Not many people saw Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature film Reservoir Dogs when it was released in theaters in 1992. But indie film freaks were quick to notice an auteur-in-the-making in the fast-talking director from Knoxville, Tenn. Those viewers were delightfully shocked at the movie’s violence, riveted by the ensemble acting of its legendary tough guy cast, and known for quoting the film’s most hilarious lines and bits. As the movie gained cult status following its home video rental release, critics and curious cinephiles dove deeper into Tarantino and the DNA of his ferocious low budget heist film. ‘Dogs lead fans to Ringo Lam’s Hong Kong crime drama City on Fire (1987) as well as the bullet-blasted cinema of John Woo.
John Woo is a pioneer of “heroic bloodshed” films, delivering over-the-top violence and gore with operatic stylizing. Woo pictures like Hard Boiled (1992) and A Better Tomorrow (1986) found their way onto American movie rental shelves in the wake of Tarantino’s growing success, and Reservoir Dogs fans were quick to fall for Woo’s signature blend of slow-mo acrobatics and bloodbath gun play. Woo himself eventually came to America to direct films in Hollywood largely on the strength of his masterpiece, The Killer (1989).
The Killer tells the story of an assassin who accidentally blinds a beautiful nightclub singer while executing a whole lounge full of baddies. The killer (Chow Yun-fat) falls for the singer (Sally Yeh) and decides to do one last job to pay for a treatment that might restore her sight. He’s targeted by a dogged detective. The pair earn each other’s respect before the killer, the cop and the singer join forces just in time for a straight mayhem gun battle in an abandoned church — the brutality streaming with colored light and flashing in the frantic wings of white doves, flushing into the rafters in slow motion. The finale introduces Woo’s signature action style for the first time, and its impact registers throughout action cinema to this day.
The Killer is still a killer, and Woo just debuted his own remake of his masterpiece. The Killer (2024) is mostly like its namesake, except now it’s set in Paris, and Chow Yun-fat’s legendary killer-for-hire has been replaced by a hitwoman named “Z,” played by Nathalie Emmanuel. This new cast can’t stack up to the original — Chow Yun-fat! — but once the killer and a detective (Omar Cy) go full cat and mouse the film mostly flows well from one bonkers action sequence to the next. Gender/race swapping roles in classic film remakes often feels cheap — a gimmick in lieu of an original idea for a new film. But Woo can do whatever he wants with his own film, and here the great artist revisits his canvas and we get to watch all that red paint splash and splatter.
There’s plenty of violence and scarlet gore in this new version, even if the romance, existential angst and homoerotic overtones in the original must have been lost in translation. But this 2.0 version of The Killer has churches and doves, shattering car wrecks, breakneck motorcycle chases, and gun-fu sequences that still show Woo to be an action master of high order at the age of 77. The Killer is a fun new crime movie by John Woo. It revisits a revered work with fresh faces, and both bullets and ballet.
The Killer is currently streaming on Peacock
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.