Die xue jie tou (1990)

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 Chiu-Wai Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung	...	Ben / Siu Bun (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
Jacky Cheung	...	Frank / Fai Jai
Waise Lee	...	Paul / Sau Ming
Simon Yam	...	Luke / Lok
Yolinda Yam	...	Sally Yan Sau Ching
Chung Lin	...	Mr. Y.S. Leong
Fennie Yuen	...	Jane / Siu Jan
Kan-Wing Tsang	...	Jane's father
Hang Shuen So	...	Jane's mother
John Woo	...	Policeman
Hee Ching Paw	...	Ben's mother
Tseng Chang	...	Paul's father
San Yan Siao	...	Mr. Shing
Tin Hung Yick	...	Ringo (as Tin Hung Yee)
Yun Pei	...	Frank's mother

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 | saigon | friendship | escape | hong kong | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

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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

John Woo thought all the performances in the film were good, except for Waise Lee, who Woo felt put in only an "average" performance.

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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

Paul: Today I saw a soldier kill a man and I learnt something. In this world, we can do anything if we have guns!

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Alternate Versions

In 1997 the German distributor re-released the film on video as an uncut version.

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Connections

References The Big Boss (1971)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Oh my sweet lord...

This is the opposite of a kid's movie. Many R rated violent movies are fine for kids, but the story, the tragedy, the horror, and just the characters are too much for children. This is not a movie to watch if you are having a party. This is a fine, fine work by John Woo. The four main characters are excellent, and one is a killing machine. In the end you get more from this than even The Killer (which I feel is a better movie). While The Killer may tug at your heart, this will screw with your mind. This movie must be seen much more than the Matrix when it comes to being unable to explain what's going on. John Woo's opening seems very in character for him, but it might not be perfect for this film. Still, it serves its purpose and the end is truly incredible.