Hard Boiled

Hong Kong director John Woo elevated the gangster film to dizzying and delirious heights with the high-caliber 1992 film Hard Boiled, which ranks with Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow, and The Killer as being among his masterworks. Chow Yun-Fat (who is to Woo what De Niro is to Scorsese) stars as Tequila, a jazz-playing cop who launches a relentless personal vendetta against the local arms kingpin who killed his partner…but Tequila's actions threaten to blow the cover of an undercover cop (Tony Leung). Made before Woo moved to Hollywood (at a time when he was already a cult figure among action film aficionados such as Quentin Tarantino), it's a testament to Woo's artistry that even after 15 years Hard Boiled has lost none of its visceral impact. Woo's intense, virtuoso action sequences have been imitated, but never duplicated (including this film's shootouts in a bird-filled teahouse and—of all places—a hospital). But beyond the fusillade of bullets and mounting body count, Woo continues to explore his favorite themes of friendship, honor, and loyalty. DVD extras on this double-disc set include an illuminating audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, as well as an entertaining tour of the film's locations and several interviews. Highly recommended. [Note: Woo's 1993 film Last Hurrah for Chivalry is also newly available, priced at $19.95.] (D. Liebenson)