Film Review: The Killer (1989) B

Date Viewed: 11/07/06
Venue: DVD

The Killer is arguably the most famous and prolific film ever to emerge from the Hong Kong sub-genre of action films. Directed by the-now-working-in-America John Woo, The Killer, for its time in the late Eighties, was a strong leap forward in visual stylization.

Chow Yun-Fat plays the title character, a ruthless and efficient assassin who accidentally blinds an innocent lounge singer in a botched assassination. Beleaguered by guilt, the killer winds up taking care of and falling in love with the beautiful songstress. In an effort to leave his violent profession, he takes on that-certain-to-equal-trouble final gig that finds him taking on a criminal empire and eventually befriending (like, totally BFF) a determined police investigator.

But the plot isn’t really what’s important about The Killer. What’s important is…well, the killing. And there’s lots of it. Dozens of anonymous minions and henchmen (including a whole group all wearing pink sweatsuits!) die throughout this film in a variety of bloody ways.

Woo moves the camera gracefully through the carnage, and manages to give the violence a certain beauty with overwrought choreography. It’s almost like watching a ballet sometimes.

I can’t say The Killer is as good as it was in 1989. Eighteen years ago, this kind of action was truly revolutionary, something not seen before…nowadays, it’s as common as Paul Giammatti playing a loser. Still worth a look, though.