(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, John Woo blows minds — literally — with the 1992 classic "Hard Boiled.")
Long before a character named John Wick burst onto the scene, changing the entire landscape of action for years to come, a different John W. did very much the same, with even greater challenges to conquer. Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo might be most well-known in the West for his contributions to Hollywood, including the likes of "The Killer," "Face/Off," and "Mission Impossible: II." But true students of the genre know that his work in Hong Kong cinema influenced much of American action filmmaking for decades to come.
1992's "Hard Boiled" marked a huge turning point in Woo's career, representing the last Hong Kong film he made (the movie is mostly spoken in Cantonese) before going...
Long before a character named John Wick burst onto the scene, changing the entire landscape of action for years to come, a different John W. did very much the same, with even greater challenges to conquer. Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo might be most well-known in the West for his contributions to Hollywood, including the likes of "The Killer," "Face/Off," and "Mission Impossible: II." But true students of the genre know that his work in Hong Kong cinema influenced much of American action filmmaking for decades to come.
1992's "Hard Boiled" marked a huge turning point in Woo's career, representing the last Hong Kong film he made (the movie is mostly spoken in Cantonese) before going...
- 4/3/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
A year after his magnificent performance in “The Story of Woo Viet”, Chow Yun-fat played another kind of Vietnamese refugee as Nguyen, one who is a contract killer for the “Eagles” while also working as a special effects technician in movies. According to the Hk New Wave book, “This film was made for a western audience and was not released in Hong Kong…” The b-movie, horror/exploitation Hollywood aesthetics are indeed, quite intense here. Let us take things from the beginning though.
Nguyen leads a rather harsh life, but his dream of bringing his family to Hong Kong keeps him going, despite the violence that derives from his actions, but also seems to find him against his will. The second axis of the script revolves around TV reporter Vicky Lee, who is investigating a series of murders and an apparent gas attack on an elementary school. Eventually,...
Nguyen leads a rather harsh life, but his dream of bringing his family to Hong Kong keeps him going, despite the violence that derives from his actions, but also seems to find him against his will. The second axis of the script revolves around TV reporter Vicky Lee, who is investigating a series of murders and an apparent gas attack on an elementary school. Eventually,...
- 5/30/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Considered a pre-cursor of Hk New Wave due to the use of hand-held cameras, location shooting, blending of genres and documentary-like realism in its presentation, “Jumping Ash” is a rather impressive production with an equally intriguing back story. It was produced by the film company Bang! Bang! Films that was formed by the famous Cantonese star Josephine Siao Fong-fong. After literally starring in hundreds of Cantonese films in the 1960s she was now looking for other challenges in grown up roles and as a producer. She is credited both as co-director and co-scriptwriter. The other scriptwriter is Philip Chan who had been in the police force since 1965 and had risen to the rank of Divisional Commander of Police in C.I.D. But at the same time he developed a great interest in film making and when Josephine invited him to help with the script he jumped at it – and...
- 5/18/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Double Impact (1991) ReviewStory65%Acting68%Action73%Directing72%Van Damage85%Lots of Van DamageVan Damme Times Two is a lot of funTruely early 90s vibe Cheesy as hell (but this can be seen as a good thing as well)Loses some speed during the end2016-02-2477%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (2 Votes)72%
Van Damme. Times Two. They`re damn quick. Damn cool. Damn hot.
Double the fun. And Double…. The Van Damage!
With the above stated words, audiences in 1991 were introduced to Double Impact, one of my personal favorite, if not my very favorite, Jean-Claude Van Damme film. Just fresh from the success of Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990) and Death Warrant (1990) Double Impact was the next smash hit Van Damme had at the box office, making him a household name in the early 1990s. With split screen effects Van Damme is able to portray two roles; the role of twin brothers Chad and Alex.
Van Damme. Times Two. They`re damn quick. Damn cool. Damn hot.
Double the fun. And Double…. The Van Damage!
With the above stated words, audiences in 1991 were introduced to Double Impact, one of my personal favorite, if not my very favorite, Jean-Claude Van Damme film. Just fresh from the success of Bloodsport (1988), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990) and Death Warrant (1990) Double Impact was the next smash hit Van Damme had at the box office, making him a household name in the early 1990s. With split screen effects Van Damme is able to portray two roles; the role of twin brothers Chad and Alex.
- 2/24/2016
- by Thor
- AsianMoviePulse
What we lack more and more these days are epic fight scenes in the final part of kung Fu/Martial Art movies. We have seen less and less one on one fight scenes in the final battle over the past 15-20 years, which is a shame but we have seen recently a few flicks bringing that winning formula back.
