Movie Review – The Killer(1989)

The Killer is a 1989 Hong Kong action film directed and written by John Woo. It is said that the only worries for males are money and women. However, this film is about the bromance between a police and a member of a triad. Therefore, some people associate this film with a homosexual theme which is a taboo in the old generation.

The killer Jong who is smart and has great shooting skills is not completely cold-heart like the killer from Leon the professional. He works for the triads. During the killing of his target, he hurts the female singer Jennie accidentally and makes her blind. Jong would compensate for his mistake of hurting the singer. In the triads, there are no friendships. There are lots of betrayal among the members of the triads because of money and benefits. They only care about their benefits instead of the friendships in the triads. They are shitty people and not like Peter Chan from Young and Dangerous Film who is from triads and loyal to brothers. Jong does not have faith and is disappointed in people. Jong plays harmonica to express his lamentation. The old friend Fung Sei who has been friends for many years wants to kill him at first. The head of the triad orders the killer to kill and also orders to kill the killer. He regrets and fights for Jong to get the money back from the head but his head does not respect him at all.

Jong is under Li’s investigation. Two seemingly opposite people are enemies at first. Jong is from the triad and Li is a policeman. Suddenly, they become friends. When Jong is injured, Detective Li does emergency aid for him. Jong builds relationships with non-members of triads easily. The blind woman helps the police’s investigation. At the crucial time, the blind woman also helps Jong and tells him to escape. Detective Li also helps him escape.

In the beginning, Jong and his friend Fung Sei meet in church to discuss about killing people which makes a contrast and ironic. There are lots of candlelight in the church which is the symbol of hope and faith on people. There are lots of white doves outside the church which is the symbol of peace and harmony. At the end of the film, Jong also meets his old friend Fung Sei in church. A group of gangsters come and aims to kill Jong. During the gunfight, Jong lost his eyesight and died. Li kills the murderer of Jong because of the sadness of losing Jong. A masculine fighting film also can show affection between people.

This film contains full of bloody scenes. The film was produced in the Hong Kong New Wave period. In the 80s, action scenes with gun fights, fighting scenes and explosion scenes are what Hong Kong filmmakers are good at filming. 

This film brings international attention to Woo. Kenneth E. Hall who is Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages at East Tennessee State University published a book called John Woo’s The Killer. Western filmmakers are influenced by Woo’s films. A hitman holding two guns in films becomes Woo’s signature in filmmaking. Woo said that this film is influenced by Le SamouraÏ directed by the director Jean‑Pierre Melville. He is also influenced by famous Western directors like Kubrick, Penn and Coppola. Kenneth E. Hall discusses The Killer with other film-noir movies. Film noir is a style of filmmaking characterized by such elements as cynical heroes, stark lighting effects, frequent use of flashbacks, intricate plots, and an underlying existentialist philosophy. Most of them are filmed in black and white style. The common traits between the killer and other film-noir movies are that they are action films and cynical heroes are the main characters in films. Woo also adds a Chinese element to the film. The male character is nostalgic and takes care of brothers. This film also emphasizes showing the affection between brothers. It is not just an action film. Chinese culture is regarded as emphasizing collectivism while Western culture focuses on individualism. Chinese would like to work as a group and gain support from each other so the affection built in the group would be an interesting part to depict about. Moreover, the killer Jong is not an absolute bad villain. Being a hitman is his occupation to live. His character is more like Robin Hood that would robe the rich and help the poor. He also has his chivalrous side that when the build singer is robbed by two gangsters, he shows up and beats them up. Detective Li believes in justice and being a policeman is the right occupation for him. Li would not shoot the people fiercely because he is a policeman and has the power. He obeys and works hard to find the evidence to send the villain to jail. He would not shoot Jong in the gunfight. Two people from opposite parties get to know each other more through Li’s investigation. The betrayal in the triads shows the rare value of the affection between Jong and Li. Cats catch mice. It is a principle that will never be changed. A cat would kill people for the mice which is contradictional but touching.

Besides, John Woo is one of the Hong Kong directors who can produce lots of Hollywood releases. The Killer which is a 2024 American action thriller film directed by John Woo is a remake of John Woo's 1989 film of the same name. It changes the protagonist from a male character to a foreign female character. It is more common to see a female in charge of action films. The series of Kill Bill is well known. In the 90s, The Heroic Trio (1993) directed by Johnnie To is about three Asian women who are good at martial arts.

To conclude, John Woo is a legendary Hong Kong filmmaker who learns from the West and Western filmmakers also learn from him. He has been working in the film industry for over 30 years. He can make his film release to Hollywood and push his films to global market. He proves that nothing is impossible.

Bibliography:

Hall, Kenneth E. John Woo’s The Killer. Hong Kong University Press, 2009. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xwgp6. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.