Warning: Below you will find spoilers for The Killer (2024)!

I did not expect John Woo’s long-delayed remake of The Killer to be true to the original, but I’m so glad it’s still an action-packed treat. I saw the original film late at night on Channel 4 in the UK before I even knew anything about John Woo films or Hong Kong cinema. The immense style of the film, the exciting action and the incredible turn of the leading actor Chow Yun-fat make The Killer Woo’s best filmPeriod. I soon searched for the rest of his work, including Hard boiled and the first two Better Tomorrow Movies.

I admit that John Woo’s American film production was mixed. There were the highlights of In the face/out And Hard targetBut Paycheck I felt the title summed up the involvement of the cast and crew. Woo is one of my all-time favorite directors, and while his work can be overly melodramatic, it can also be deeply emotional while delivering incredible action. There have been talks of a killer For decades, the film was produced for remakes, with Walter Hill once slated to direct Denzel Washington and Richard Gere. Decades later, Woo himself remixed the film, making it an icon.

I knew the killer remake would never surpass the original

Woo could never have topped his instant classic

A lot has changed since Woo directed the original killer in 1989. His vision of two fists, the symbolism of white doves and exaggeratedly serious dramatic scenes could be a problem for viewers who are fed up with a diet of John Wick. Nevertheless, I know the effects of The Killer back when it arrived, can be measured far beyond a few film students who had the poster on their walls. The style and look of Woo’s work began to seep into American films in the early 1990s, especially the films of Quentin Tarantino – see the Mexican standoff in Reservoir Dogs – and Tony Scott.

I also think of the use of slow motion in the early films of Michael Bay (The Rock) or Robert Rodriguez’ Desperado. Woo’s The Killer And Hard boiled were considered the height of coolness at that time, and this influence extended from The Matrix to John Wick Series. I knew when I went to Peacock’s, The Killer that no matter how good it was, it had no chance of being nearly as influential like the original.

To Woo’s credit, he seems to have recognized this. The Killer 2024 follows much the same plot, but it takes the story in a different direction. Nathalie Emmanuel’s title character is more emotionally open than Chow’s version, although they are both smartly dressed. I love how Woo infused his killer Reboot with a very European sensibility (including many homages to the French Nouvelle Vague), which in turn distinguishes it from the original set in Hong Kong, and it has a far more optimistic ending compared to the pitch-black finale of the original.

Peacock’s “The Killer” revives a genre I thought was long dead

“Heroic Bloodshed” was about to make a comeback

Woo worked as a director for many years before he was awarded the A better future. This became an unexpected blockbuster and established many of his stylistic trademarks. A better future is also considered one of the founding films of the “Heroic Bloodshed” genrewhich are often defined by doomed antiheroes (be they gangsters, thieves, cops, etc.) seeking redemption or honor in the midst of epic shootouts. Most of the examples that come to mind come from Hong Kong cinema, although in 1998 The substitute killers imported the formula into an American film.

I am pleased to report that Woo’s The Killer 2024 resurrects Heroic Bloodshed after it essentially died years ago. The film is an uncompromising return to the genre’s themes and style that has made even more recent Woo exhibitions like Wanted only touched upon superficially. Whether this will lead to further excursions into the subgenre is unknown, but One of the reasons I liked Woo’s remake was the long overdue comeback of Heroic Bloodshed by the filmmaker who basically invented it..

The Killer 2024 has restored my faith in John Woo

The remake of “The Killer” is Woo’s best film in 15 years

John Woo will always be one of my favorite directors, but since his fantastic two-part historical epic Red Cliff In 2009, it was difficult to get excited about his work. Woo’s 2017 thriller Wanted lacked both the style and the energy of his best workswhere even the action seems stilted. I was very excited about his return to American film with the dialogue-free silent NightHowever, the film struggled to make its central gimmick work and was too dark and malicious to be truly enjoyable.

This made me cautious The Killer Remake, but I’m happy to report that it’s easy-going fun. The action is slick, the cast is great, and while it doesn’t live up to the classic status of the original, it more than justifies its existence. More than anything, it makes me excited to see what John Woo does next, and according to one Wrap According to the interview, it could be either a musical or a western, two genres in which he would probably feel very comfortable.

Source: The Wrap