by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Chow Yun-Fat, director John Woo's favorite actor, stars as a professional assassin. The moral outrages of his employers lead Yun-Fat, who adheres to his own code of honor, to seek a way out of his lifestyle. Towards this goal, the assassin befriends the cop (Danny Lee) who has been sent to stop him, and whom Yun-Fat has inadvertently blinded. The violence in The Killer is graphic and uncompromising, but with a near-balletic finesse that can (without fear of sounding pretentious) be labelled sheer artistry. The film ended up as the highest-grossing Hong Kong production since the days of Bruce Lee.
characteristics
- High Artistic Quality
- High Historical Importance
- Hit
- Redemption
- Police-detective
- Singer
- Song
- Tough Guys
- Surgery
- Singing
- Hired Killers
- Going Straight
- Adrenaline Rush
- Guilt
- Bloodshed
