Bullet in the Head (1990)
"Die xue jie tou" (original title)

When three close friends escape from Hong Kong to war-time Saigon to start a criminal's life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever.

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

Janet Chun, Patrick Leung,

Stars:

Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Ben / Ah Bee
Jacky Cheung	...	Frank / Fai
Waise Lee	...	Paul / Little Wing
Simon Yam	...	Luke
Fennie Yuen	...	Jane
Yolinda Yam	...	Sally Yen
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tseng Chang	...	Paul's father
Yue Ding
Shek Yin Lau	...	Fatso
Chung Lin	...	Y.S. Leong
Hee Ching Paw	...	Ben's mother
Hang Shuen So	...	Jane's mother
Wei-min Tan
Kan-Wing Tsang	...	Jane's father
Kwong Lam Tsui	...	Frank's father

Storyline

In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, so they leave Hong Kong to avoid the police and the gang. They run black market supplies to Saigon and get embroiled in the war, being arrested as Viet Cong, then later captured by the Viet Cong, and find that their friendship is tested to the limits as they try to escape.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | escape | friendship | hong kong | criminal | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English Vietnamese French

Release Date:

17 August 1990 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Bullet in the Head

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Princess Film Production Limited, John Woo Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 97 min (heavily cut) (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Simon Yam was actually burnt in the face during the POW camp sequence.

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Goofs

When the action moves to Vietnam the movie posters ('Dien Bien Phu', etc.) shown are films that came out well after the Vietnam war was over.

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Quotes

Ben: You're pointing a gun on a good friend you've known for more than a decade!

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Connections

Referenced in Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster (2010)

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Soundtracks

"I'm a Believer"
Written by Neil Diamond
Performed by The Monkees
S.E. Asia Music

User Reviews

Very powerful movie

Wow, an amazing film. I've been a big John Woo fan for a few years, and this is the last major film of his I've gotten around to seeing. The action scenes are incredible, as to be expected. Not as much action as The Killer or the record-holding Hard Boiled, but still a lot of exciting stuff. This is also a really moving drama. Jackie Cheung in particular was amazing. Of his three acting nominations that year, this was the leading actor nomination he earned at the Hong Kong Film Awards, and I can't believe he didn't win. The POW sequence was so sad, so tragic, so powerful, so moving. Maybe The Deer Hunter was as moving to me. Maybe.

Anyway, this truly is John Woo's Apocalypse Now. An unforgettable drama, not just because it's a memorable, high quality, and entertaining film, but because of the emotional impact the events have on the characters and it'll have on you. 10/10