When the editors of FILMSTARTS selected the best action films of all time, John Woo was (of course) represented several times – with ‘Bullet In The Head’, ‘Face/Off’, ‘A Better Tomorrow’ and of course ‘The Killer’. “. even reached third place on the list of 75 films. With four films represented in the ranking, the action master from Hong Kong does full justice – if his best, or at least my favorite film, was not missing : “Hard Boiled”.
“Hard boiled“ was on the index for years, but has now finally been released in the uncut version – and will be released for the first time on Blu-ray on February 23, 2024. Completely unabridged! Distributor TG Vision will give the brutal hit with Chow Yun-Fat its HD premiere here and, appropriately, release it not in one, but in two limited editions – which are identical in content and differ only in appearance. While the cover of Edition A* (currently unavailable) comes with a modern mix of iconic scenes from the film Edition B* the tried and tested cover motif that older collectors will probably recognize from the VHS and DVD days:
Fans of John Woo don’t just have reason to be happy because of the release of “Hard Boiled.” While Woo’s first Hollywood film in 20 years hits German cinemas on December 14, “Silent Night – Stumme Rache”, a whole series of his biggest milestones celebrate their uncut HD premiere here: “The murderer”* (December 8, 2023) and “Bullet in the Head”* (May 31, 2024) are considered with comparable home theater ratings.
All must-buys for an action fan with a soft spot for Hong Kong like me – but especially “Hard Boiled” of course. My American Blu-ray of Dragon Dynasty has been waiting for a replacement for years anyway…
“Hard Boiled”: You can’t get more action than that!
After more than 30 years, the story of “Hard Boiled” probably doesn’t need to be discussed too much at this point. John Woo’s spectacle is heroic, bloodshed cinema in perfection, thriving on the iconic duality of good and evil – and sending two acting greats into battle on equal terms with Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung, before Woo years later with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta battle it out. (in “Face/Off”) added the perfect Hollywood foil.
The film stages its (anti)heroes in a larger-than-life style that is now almost only known from Indian blockbusters. When Chow Yun-Fat mixes a drink and plays the clarinet in the opening scene before shooting magazine after magazine at his opponents in the legendary teahouse shootout – one of the most brutal action scenes in history – it’s as effective as Tony Leung, who’s there with him? A pair of sunglasses runs through fog clouds in super slow motion. However, John Woo does not follow the methodology of style over substance, but uses these stylish images to portray the most important figures as exaggerated characters who at the same time always remain tangible. ultimate and unstoppable heroes who appear vulnerable and human at the same time.
‘Hard Boiled’ basically consists of a classic undercover police plot and just three major action scenes, each representing a climax to the action story. There’s no banter here, just uncompromising firing on all cylinders, literally causing sparks to fly, blood to spray in all directions, and sparks to fly that you can hardly stop being amazed by. If you want to know what it really means when “no stone is left unturned”, you can’t ignore “Hard Boiled”. You can’t get more active fireworks. The action mainly comes from Woo’s understanding of not only using complex settings, but always presenting them in an understandable way.
Modern action films are often frantically filmed and even more frantically edited – and there are reasons for this, as it makes it much easier to make less spectacular shots, fights and chases seem more dynamic. In most cases, however, as a viewer you quickly lose the overview. Whether it is the teahouse, the warehouse in the middle of the film or the hospital in the finale: Woo not only captures his settings in mega-stylish with slow-motion tracking shots, but also brings them closer to the audience – and then barely puts a atmosphere down. scene where it crashes in close-ups, where you can barely see anything anyway, but where possible in a long shot. Such action scenes are only possible thanks to infinitely detailed preparation, complex choreography and precise execution – everything has to be right. And that’s what it does here.
Apart from that, the German dubbed version of “Hard Boiled” also has a smile or two in store (“I feel like I’ve been noodled!”) and also offers great acting for all Asia fans with a great ensemble around the world. Cast – which in addition to Yun-Fat and Leung also includes Anthony Wong (“Infernal Affairs”), Philip Chan (“Twin Dragons”) and Teresa Mo (“Enter The Fat Dragon”).