Some exercises in genre simply transcend the genres they are
part of – such is the case with John Woo’s 1992 action-crime film Hard
Boiled. The story is pure pulp, modeled after your standard issue American
cop-buddy films. On the one hand we have our loose cannon cop who plays by his
own rules and gets results but is constantly at odds with his supervisor who
has assigned him to a gun-running gang case, on the other an assassin working
for an established crime family under siege from a ruthless up-and-coming crime
boss who wants all the gun-running business in Hong Kong for himself. Our loose
cannon is a cop named Tequila, played with inimitable cool by Chow Yun-Fat,
introduced in the opening scene in a raid on the up-and-coming gun-running
gang. The raid goes horribly wrong and turns into a civilian massacre in which
his long-time partner is killed. Before this 10 ½ minute scene is over, the
body count in the film (which is probably impossible to accurately keep)
already exceeds that of most full-length action features. Our cunning assassin
is Tony, played by Tony Leung, introduced in the next scene in a flawlessly and
soundlessly executed hit in a library that Tequila is then assigned to as part
of his work with the gun-running case. And we’re off!
Hard
Boiled works with many of the clichés of macho action-thrillers you’ve seen
before, but there’s no film I’ve ever seen that pushes everything to the
extreme – and even beyond to the point of almost comic absurdity – the way this
one does. Sure, you have your codes of honor binding both cops and criminals
(except for the really bad guys with no honor whatsoever), you have your
jokey camaraderie (except when everyone suddenly gets deadly serious), your
endless supply of bullets and no stops for reloading (except at crucial moments
when someone’s empty chamber is needed for dramatic effect), and you’ve seen
those before, but the combination of the constantly roving camera, the basic
goodness and likeability of the heroes, the pure, non-stop kinetic energy of
the film have no parallels I’ve ever seen – outside of John Woo’s catalog,
anyway. Or perhaps since the release of this film and Woo’s other masterpiece The
Killer (also starring Chow Yun-Fat in the title role) action movies have
changed. The kind of crazy, stylized violence on display here has raised the
bar for what can be done in action films, and just how intense they can be. And
despite the intensity, there are still moments of humor throughout – though
sometimes you’re chuckling because it’s a release of tension as much as actual
humor. But you know there’s some tongue firmly in cheek when one gun-runner
complains about another with “His low prices are killing my market, I’m losing
out.” Or when Chow Yun-Fat, in a raid on an arms arsenal, shoots a motorcyclist
speeding toward him with gun drawn, then leaps over that cyclist’s skidding
bike to shoot yet another cyclist in midair (that bike explodes) then lands on
his feet to dodge the flaming remains of the second motorcycle, it’s clear that
Woo and company know when they’re skirting the edge of the ridiculous – that
it’s simultaneously exciting and chuckle-worthy is one of the great
accomplishments of the film. It’s also worth noting that the stunts throughout
– especially the many shots done in close quarters with explosions or
shattering glass – are hair-raising and I hope these stuntmen were paid
extremely well.
The film comes charging out of the
gate with scene after scene of action until it hits its middle. At this point
it slows down just long enough to shift our perception of who are the good and
bad guys and to set up the rest of the plot, then it shoots forward into its
final set piece – an assault on an inner city hospital that lasts about 45
minutes. It’s the culmination of everything the film – and additionally John
Woo – has been working toward to this point and it’s a remarkably sustained bit
of tension, humorous bits notwithstanding. Especially notable is a virtuoso
continuous shot that must have been a nightmare to choreograph – a 2 minute and
40 second sequence that travels with our heroes from floor to floor while they
work out dialogue, have a sustained shootout with the bad guys, and move around
the hospital chasing one of the toughest and most violent members of the gang.
Everything that’s been set up to this point from the opening shootout and the
iconic imagery throughout is merely leading up to this closing sequence and
it’s worth every second. The whole film is a thrilling, exhausting, extremely
violent ride, but it’s also one of the best and most exciting action films
you’ll ever see.
- Patrick Brown
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