Hard Boiled

The greats of the action genre are jammed full of English speaking films but quite possibly one of if not the best foreign language action film at the top of many lists will be the 1992 Hong Kong explosive Hard Boiled. Directed by John Woo, right before he decided to make American films to mixed degrees of success, this stars Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung in two hours of frenetic chaos from start to finish. I had never seen the film until this point but it had been on my list for a long time and I was excited to see how it would perform today.

The story follows Yun-Fat's police officer who loses his partner in a shootout with smugglers and he must then join forces with an Leung's undercover cop to bring down a powerful arms dealer operating in Hong Kong. This isn't the easiest film to summarise as the story changed a lot during production which can often spell disaster for so many films but Woo finds a way to avoid overcomplicating things and produces one fine action sequence after another. 

On the surface, this could sound shallow, excessive and repetitive but the charm of Yun-Fat's performance as Inspector "Tequila" with some peculiar moments of humour and the use of practical effects make for a film that any action fan will be hard pressed not to enjoy. When bullets fly, the sets are demolished, blood squibs explode out of the baddies and the camera films it all in a way for maximum enjoyment. Indeed it is silly and far from complex but Woo would go on to influence future great films like The Matrix, and the climax in a hospital has become iconic today. 

Hard Boiled is an easy recommend for fans of the genre without a seconds hesitation for its dazzling action sequences and fun characters while the practical effects make it all the more special. Even John Wick is missing something due to the reliance on CGI when Woo and his team complete all the action here in camera which is a remarkable achievement and one I'm glad to have watched, and might happily consider enjoying again in the future.