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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

One Vicious Hitman. One Fierce Cop. Ten Thousand Bullets.

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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

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

The same boat appears twice behind Jeffrey at the docks while he's calling Jenny.

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Quotes

Joe (Cantonese)/Jeffrey (English): They aren't just gonna let me walk out. I have no future! Can't you see that? Walk out and tell 'em you're a cop; see what happens to you! You think that'll make any difference?

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Connections

References Hero and the Terror (1988)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

This is like no other action film!

Of all John Woo's bullet-ridden action movies, this is his greatest. You see many of Mr. Woo's "trademarks" (flying doves, reflections in mirrors, very strong Catholic symbolism) that appear in his inferior American directed films (save Face Off) first in this Hong Kong cinema classic. Sure the violence is over the top, the plot only adequate, the sentimentalism a little thick. The actions scenes are filmed with such, I dare say beauty, that no Hollywood 'by the numbers' action film can possibly compete. While this film is not for the squeamish or those offended by excessive and rather graphic violence, if you are in any way a fan of action films - you mush see this movie (and many other John Woo directed films during his Hong Kong days, i.e. Hardboiled, A Better Tomorrow, etc).