Has a director ever made violence look as gorgeous as John Woo? A lot of directors have made gun fights and swordplay look great, but right now I'm hard-pressed to think of another film where a bunch of men shooting each other looked as choreographed as the Broadway Melody segment in Singin' in the Rain.
The Killer is the first of two back-to-back John Woo action films in the Criterion Collection and the first to be made in my lifetime. It's hard to describe, but even films that were made when I was in grade school feel more current to me than even something in the 70s. There's a weird psychological tic where this film feels "modern", while 1974's Amarcord still feels like it's part of an older, "classic" era. Because action films have dominated the box office my entire life, seeing this film again feels like I'm in on the ground floor of something magical. The first director to kick start my rabid love of films was Tarantino, and man did he ever jack Woo's style. Aside from that, you also see how Michael Bay stole from this movie as well, and there were a number of times that I was reminded of Bad Boys 2 while watching this, only Bay's version was the much more misogynistic and shitty version.
What I love about the Criterion Collection, and why in general it's a great reference point for movie fans, is that a top-tier action film like this gets into the collection. There's no waffling bullshit the justify its entry. This is clearly one of the best of the form, and deserves to sit along side such "serious" films as The 400 Blows and Seven Samurai.
While I've harped on about the action, the story here is also very good. It's another "criminal with a heart who wants to go straight" movies, but the characters are fantastic here, and Chow Yun-fat's relationship with the cop who's trying to arrest him is touching, though perhaps obvious in retrospect. There are a few things I had a problem with, such as what happens to Yun-fat's character at the end, but the scene immediately following helps to wash that away. As far as action films go, this one is right near the top in every category.
As for ranking, the story, while very good, isn't quite great in my opinion. That's not the point, but if I'm going to pit this against the best of the best, then the story does matter in the ranking. So far there have been three pure action/suspense films in the list, and I think this deserves to sit right at the top. A Night to Remember and The Lady Vanishes are fantastic, but The Killer is such a rush that the other two can't compete, and that's ignoring the undeniable influence that it has had over modern action cinema. Meanwhile Amarcord continues to plummet, which strangely enough is making me feel bad even though I didn't love that movie.
1. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Grand Illusion (1937)
4. The 400 Blows (1959)
5. The Killer (1989)
6. A Night to Remember (1958)
7. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
8. Amarcord (1973)
Next up: I wrap up my John Woo double feature with 1992's Hard Boiled. Will I prefer it to the Killer, or will I puss out and have them one on top of the other? Stayed tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment