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The Killer [VHS] [1989]

Rated: Suitable for 18 years and over Format: VHS Tape
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 281 ratings
IMDb7.7/10.0
Additional VHS tape options Edition Discs
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VHS tape
31 May 1994 		—
1
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— —
Format Dolby
Contributor Woo John
Language Cantonese Chinese
Runtime 1 hour and 42 minutes
Colour Colour

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Product description

Product Description

Pacy action thriller by Hong Kong director John Woo. A contract killer accidentally blinds a nightclub singer while blowing up some gangsters. Driven by guilt, he decides to take on more work to raise money for the singer's cornea transplant. Meanwhile, a maverick cop is on his trail...

Amazon.co.uk Review

John Woo's 1989 Hong Kong action classic, a stylish, bullet-riddled elegy to friendship under fire, firmly established him as the maestro of mayhem. Superstar Chow Yun-Fat, Asia's king of cool, plays the most charming hit man ever (and yes, he only takes contracts on those who deserve it), but when one of his killings leaves an innocent nightclub singer (Sally Yeh) blinded, he dedicates his life to giving her back her sight. Danny Lee is the cop on his tail, but the two adversaries become unlikely comrades when the mob decides to cancel its debt to Chow by taking him out, leading to a beautifully filmed and incredibly violent confrontation. Woo places the showdown in a church and punctuates the acrobatic gunfight with images of religious icons, flying doves, and burning candles. An ode to Jean-Pierre Melville's existential gangster classic Le Samouria, Woo's delirious mix of melodrama and stylized action recalls the balletic bloodletting of Sam Peckinpah, the elegant camerawork of Martin Scorsese, and the operatic, larger-than-life grandeur of Sergio Leone. Woo's love of American musicals (and his own background as a dance instructor) adds a touch of grace to the fluid choreography of the action scenes. In terms of sheer action, Woo topped himself a few years later with Hard-Boiled, his Hong Kong swan song, but most critics still rate The Killer as his masterpiece. --Sean Axmaker

Product details

  • Rated ‏ : ‎ Suitable for 18 years and over
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Cantonese Chinese
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.6 x 10.64 x 2.85 cm; 173.88 g
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 42 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ 31 May 1994
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Woo John
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Rtm
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00004COPA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 281 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
281 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • jediknights@yahoo.com
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chow Yun Fat at his best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The original and the best by the master director, John Woo.
    A tale of affection by the anti-hero.

    Don't even try to compare this to the new remade version in 2024, which tries to catch the attention of a new modern audience.

    Like chalk and cheese
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  • Chunky Monkey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Balletic and Ballistic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2016
    Verified Purchase
    First off, this is in cantonese with English subtitles (not one of those horrendously dubbed versions), so we're off to a good start. It is in16:9 anamorphic aspect (oh yes, it is!) so it looks good on widescreen Tv. Dolby (or "Dobly", for all you spinal tap fans out there) 5.1 audio. It has a few extras on the dvd ( feature length audio(!) commentary by " HK cinema expert" Bey Logan (yeah, me neither), a gallery of deleted scenes and a couple of other bits and bobs......oh, and it's 107 minutes long.
    So, on to the film. Chow Yun Fat, plays the triad assassin, with a sense of morality, who is pursued to a bloody resolution. I won't describe the plot anymore than that. It is full of Woo tropes, religious imagery, salvation, honour and friendship. And guns. Lots of guns.
    For its genre, it is archetypical, at least to us in the West, and held up as a masterpiece by many. The action scenes are often balletic as well as ballistic and the mighty Chow Yun-Fat is supercool as the anti-hero "Killer".
    About as good as it gets. Recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • samcro71
    5.0 out of 5 stars killer film
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 April 2014
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    The film is a hong Kong classic with all the John Woo traits. (Slow-motion gun fights, white doves, etc). However, the DVD cover shown is the original release but, the one I received was part of a Hong Kong legends series and is very cheap and nasty by comparison, which was quite disappointing.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • sidney crump
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2015
    Verified Purchase
    very goodv
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  • Evulissa G
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional film!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This I would hail as Chow Yun Fat's best ever film he's made with John Woo. Great characterisation and story...brilliant action and perfect ending. Great cinematography. And absolutely brilliant extras. I've hunted for this film for ages...now I've got it!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Alan Mcintyre
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Killer
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2012
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    This is a typical John Woo film, full of action and action sequences that are almost breath taking. Chow Yun Fat is one of the most under rated action film actors. He is fabulous in this one. A must see if you like John Woo and especially if you like Asian action films.
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  • Blade
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Massive Powerhouse of a movie.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great movie, lot of thrills and bangs and for the faint hearted be warned there is gore too. A finger been severed and someone shot in the eye. So not for these with weak stomach.
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  • Joe Baird
    5.0 out of 5 stars John Woo Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2019
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    High quality action
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sett
    5.0 out of 5 stars This film is awesome
    Reviewed in the United States on 4 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't find a real nice version of this film but this copy will do with English subs.
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  • Oscar Yuen
    5.0 out of 5 stars great classic action movie
    Reviewed in Canada on 19 July 2017
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    It's a classic Hong Kong action movie that influenced a lot of Hollywood action movies.
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  • amazonユーザー
    5.0 out of 5 stars 吳宇森的最高傑作
    Reviewed in Japan on 14 September 2021
    Verified Purchase
    喋血双雄の原題そのまま、叩き文句のそのままに、男たちの切ない友情と銃撃戦の映画。
    最初から最後まで、ベタでかっけええええシーンの連続。二人の双雄小莊(チョウ・ユンファ)と李鷹(ダニー・リー)はもちろん、そのそれぞれの友人の四哥(朱江)、老曾(曾江)ともに見せ場アリ。二人が成り行きで呼び合う「蝦頭」「細弟」もグリグリ○。「小莊」は元々愛称なので、本名は明かされずに終わっています。
    サリー・イップのスケジュールの都合がつかず、目の手術のために李鷹とジェニーが空港にいるというエピローグがカットされハモニカのシーンに変更ということで、三角関係の予定はありません。ジョン・ウーの映画にそういうのはナシ。
    とにかくベタで美しく、カッコイイ。盧冠廷の音楽も素晴らしい。

    追記
    「先輩」はVHS版では「親父の腹心」、ドラゴンレースでの標的の汪東源は汪海の叔父となっていました。
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  • P L Ramsey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic film! Lots of action and plenty of depth to the characters. A few reloads of weapons but not enough, but still fun to watch.
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  • けせらせら
    5.0 out of 5 stars ジョン・ウー節の完成系
    Reviewed in Japan on 16 April 2023
    Verified Purchase
    白い鳩
    銃の突きつけ合い
    二丁拳銃
    ストップモーション

    チョウ・ユンファと
    ジョン・ウーの美学が
    この映画に集約されている
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