John Woo’s final first-phase Hong Kong blockbuster pushed the limits of what he could do with action before he left for Hollywood, with ballistic set pieces that outdid everything he’d done before. The teahouse! The warehouse! The climactic hospital blowout! Hard Boiled can’t top The Killer’s story beats and drippy heart, but Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, and Anthony Wong topline the best Asian cast Woo ever worked with.
1992 John Woo 1.85:1 Color DCP 128 min.
