The Killer (1989)
7/10
"Heroic in manner...."
28 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
"One Vicious Hit-man. One Fierce Cop. Ten Thousand Bullets." The tagline says it all, that is exactly what you are going to get. The movie is about an assassin, Ah Jong (played by Chow), who injures the nightclub singer , Jennie, in the process of a hit. He feels great pity for his actions, and makes it his mission to redeem himself by helping her. Danny Lee plays a cop who is hellbent on arresting Ah Jong aka Jeffrey for his crimes. From this point on, nothing is taken for granted.

With that said, I thought the film was executed quite well. John Woo throw in some very cinematic moments, including freeze frames, long shots, flashbacks, etc. As for the plot of the movie, you must take it for what it is. The storyline is far from deep or exceptional, but that is made up for with copious violence. The killings in the movie are often gratuitous (in one shootout, at least 50 henchmen must die) but quite fun to watch.

On a final note, reminded me very much of the last scene of Scarface. For those that have seen Scarface, recall the last scene of the movie where Al Pacino takes down a whole army before going down himself, while dark, yet strangely melodic piano music plays in the background. Very similar to The Killer. (the movie also had a scene akin to Rambo III, but I wont give that away)

With that in mind, if you are looking for a well made 2 hr movie with abundant killings, then "The Killer" will certainly live up to its name. 8/10.
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