The Killer (2024)

[Drunk Monk]

The Killer (redux)
Peacock

 
The original is one of Woo’s masterpieces so there’s no comparison. This redux is a very different film. It’s set in France. The ‘killer’ is Nathalie Emmanuel, not Chow Yun Fat. Omar ‘Lupin’ Sy is the cop. Not to spoil it but the ending is kinda happy instead of the gut wrenching overblown tragedy of the original. There’s a blinded singer, and it’s still Woo so there’s lots of gun fu, slow mo, doves, and a church. Why he went back for this, who knows? The original is untouchable. This is like an inferior multiverse variant.

But Woo can still move a camera in that absurd gratuitous way, and can still deliver gripping, albeit absurd, action. Emmanuel brings a different kind of sexiness to the role. The story feels even more far fetched than the original, unapologetically diving into the ridiculous with both barrels blazing. As long as I could let go of the original, I was entertained. It’s not bad, or if it is, only by comparison to the original. There’s some fun action and Emmanuel & Sy are serviceable in their respective roles. 

D00M recommended? I dunno. If you’re attached to the original, this sucks by comparison and you’re left with the question ‘Why? Why John Woo? WTF?’ If you can let go of the pro gal and just enjoy it for its signature Woo action style, it’s ok. Some good car crashes. Some nice choreo. If you can park your brain outside, forget the original and just focus on the action, there’s some good fights. Not overwhelmingly awesome but it’s good if viewed as a standalone flick.

Woo’s daughter Angeles Woo & Aurélia Agel, a noted stuntwoman, play baddies, hitwomen hunting for Emmanuel’s Zee, but their characters are nonexistent - they’re just villains with few lines but lots of action. Nevertheless the finale Agel v Emmanuel cat fight (in skintight black pants) is good. 


Seen on Peacock.

[Drunk Monk]

The Killer (1989)
Criterion just assembled a Hong Kong action list and a John Woo list and this tops them both. I needed a little of the ol’ ultravi and this did just the trick. One of Woo’s earliest and a collab with the ever charismatic Chow Yun Fat, this film remains untouched as one of the greatest balletic gun play films of all, Woo and Chow at their youthful prime delivering groundbreaking fire fights that redefined the genre.

It begins achingly romantic, shot like a cheesey HK romance. Woo’s obsession with doves and crucifixes are blunt instruments of sentimentality. Chow’s performance is totally engrossing as he navigates ruthless slaughter with a good heart and all the conflicts that dichotomy present. 

And the fire fights - gratuitous sanguineous mayhem. Chow likes to shoot victims repeated and they a blasted back into furniture, through glass and off balconies. Some serious stunt work. Chow’s two-fisted bullet barrages will become his trademark. Somehow he gets three or four times as many rounds as you’d expect from his reloads, but who’s bothering to count? Just make the baddies do that ‘I’m being shot’ samba and we’ll allow.

If you’ve never seen this, we should revoke your D00M card. This is not only D00M recommmended. It’s D00M required (exceptions made for those weary of excessive heroic bloodshed because this is as bloody as it gets).