BULLET IN THE HEAD
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1991 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: Three young street punks flee Hong Kong in 1967, to avoid arrest. They go to Vietnam (Saigon), where they plan on becoming "big-time" smugglers. Instead, they become petty criminals, until they steal a gold shipment and are chased by the South Vietnamese Army, the criminals they stole the gold from, and the Vietcong! A male "buddy" film, loaded with the shootouts and extreme violence that characterize John Woo's films.
Hong Kong (English subtitles), color, 1990, 125 minutes. Producer/Director/Editor: John Woo
This is the latest film from Hong Kong's John Woo, whose films include the stylish THE KILLER, and the film series A BETTER TOMORROW. Like these films, BULLET IN THE HEAD is a psychological crime story, loaded with hyper-kinetic mayhem and violence. The major difference is that the current film is set in Vietnam during the war, resulting in a cross between a "gangster film" and a "war film."
The story concerns three young street hoodlums in 1967 Hong Kong. Together, they are a small gang, warring against other, larger gangs. As a result of battling with another gang, they are wanted by the police. To escape arrest, and to start over in life, they go to Saigon, with dreams of becoming rich smugglers.
In Saigon things don't go as planned. Instead of becoming big smugglers, they end up as small-time hoodlums and thieves. They get involved with a beautiful singer from Hong Kong, who is being held captive (and sold as a prostitute) by the owner of a night-club. They befriend a local gunman, who is also in love with the singer, and who has worked for the night club owner.
Together with the local gunman, they raid the night club in a massive shootout (using dynamite, machine guns, shotguns, etc.) to free the singer and steal a gold shipment from the nightclub owner. They get the gold, but must then try to keep it, and somehow stay alive, as they are chased by the South Vietnamese Army, the criminals they stole the gold from, and the Vietcong as well.
The major themes of the film are the friendships between the young hoodlums, and the loosely defined code of honor they observe. As in THE KILLER, these themes are explored against a backdrop of violence. However, where THE KILLER was limited to small-arms fire, the current film has the Vietnam war as its background, and the violence includes high explosives, bazookas, mortars, and helicopter gunships. Although the scale of violence has increased, it is also rather impersonal and mechanical.
Taken in its entirety, the film does make an interesting contrast between the small-scale violence of the criminals, and the large-scale violence of the war. However, this topic is not directly addressed, as the primary focus of the film is on the male bonding and relationships between the criminals.
Comparing BULLET IN THE HEAD to THE KILLER, John Woo's previous film, I prefer THE KILLER. Reasons: 1) the plot of THE KILLER is much tighter, as it deals with only two major relationships. BULLET has a much looser, more diffused plot. 2) Chow Yun Fat, the great actor and Hong Kong "superstar" who had the lead role in THE KILLER, is not in BULLET. His presence is indeed missed! Also, because of the difference in scale of violence (war versus criminal gunfights), the viewer may react to the films differently. Since much of the violence in BULLET is mechanized and impersonal, the viewer may not react as strongly as to the personal violence of THE KILLER. Some viewers may like the film more (or less) because of that.
Because of the extreme violence, I cannot recommend the film to a general audience. However, if you like war movies, or you enjoyed the earlier films of John Woo, it is worth considering.
Distribution: now in its first U.S. theatrical release. Currently (7/30) showing in San Francisco at the Roxie Cinema.
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