The Killer (1989)

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.

Director:

John Woo

Writer:

John Woo

Stars:

Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
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
Alan Ng	...	A Killer (as Siu-Hung Ng)
Yamson Domingo	...	Bodyguard A
Siu Hung Ngan	...	Bodyguard B
Kwong Leung Wong	...	Wong Hung

Storyline

Jeffrey is an assassin who wishes to leave the business so he can take care of Jennie, the beautiful lounge singer who he inadvertently blinded during a previous assignment. Li Ying is the determined cop who will stop at nothing to bring him in, only he realizes that Jeffrey is no ordinary assassin, and wishes to help him in his quest. Only problem is that Jeffrey's employers refuse to pay him for his last job, money which is needed to restore Jennie's eyesight.

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Plot Keywords:

honor | gunfight | hong kong | hitman | one last job | 

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Taglines:

The Biggest Body Count in History.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin Japanese

Release Date:

September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killer

Filming Locations:

The Peak, Hong Kong

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Workshop, Golden Princess Film Production Limited, Long Shong Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 104 min (USA) (2002) (R-rated) 124 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Horner's music from Red Heat (1988) is used throughout the film, as well as a cue from the training sequence of Hero and the Terror (1988). The director of "Red Heat" is Walter Hill, who was later going to remake this film before he pulled out.

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Goofs

The car boot closes itself on the beach

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Quotes

Joe (Cantonese)/Jeffrey (English): We're the same.
Lee: No, we're not the same! I uphold the law and you break it!

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Alternate Versions

Out of print Criterion Collection DVD features the following five deleted scenes:

• The first is a scene where inspector Li is waiting outside the club where Jenny is singing (right after we saw him inside). Jenny is accosted by three drunken business men, and Li comes to her rescue. Obviously, this mirrors the earlier scene where Jeff came to her rescue. It also includes a nice little reveal where we see that Jeff has seen the whole thing. The scene continues with Li taking Jenny back to her apartment, and Li seeing Jeff watching from outside.
• The second scene occurs right after the shootout at Jeff's apartment. Inspector Li arrives on the scene just as Jeff is leaving.
• The third scene is Jeff and Jenny driving from the airport and arriving at Sidney's safe house.
• The fourth deleted scene is Jeff and Jenny having breakfast at the house. Then Sidney arrives.
• The last deleted scene occurs right after the impromptu surgery by the creek. The Hitman With No Eyes arrives on the scene and finds the bandages.

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Connections

Referenced in Heroic Bloodshed (2009)

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Soundtracks

Title Song
Music by Lowell Lo
Lyrics by James Wong
Sung by Sally Yeh

User Reviews

A true masterpiece

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.