I’ve been a fan of John Woo since high school. The first film of his I saw was “A Better Tomorrow”, which has three parts. The first two tell the same story, and the last one is set in Vietnam. What I love most is the friendship between the male characters. In his Hong Kong films, women don’t have much to do—it’s all about brotherhood. “A Bullet in the Head” is also worth watching, set during the Vietnam War. In 1997, Woo moved to Hollywood, and I’m not sure how famous he is in the English-speaking world, but I saw “Mission: Impossible II” and thought he was well accepted.
What are your favorite John Woo films? Do you prefer his Hong Kong work or his Hollywood stuff?
Topic Summary: John Woo’s legacy from Hong Kong to Hollywood influences modern action cinema; debate on Hard Boiled; his heroic bloodshed style, doves, and brotherhood themes persist in contemporary films and games.
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title: John Woo Career Flow
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flowchart TD
A[John Woo Start]
B[Hong Kong Era]
C[A Better Tomorrow]
D[The Killer]
E[Hard Boiled]
F[Transition to Hollywood]
G[Hollywood Era]
H[Hard Target]
I[Broken Arrow]
J[Face/Off]
K[Mission: Impossible II]
L[Return to Asia]
M[Red Cliff]
A --> B
B --> C
B --> D
B --> E
B --> F
F --> G
G --> H
G --> I
G --> J
G --> K
G --> L
L --> M
Topic Overview (Wikipedia):
John Woo Yu-sen is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing, as well as a Golden Horse Award, an Asia Pacific Screen Award and a Saturn Award, he is regarded as a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films and the gun fu genre in Hong Kong action cinema. He is known for his highly chaotic “bullet ballet” action sequences, stylized imagery, Mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to wuxia, film noir and Western cinema.
— Read more on Wikipedia
Actually, John Woo went to Hollywood in 1993 with Jean-Claude Van Damme’s “Hard Target”, then “Broken Arrow” in 1996, and “Face/Off” in 1997. I suggest renting or buying “Hard Boiled” starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung. It’s available from Dragon Dynasty in a 2-disc special collector’s edition. “Hard Boiled” has some awesome gun battles and an explosive climax in a hospital. Chow Yun-Fat’s character is also the subject of the video game “John Woo’s Stranglehold”, which Woo helped produce. I hope Woo makes more modern action thrillers. Can’t wait to see those flying doves again.
I just saw “Hard Boiled” expecting a great film. Instead, I found an over-the-top action film (like “Mission: Impossible II”), a generic plot, and disorganized cutscenes. I recognize it’s epic, but the battle sequences are long without being great. I’ll still see “The Killer” since many consider it his best, but my expectations are low. John Woo isn’t my type of filmmaker. I want action with substance and flair, not 40-minute gunfights where everything explodes unless it’s done artistically.
Soviet makes a fair point about Hard Boiled’s plotting being thin, but I think that criticism misses the point of Woo’s Hong Kong work. His films are operatic, not realistic; the plot is just a skeleton to hang those elaborate ballet-of-bullets sequences on. The Mermaid timeline captures the arc nicely: from the raw energy of A Better Tomorrow to the polished, bigger-budget Hollywood fare like Face/Off. What’s often overlooked is how Woo’s visual language became a global shorthand for high-octane action. That’s where the modern legacy kicks in.
Think about the John Wick series: Keanu’s tactical suits, the long takes, the gun-fu choreography, and even the throwaway line about a dog – it’s all rooted in Woo’s template. Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman and Reeves’s Matrix double, has openly cited Woo’s work. Video games too: Stranglehold was a direct outgrowth of Hard Boiled, but the influence extends to Max Payne’s bullet time and even the visceral combat of modern third-person shooters. Woo’s doves, his use of slo-mo, and his focus on male camaraderie have become genre conventions. The criticism that his plots are thin is valid if you go in expecting Godfather-level writing, but the emotional core – brotherhood, honor, redemption – is what keeps audiences coming back. For anyone dismissing Woo today, I’d suggest revisiting The Killer or Hard Boiled not as narrative cinema but as a visual symphony. That’s where his enduring power lies.
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