I want to name a few of my favorite end fight scenes and please feel free to comment below, your favorite fight scenes and maybe they will be added to the future features.
1.Flash Point (2007)
Cast:Donnie Yen, Collin Chou, Louis Koo, Xing Yu, Kent Cheng
Fight Choreographer:Donnie Yen
2.Pantyhose Hero (1990)
Cast:Sammo Hung, Alan Tam, Billy Ching, Philip Chan, Ridley Tsui
Fight Choreographer:Sammo Hung, Siu Tak Foo, Brandy Yuen
3.The Thundering Mantis (1979)
Cast:Leung Kar yan, Eddie Ko, Chin Yuet Sang, Wong Yat Lung, Robert Tai
Fight Choreographer:...
I want to name a few of my favorite end fight scenes and please feel free to comment below, your favorite fight scenes and maybe they will be added to the future features.
1.Flash Point (2007)
Cast:Donnie Yen, Collin Chou, Louis Koo, Xing Yu, Kent Cheng
Fight Choreographer:Donnie Yen
2.Pantyhose Hero (1990)
Cast:Sammo Hung, Alan Tam, Billy Ching, Philip Chan, Ridley Tsui
Fight Choreographer:Sammo Hung, Siu Tak Foo, Brandy Yuen
3.The Thundering Mantis (1979)
Cast:Leung Kar yan, Eddie Ko, Chin Yuet Sang, Wong Yat Lung, Robert Tai
Fight Choreographer:...
- 4/10/2015
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Chicago – John Woo changed my life. I was just the right age when I saw “The Killer” and “Hard Boiled” that they blew my mind. Wait, you mean not all foreign films look like Jean-Luc Godard? I was young enough that I thought foreign meant boring. There’s Nothing boring about the prime of John Woo and one of his best, “Hard Boiled” has now been released on Blu-ray. And it still blows my mind.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
The action genre is too often the playground of the lazy. Too many directors think that if they just feature enough shoot-outs, car chases, and explosions then they will satisfy their genre requirements. Creativity too rarely plays a significant role. And it was even more of a problem in the late ’80s when the action genre was dominated by muscle-bound icons like Sly and Ah-nuld. While American action was in a rut, John Woo...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
The action genre is too often the playground of the lazy. Too many directors think that if they just feature enough shoot-outs, car chases, and explosions then they will satisfy their genre requirements. Creativity too rarely plays a significant role. And it was even more of a problem in the late ’80s when the action genre was dominated by muscle-bound icons like Sly and Ah-nuld. While American action was in a rut, John Woo...
- 12/16/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
More Hong Kong Filmart news
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based Emperor Group Pictures has unveiled a new slate of a dozen films, with budgets of $1 million-$10 million, geared toward penetrating the emerging Chinese market.
"There are basically two corporations working with film production in Hong Kong. There's us and Media Asia," Emperor Motion Pictures chief operating officer Philip Chan said Tuesday at Filmart. "I can see the China audience maturing. The market is out there, and I don't think there is any better time."
The new slate at EMP, formerly best known for its in-house productions, combines a mixture of distribution, investment and equity deals and is toplined by the $10 million drama "The Sun Also Rises", directed by Jiang Wen and starring Joan Chen, Jaycee Chan and Anthony Wong.
"Sun", a series of interconnected stories set across numerous time zones, is a co-production between EMP, Beijing Taihe Film Investment and Beijing's Buyilehu Films (HR 12/7). It's set to premiere in the summer across Southeast Asia.
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based Emperor Group Pictures has unveiled a new slate of a dozen films, with budgets of $1 million-$10 million, geared toward penetrating the emerging Chinese market.
"There are basically two corporations working with film production in Hong Kong. There's us and Media Asia," Emperor Motion Pictures chief operating officer Philip Chan said Tuesday at Filmart. "I can see the China audience maturing. The market is out there, and I don't think there is any better time."
The new slate at EMP, formerly best known for its in-house productions, combines a mixture of distribution, investment and equity deals and is toplined by the $10 million drama "The Sun Also Rises", directed by Jiang Wen and starring Joan Chen, Jaycee Chan and Anthony Wong.
"Sun", a series of interconnected stories set across numerous time zones, is a co-production between EMP, Beijing Taihe Film Investment and Beijing's Buyilehu Films (HR 12/7). It's set to premiere in the summer across Southeast Asia.
- 3/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.