Written and directed by John Woo, The Killer is the story of an assassin who decides to do one more hit in the hopes to redeem himself after an accident that left a singer nearly blind which he feels responsible for. The film is a story of redemption set in Hong Kong where a man’s mistakes forces him to try and do things right in a chaotic world while a cop tries to go after him and wonder why these acts of valor. Starring Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Chu Kong, Kenneth Tsang, and Shing Fui-On. The Killer is a bloody yet exhilarating film from John Woo.
Following a botched shoot-out that left a singer nearly blind by a muzzle flash, a triad assassin tries to redeem himself by helping the singer in regaining her sight while he finds himself being pursued by a police detective following another assignment the assassin was involved in. It’s a film that plays into two men who live by a code of rules and honor in their respective work yet they’re dealing with a world that is ever-changing as it’s more about protecting the wrong people or making money by any means necessary. When the assassin Ah Jong (Chow Yun-fat) is asked to kill a boss only to be double-crossed where he kills those that try to kill him, he sees that a child was shot where he tries to save her by taking to the hospital. Upon arriving, he would be confronted by the detective Li Ying (Danny Lee) who wants to arrest him but realizes that Jong isn’t a villain for trying to save this little girl where the two realize that they share something that is lost in the bloody crime world of Hong Kong.
John Woo’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the themes of honor, valor, and respect but also play into that sense of a world that is ever-changing where Ah Jong wants out as he’s seen too much violence and too much death. Li Ying, meanwhile, is a man that wants to stop bad from doing things as he finds himself at odds with bureaucratic officials who want to things to be smooth and slow. Wanting to help this singer named Jenny (Sally Yeh) who is becoming blind and needs a cornea transplant, Ah Jong would reluctantly take the assignment that would eventually expose him and be double-crossed as he tries whatever he can to get out of the triad with the help from one of its elders in Fung Sei (Chu Kong) in getting the money as he too is at odds with the new ways of the triad. With Ying pursuing Jong, the two would eventually have encounters where they have their guns pointed at each other but it is clear neither man want to kill the other. Once Ying and his partner in Sgt. Tsang Yeh (Kenneth Tsang) realize what is going on in the triad as well as Jong’s true intentions. It is clear that Jong is trying to do the right thing where Ying finds himself targeted by the triad forcing the two to work together.
Woo’s direction is definitely stylish for not just the way he captures the vibrancy that is Hong Kong for its locations at night as well as the places where ordinary people live in and near the island. Hong Kong is definitely a character in the film as it displays that sense of conflict in modernism vs. tradition where both Ying and Jong are men who are modern men but with traditional values as they realize that those values are being pushed aside. Shooting largely on location in Hong Kong gives the film a sense of energy in the way some of the chases and violence is presented where it very stylized and at times, very brutal. Yet, Woo adds something where it’s not just this bang-bang, boom, pow mentality as there is a fluidity to the gun fights in the way the camera moves and captures the action. It’s as if Woo is creating a ballet of sorts with guns, bloods, and all sorts of crazy shit where it has a sense of beauty beneath this sense of chaos where lots of men are getting killed.
The usage of wide and medium shots would play into not just the look of the locations but also in the presentation of some of the massive sequences where the usage of some crane and tracking shots help play into some of the intense moments including the fluidity of the violence. Woo’s close-ups would play into the drama along with some of the medium shots including a three-way meeting with Jenny, Ying, and Jong where the two men pretend to be friends knowing that Jenny couldn’t really see anything. It has bits of humor in the film while its third act would slow things down a bit once Ying and Jong get to know each other as it is clear that despite being in different worlds of the law. They’re both men trying to do what is right as the film’s climax isn’t just operatic in its presentation but also has this sheer sense of brutality into what is at stake. Overall, Woo crafts a visceral yet enthralling film about an assassin’s attempt to find redemption with the help of a detective.
Cinematographers Wong Wing-hang and Peter Pao do amazing work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with its usage of neon lights for the much of the nighttime exteriors in the city as well as some low-key lights for some of the gun battles as well as the usage of filters for some of the scenes set in the morning. Editor Fan Kung-ming does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of slow-motion cuts, jump-cuts, and dissolves as it plays into a sense of rhythm and fluidity for much of the action while being straightforward for the dramatic moments. Art director Man-Wah Luk and set decorator Jan-Ching Tai do excellent work with the look of the homes that Jong and his friend Fung Sei live as well as the church that the former likes to go to.
