set Decoration by
Chun-Ching Tai 
 
Costume Design by
Shirley Chan 
 
Makeup Department
Benny Chow .... hair stylist
Judy Mann .... makeup artist
Yvonne Yen .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Claudie Chung Chun .... executive in charge of production (as Claudie Chung)
Virginia Lau .... production manager
Roy Leung .... assistant production manager
Kwong-King Ngan .... unit manager
Lai-Ping Tsang .... post-production supervisor
Deanne Yew .... production manager (as Deannie Yew)
Patrick Yip .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chi Ming Leung .... second assistant director (as Leung Chi Ming)
Patrick Leung .... first assistant director
 
Art Department
Hsu Wei-Kuo .... assistant art director
Sai-Ching Yeung .... property master
 
Sound Department
Siu-Lung Ching .... sound effects
Hsue-yui Fung .... dubbing editor: mandarin
Yu Ting .... dubbing editor: cantonese
 
Stunts
Siu-Tung Ching .... action coordinator (as Ching Siu Tung)
Siu-Tung Ching .... stunts
Chi-Ho Lau .... action coordinator (as Lau Chi Ho)
Chi-Ho Lau .... stunts
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Kim-Kit Chik .... chief electrician
Wai-Ming Ip .... still photographer
Fook-Shing Kam .... electrician
Tak-Shing Lee .... chief electrician
Wai-Tak Lee .... assistant camera
Stephen Shin .... still photographer
Chun-Wah Yuen .... assistant camera
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ping Tong .... wardrobe mistress
 
Editorial Department
Chin-Kuen Pang .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Susan Tang .... lyricist: theme song
James Wong .... lyricist: theme song
David Wu .... music editor
Sally Yeh .... singer: theme song
 
Other crew
Billie Chan .... unit publicist
Kathy Cheung .... production accountant
Janet Chin .... continuity
Sylvia Fung .... tea lady
Gloria Ho .... production security
Wysum Pao .... continuity
Chi-Wah Tse .... production assistant
Francois Frey .... press attache (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Dip huet seung hung" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Bloodshed of Two Heroes" - International (English title) (literal title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language (edited version)
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
111 min | Australia:96 min | Taiwan:141 min | USA:104 min (R-rated version) | 124 min (extended version)
Country:
Hong Kong
Language:
Cantonese | Mandarin | English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Germany:18 (uncut) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (Original rating) | Finland:K-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R (edited version) | USA:Unrated | Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Hong Kong, China
Company:
Film WorkshopSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Hark Tsui and John Woo often disagreed to aspects of the film such as the opening scene where Woo wanted the singer to perform a jazz song and have the killer playing a saxophone. Tsui rejected this idea as he felt that the Hong Kong audiences didn't understand or like jazz that much. Woo stated "I had to change it to a Chinese song, the kind of songs they always use in Hong Kong movies." Actress and singer of the song in the film Sally Yeh also didn't find a slow ballad suitable for the film.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: The cars change during the chase.See more »
Quotes:
Sgt. Randy Chang:You can't win all the time. But you can't lose forever, either.See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Spaced: Battles (#1.4)" (1999)See more »
Soundtrack:
Once In A LifetimeSee more »

FAQ

What does the Chinese title of The Killer mean?
Is Chow Yun Fat's character called Jeffery or John?
What are the differences between the French Extended Version and the Original Taiwanese Extended Version?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
43 out of 52 people found the following review useful.
A true masterpiece, 30 December 2004
Author: lordhood from United Kingdom

I first watched the killer on recommendation i thought i would hate it...how wrong i was.It was obvious i was watching a classic from the opening credits with a lingering shot of hong kong and a somewhat sad tune playing in the background. The story starts with ah jong an assassin hired to pull off a hit job at a nightclub during the assassination he accidentally blinds a piano singer-jenny.Feeling guilty for what he has done he decides the only way to redeem himself is too help her get a cornea transplant and the rest...you will have to find out yourself.

John woo is known for directing heart pounding action sequences and these are as heart pounding as they get the final shoot out in the church is tense and exciting.The cinematography is excellent and often beautiful th camera works wonders and extreme close ups of faces are used effectively SPOILERS AHEAD.The ending of the killer is possibly the most downbeat in the history of cinema and nearly brought me too tears(ah jong's eyes explode after being shot several times).The killer is something you do not see in modern day movies...a film with a true meaning this story is of ethics honour and redemption and thats what makes it a classic.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Killer (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A hollywood remake in development hell..? expressive_child
So sad! pedrol_ct
How is this not in the Top 250? thga
How Would Jenny get new corneas if Ah Jong was shot in the eyes? mgrad784
Why did they double cross Ah Jong? mgrad784
Any chance of a region B Blu-Ray release? Bad-Show
See more »

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