The Killer (1989) ****

The Killer (1989) was John Woo's worldwide breakout and arguably his most influential film. I saw The Killer before I saw Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (1967) [review], but once I saw the latter film, it was easy to spot the acknowledged influence that it had on Woo. The action master's trademarks are all on display here: slow motion violence as ballet, endless guns and bullets, stupefying stunts, a healthy dose of explosions, and—for the first time—the dove symbolism. Though I slightly prefer Hard Boiled (1992) [review] for its nonstop thrills and Hard Target (1993) [review] is more entertaining in a less soul-searching style, The Killer remains a tragic, operatic, melodramatic, bromantic classic.

John Woo Feature Films Ranked