Costume designer Shirley Chan does nice work with the costumes as it is play into the look of the suits that Jong wears along with the more casual look of Ying. The sound effects of Siu-Lung Ching is terrific for the way a lot of the gun fire sound as well as the way some of the tires sound during the chases. The film’s music by Lowell Lo is fantastic for its electronic-based score with its soothing keyboards and bits of jazz while the soundtrack also features bits of jazz, classical, Cantonese pop, and some harmonica that Jong would often play in the film.
The film’s phenomenal cast include a few notable small roles from Barry Wong and Parkman Wong as a couple of top police officials Ying tries to deal with, Ricky Yi Fan-wai as a hitman Wong Hoi hires to kill Jong, and Shing Fui-on in a superb performance as the triad boss Hay Wong Hoi who is ruthless in his dealings as well as being someone that wants to rule Hong Kong with an iron fist. Chu Kong is excellent as Jong’s friend and triad elder Fung Sei as a man that is loyal to Jong as he is aware of what he had to do for Wong Hoi only to find himself in a moral conflict on what is the right thing to do. Kenneth Tsang is fantastic as Sgt. Tsang Yeh as a veteran cop who aids Ying in trying to catch Jong where he makes a discovery of his own as it relates to the triad and what Jong is trying to do. Sally Yeh is brilliant as Jenny as a club singer who becomes blind due to a muzzle flash as she copes with her ailment while falling for Jong unaware of what he did to her.
Danny Lee is amazing as Li Ying as this detective who likes to play by his own rules as he tries to catch Jong while realizing that Jong is a good man where he tries to help him where they reluctantly team up against the triad. Finally, there’s Chow Yun-fat in a sensational performance as Ah Jong as this assassin who finds himself in conflict over a botched assignment that left a woman nearly blind where he tries to get out only to become a target where he realizes that he needs Ying to help him as it’s a very calm yet powerful performance from Yun-fat in one of his most iconic roles.
The Killer is a magnificent film from John Woo that features great performances from Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee. Featuring an incredible supporting cast, cool music, a compelling premise, and stylized gun battles. The film isn’t just a crime film that has a lot of power but also presented with a sense of beauty that isn’t seen much in crime and action films. In the end, The Killer is an outstanding film from John Woo.
John Woo Films: (The Dragon Tamers) - (Hand of Death) - (Last Hurrah for Chivalry) - (Laughing Times) - (Heroes Shed No Tears) - (A Better Tomorrow) - (A Better Tomorrow 2) - (Just Heroes) - (Bullet in the Head) - (Once a Thief) - (Hard Boiled) - (Hard Target) - (Broken Arrow) - (Face/Off) - (Mission: Impossible II) - (Windtalkers) - (Paycheck) - (Red Cliff) - (Reign of Assassins) - (The Crossing Pt. 1) - (The Crossing Pt. 2)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Zhang Yimou and screenplay by Yimou, Wu Nan, and Bian Zhihong from a story by Wang Bin, Curse of the Golden Flower is the story of an empress who conspires with her son to lead a revolt against the emperor after learning about the emperor’s desire to get rid of her. The film is an epic set in ancient China that is inspired by Cao Yu’s 1934 play Thunderstorm that explores the dynamic of family and betrayal. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, and Qin Junjie. Curse of the Golden Flower is a lavish yet exhilarating film from Zhang Yimou.
The film revolves around a royal family in ancient China as it prepares for an annual festival to take place. Yet, there is discord in this family led by Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat) as he returns from a military campaign with his son Prince Jai (Jay Chou) while Ping has left specific instructions into treating Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) who has been ill as she has to drink a special medicine. Yet, she becomes suspicious about the medicine’s contents as she believes she is being poisoned while is having an affair with her stepson in Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye) who is the Emperor’s favorite son. Still, the Empress and Prince Jai conspire to stage a coup against the Emperor for his actions that also involves secrets relating to the Imperial Doctor’s family. With everyone conspiring against one another, there is still the young Prince Yu (Qin Junjie) lurking around as he observes all that is happening.
