Hard Boiled (1992)

Premiere
"...From Hong Kong with a bullet, an action classic..." 09/01/1994 p.115

USA Today
"...Three of the greatest shootouts ever punctuate John Woo's instant cop classic from Hong Kong..." 02/17/1995 p.3D

Total Film
"...All the Woo trademarks are present and correct..." 07/01/2000 p.118

Entertainment Weekly
"...The climactic attack on the hospital is as eye-popping as any Busby Berkeley production number..." 01/11/2002 p.41

Uncut
"John Woo's 1992 cop thriller was his last Hong Kong movie, and it's a self-conscious career peak." 12/01/2004 o,183

DVD Verdict 10 of 10
There have been a lot of names for the genre that John Woo spearheaded with his Hong Kong action flicks. Heroic bloodshed, bullet ballet...these low-budget masterpieces have set the pace for the last decade of action filmmaking. While Woo's The Killer needs to be considered the quintessential heroic bloodshed film, Hard-Boiled holds its own as the ultimate bullet ballet movie...This is flawless action cinematography, involving hundreds of characters, in some of the biggest shootouts in film history. Woo uses close-ups, quick cuts, slow-motion, and crazy tracking shots to weave in and out of the action. It works, because we become completely enthralled by the carnage. Woo doesn't just swing the camera around wildly, though, a complaint that can be leveled at many of his followers. Throughout these epic battles, we can keep track of each character, and we always know exactly what's going on. I can't begin to imagine the logistics that would need to go into sequences like the teahouse and the hospital, but I know I've rarely seen action this tight...Rewatching Hard-Boiled has given me a lot of enthusiasm for Red Cliff, John Woo's first Chinese film since 1992. Hard-Boiled showed him at the peak of his skill, creating one of the biggest, wildest, most exciting, most intelligent action movies of all time. - Joel Pearce
 
DVD Times 9 of 10
A firm favourite of Hong Kong cinema-philes and action lovers alike, Hard Boiled ensured that both director John Woo, and a couple of years later leading actor Chow Yun-Fat, marked their transition to Hollywood with a high note...The two lead actors are superb, which is hardly surprising when you take two of, if not the two best actors in Hong Kong cinema at the time (and arguably even now). Although he has perhaps the slightly easier role, Chow Yun-Fat has never looked as impressive as he does in Hard Boiled. With all of his familiar 'trademarks' from previous films, toothpick in mouth, akimbo handguns, et al, as well as a great character that suits him perfectly -- the disillusioned cop with a heart -- he is the epitome of, well... for want of a better term, cool...Hard Boiled is one of the true classics of Hong Kong cinema and the bullet ballet genre, with the highest body count in any film to date, and stunningly choreographed gunfights that have yet to be bettered. Some might be put off by the lack of humanity in certain scenes (relative to American films especially), with many innocent people dying, but others will welcome the distinctly cold atmosphere. And then, of course, there's the sublime acting between the two leads, played by two of the best actors in the world today. - Michael Sunda