THE KILLER
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: A professional killer accidentally blinds a young woman in a shootout. Driven by guilt and financial need, he accepts a last job; to kill the head of a large drug syndicate! Further complications: the last job is a double-cross, and his employers try to have him killed. A psychological view of the killer and the policeman who stalks him, interspersed with outrageously violent shootouts and black humor.
Hong Kong (English subtitles), color, 1990, 110 minutes. Director/Writer: John Woo Producer: Tsui Hark
The film centers on Jeffrey, a skilled hit man or professional killer. During a wild shootout in a bar, a beautiful young woman (a singer in the bar), is blinded by powder burns from his gun. He befriends her, and falls in love with her. She needs a cornea transplant, and cannot afford one. So, driven by guilt and the need to finance her operation, he accepts what he plans to be his last job: to kill the head of an international drug syndicate!
The last job is completed, then he is double-crossed. The people who hired him try to kill him (in further wild shootouts). Meanwhile, a police inspector is closing in on Jeffrey. The story continues as Jeffrey sets out to kill the man who double-crossed him....
The Director, John Woo, is perhaps best known for the film series A BETTER TOMORROW. The current film is a very stylish "gangster film," but it is not like most other gangster films. Instead, due to the wild shootouts, it might be compared to a Western, particularly the very violent Italian Westerns of the 1970's (e.g., Sergio Leone's films).
The film centers on emotions: Jeffrey's guilt and love for Jenny, the woman he blinded; the police inspector's obsession and hatred for Jeffrey which turns to admiration and respect as the film progresses; Jeffrey's friendship with another killer, and the "gangster code of ethics" they follow. However, all the psychological intricacies of the very complex characters in the film are overwhelmed by the violence in the film, which is a virtual bloodbath.
The shootouts in this film are so wild, so outrageous, that it is reasonable to describe them as a "ballet of violence." They are pure violence elevated to the level of an art form! They also reflect real technical brilliance in special effects and (fight) choreography. Initially, you might marvel at the artistic and technical skill they reflect. However, they are so overdone (and there are so many shootouts in the film), that you soon become numb to it all.
The relationship between Jeffrey and the police inspector chasing him is quite complex. There is a hilarious scene where the inspector confronts Jeffrey in Jenny's apartment; Jeffrey and the police inspector stand face to face, at arm's length, pointing pistols at each other's face! Jenny, being blind, is unaware of the confrontation and makes tea and exchanges social pleasantries with the men, as they maneuver in a deadly game. However, as the film progresses, they become friends, as the policeman admires Jeffrey's devotion to Jenny.
Because of the extreme violence of the film, I would not recommend it to a general audience. However, fans of gangster films and violent Westerns may find its wild shootouts and black humor to their liking.
Distribution: in limited theatrical release; currently showing (4/27) in San Francisco.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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