The film’s screenplay explores the dynamic of this very dysfunctional family where everyone has to serve the Emperor yet they’re being mistreated for his own reasons to maintain his role as Emperor. Prince Jai’s discovery of what is happening to his mother becomes his motivation to rebel against his father in secrecy while there is also a lot that is lurking around in the film’s first half. Notably as Crown Prince Wan is having an affair with the Imperial Doctor’s daughter Jiang Chan (Li Man) as she is hoping to have a life outside of the palace. Another character that plays a key part in the film’s first half is the Imperial Doctor’s wife (Chen Jin) who has a grudge towards the Emperor as she helps out the Empress while is one of the few that knows a dark secret that could impact the entire royal family.
While the first half of the script is all about various people planning the coup as well as its motivations. The film’s second half becomes a much more adventurous feature where there’s revelations unveiled as well as the kind of actions that the Emperor is doing. The third act is about this attempted coup on the night an annual festival that is to take place that involves a golden flower that is a symbol of the family’s coat. Yet, it reveals that Emperor’s words about family harmony are really a façade considering the discord that he created in his family.
Zhang Yimou’s direction is definitely extravagant in the way he presents the film as not just an epic but also a family drama with an air of suspense that looms throughout the film. Utilizing lots of stylish tracking shots with some elaborate crane set-ups and stylish action scenes. Yimou creates a film that is about people conspiring against one another as if it’s a game of who can outwit who. Still, it’s a world where it’s all about people serving the royal family where there’s lots of shots that involve many extras who do their duty where Yimou puts a lot of attention to detail of where they should be in the frame and such. While there are still some intimate moments in the framing, it is all about the drama that is unfolding in these lavish settings. The action sequences are presented with a large degree of style as does the film’s climatic coup that involves a horde of extras and some visual effects to establish the vast power of this rebellion. Overall, Yimou creates a very engaging and mesmerizing film about betrayal and dark secrets.
Cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding does excellent work with the film’s very colorful photography from the lighting schemes and atmosphere in some of the film’s interior settings to the broad look of the palace hall exteriors as well as some scenes set in night. Editor Cheng Long does brilliant work with the film‘s editing from some stylish jump-cuts in some of the film‘s action scenes to some stylish rhythmic cuts to play out some of its suspense and dramatic moments. Production designer Huo Tingxiao and supervising art director Zhao Bin do spectacular work with the film‘s presentation of the palace interiors that are colorful and full of style along with some scenes in the palace exterior halls to present its extravagance.
Costume designer Yee Chung Man does amazing work with the costumes from the design of the robes as well as the look of the uniforms of the guards as it all plays to that attention to detail that Yimou wanted. Visual effects supervisors Angela Barson and Frankie Chung do terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects for some scenes involving the weapons of the Emperor‘s secret guards as well as some of the scenes in the film‘s climatic battle scene. Sound designer Tao Jing does superb work with the sound from the way swords clang to some of the smaller moments to play out that sense of atmosphere that occurs in the palace. The film’s music by Shigeru Umebayashi is wonderful for its mixture of intricate Chinese string music to play out the drama that is mixed in with some lush string arrangements while it also features some bombastic moments to play out some of its suspense and drama including the film’s climax.
The film’s cast is incredible as it features a terrific small performance from Ni Dahong as the Imperial Doctor who is unaware of all of this conspiracy. Chen Jin is wonderful as the Imperial Doctor’s wife who comes to the palace in secrecy to unveil something for the Empress as it relates to a grudge she has towards the Emperor. Li Man is very good as the Imperial Doctor’s daughter Chan who is in love with Crown Prince Wan as she deals with all of the chaos that surrounding the conspiracies that is going on. Qin Junjie is excellent as the youngest prince of family in Prince Yu as the one person the family seems to overlook as he lurks in the shadows to find out what is happening as he feels neglected by everyone including his brothers. Liu Ye is superb as Crown Prince Wan as a young man conflicted in his feelings for both the Empress and Chan while dealing with the expectations that is set upon by his father.
Jay Chou is great as Prince Jai who learns about what his father has done as he tries to defend his mother’s honor by helping her stage a coup in order to set things right for the family. Gong Li is amazing as Empress Phoenix as a woman who is slowly losing her sanity due to the medicine she’s drinking as she tries to stage a coup against her husband while carrying dark secrets that could shake up the entire royal family. Finally, there’s Chow Yun-Fat in a brilliant performance as Emperor Ping as a man who is very shady in his façade as he presents himself as a man of honor but is really a much darker individual who wants to maintain control of his empire.
Curse of the Golden Flower is a phenomenal film from Zhang Yimou that features superb performances from Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, and Jay Chou. The film is definitely an epic that lives up to its grand visual style while supporting with a strong story of betrayal and discord. It’s also a film that features some of Yimou’s finest moments in terms of creating a visual spectacle that involves lots of extras and a grand battle scene. In the end, Curse of the Golden Flower is a marvelous film from Zhang Yimou.
Zhang Yimou Films: (Red Sorghum) - (Codename Cougar) - (Ju Dou) - (Raise the Red Lantern) - (The Story of Qiu Ju) - (To Live) - (Shanghai Triad) - (Keep Cool) - Not One Less - (The Road Home) - (Happy Times) - (Hero) - House of Flying Daggers - Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles - A Simple Noodle Story - (Under the Hawthorn Tree) - (The Flowers of War) - Coming Home (2014 film) - The Great Wall (2016 film) - (Shadow (2018 film)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the wuxia novel Crane Iron Pentalogy by Wang Dulu, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the story about a swordsman trying to stop a young thief from stealing a legendary sword as he and another warrior try to stop the thief and her master. Directed by Ang Lee and screenplay by James Schamus, Wang Hui-Ling, and Tsai Kuo-Jung, the film is a stylized martial arts drama set in ancient times as it revolves around themes of honor as well as identity. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen, Cheng Pei-pei, Sihung Lung, and Zhang Ziyi. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a majestic yet visually-gorgeous film from Ang Lee.
Returning from Wudan after a period of meditation, legendary swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) meets with his longtime friend Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) as he plans to give up life as a warrior and give the legendary Green Destiny sword to their friend Sir Te (Sihung Lung). Shu Lien accompanies Mu Bai to Peking where she gives Sir Te the sword while encountering the daughter of the town’s governor named Jen (Zhang Ziyi) who is set to marry a bureaucrat in an arranged marriage. Later that night, a mysterious young woman had stolen the Green Destiny sword as Shu Lien, Sir Te’s guard Bo (Xian Gao), and many others try to retrieve it. Mu Bai and Shu Lien believe that the infamous Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei) might’ve been involved as a police inspector named Tsai (De Ming Wang) and his daughter May (Li Li) are after Fox over the death of Tsai’s wife years ago.
Fox also killed Mu Bai’s master years ago as Mu Bai, Bo, Tsai, and May decides to confront the mysterious Jade Fox until her mysterious masked apprentice appears with the Green Destiny causing problems as Mu Bai knows who is the thief. Fox meanwhile, confronts her apprentice over the fact that she was able to fight against Mu Bai very well. Later that night, Jen receives a visit from her lover in a desert bandit named Lo (Chang Chen) who learns about Jen’s upcoming nuptials as he wants to take her away back to the desert where they first met. Jen refuses only for Lo to interrupt the wedding procession until he’s captured by Mu Bai and Shu Lien. With the recently-returned Green Destiny sword stolen again, Mu Bai and Shu Lien return to Shu Lien’s home where some revelations occur about the thief as Mu Bai tries to offer her something which then leads to a final confrontation with Jade Fox.
While the film is a martial-arts adventure film that revolves around a legendary sword, it’s a film that explores the confines of duty and what is expected from people as well as breaking out of this repression. In this multi-narrative story, there’s two warriors who definitely have feelings for each other but could never express it due to the fact they lost someone they cared for and felt that it would insult that person’s memory. There’s also this story about the daughter of a governor who is set to be married only to be in love with a desert bandit she had encountered some time ago. It definitely leads to all sorts of complications when a sword is stolen as there’s those who are involved trying to retrieve this famed sword.
The film’s screenplay isn’t just complex in its narrative but also in the way the characters are presented. Li Mu Bai is a man who has endured enough training and fighting who feels like there is nowhere to go until he encounters this young thief whom he believes has the potential to be something greater and undo whatever mistakes that had been made by his masters years ago. Mu Bai’s friend Yu Shu Lien is a woman who knows what she should do as a woman but feels repressed by the fact that she and Mu Bai have feelings for each other but is still saddened by the death of her lover who was also Mu Bai’s best friend. Then there’s Jen Yu, a governor’s daughter who is feels stilted by her duty as she wants to do the things Shu Lien does while there’s something about her that becomes intriguing.
Notably as the screenplay features a flashback narrative about how Jen meets this desert bandit Lo where they fall in love as Lo becomes the escape that Jen craves for only for other things to complicate matters. The character of Jade Fox isn’t just this venomous antagonist who wants to kill Mu Bai over the fact that she never got the chance to grow as a warrior. She becomes upset that her apprentice has started to surpass her in skill as she starts to become envious and eventually corruptive. Eventually, a showdown occurs where Mu Bai wants to become the one person who can provide Fox’s apprentice something more.
Ang Lee’s direction is definitely stylish not just in terms of the presentation of the martial arts scene but also in the film’s dramatic moments. Shot on location in the mountains and deserts of China as well as locations around Beijing, it’s a film set in a period where there isn’t a lot of conflict happening and times are definitely changing in some ways. Lee’s approach to framing and not employing lots of close-ups allows the film to present the characters in the environment they’re in whether it’s the lushness of the forests or in the homes of government officials. Lee always find a way to put the actors in a frame where it isn’t show-dressing but rather express what is happening as there’s a lot of intrigue that occurs.
For the fight scenes, Lee employs the services of choreographer Yuen Wo Ping for a very stylized approach to martial arts where it involves lots of flying and moves where it is about the intensity of the fight as well as what is at stakes. Lee also employs bits of humor such as an elaborate scene at a restaurant where a bunch of men try to gang up on someone only for everything to wrong. Lee also knows when to give the audience a break from the fighting for a moment of serenity where it allows the characters to find themselves or to figure out what to do next. Overall, Lee creates an exquisite yet spellbinding film about love and identity.
Cinematographer Peter Pau does brilliant work with the film‘s photography from the lushness of the forests to the vast look of the scenes in the deserts while the nighttime interior and exterior scenes play to the element of style as well as a mood that was needed for those scenes. Editor Tim Squyres does amazing work with the editing by employing lots of rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s fight scenes that were very stylized along with more methodical cuts in the dramatic moments. Production/costume designer Timmy Yip does fantastic work with the set pieces in the look of the restaurant with all of its chaos as well as the stylish clothes that Jen wears.
Visual effects supervisor Rob Hodgson does terrific work with the visual effects for some of the scenes of flying as well as other stylistic moments to play up that sense of fantasy. Sound editor Eugene Gearty does wonderful work with the sound to create an intimacy in the quieter scenes while splicing lots of different sound effects for the fight scenes. The film’s music by Tan Dun is mesmerizing for its mixture of somber string pieces with cellos provided by Yo-Yo Ma as well as bombastic, percussion-based music for the film‘s fight scenes.
The film’s ensemble cast is excellent as it features some memorable small roles from Li Fazeng and Hai Yan as Jen’s parents, Xian Gao as the guard Bo, Li Li as Inspector Tsai’s daughter May, and De Ming Wang as Inspector Tsai. Sihung Lung is wonderful as Sir Te who knows about the feelings between Mu Bai and Shu Lien while dealing with the theft of the Green Destiny. Cheng Pei-pei is great as the venomous Jade Fox who deals with her enemies as well as the fact that her apprentice is starting to surpass her in every way. Chang Chen is superb as the bandit Lo who is in love with Jen while trying to stop her from getting married.
Zhang Ziyi is amazing as Jen as a young woman dealing with the role she is forced to play as well as desire to rebel in order to find happiness as a young woman. Michelle Yeoh is brilliant as Yu Shu Lien who is determined to retrieve the Green Destiny sword while dealing with her own feelings for Mu Bai. Finally, there’s Chow Yun-Fat in a marvelous performance as Lu Mu Bai as a man who feels lost in his role as he deals with loss and uncertainty while trying to retrieve the Green Destiny sword and deal with his feelings for Shu Lien.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an outstanding film from Ang Lee that features incredible performances from Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen, and Zhang Ziyi. The film is definitely among one of the great films of the martial arts genre as well as a unique take on the world of fantasy. It is also one of Lee’s best films for exploring big themes on identity and repression as it serves as one of his most definitive works. In the end, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a phenomenal film from Ang Lee.
Ang Lee Films: Pushing Hands - The Wedding Banquet - Eat Drink Man Woman - Sense & Sensibility (1995 film) - The Ice Storm - Ride with the Devil - The Hire: Chosen - Hulk - Brokeback Mountain - Lust, Caution - Taking Woodstock - Life of Pi - Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - The Auteurs #19: Ang Lee
© thevoid99 2013
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