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June 1999

Hard Boiled: Special Edition (Criterion)
Reviewed by Roger Kanno
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment: ****
Picture Quality: ***1/2
Sound Quality: **
Packaged Extras: ****

Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung

Directed by John Woo

Theatrical Release: 1992
DVD Release: 1998
Dolby Digital Mono
Widescreen


John Woo’s Hard Boiled is the antithesis of most of his previous films. The hero is not romanticized and the gangsters not glamorized, and it is difficult to know exactly who to root for. The two main characters are a hardened, plain-clothes detective played by Chow Yun-Fat and a wildly out-of-control undercover cop played by Tony Leung. The character development is excellent, the acting is without fault, the camera work is impeccable and the action scenes are truly breath-taking. However, the bleak social landscape depicted in this film makes it difficult to identify and sympathize with any of the characters in the story. In this respect, the film may be a little too hard-boiled.

The normally likeable Chow Yun-Fat plays Tequila, an abrasive and brooding character. Although Tequila is a good cop who cares about his job, the way he treats his boss and ex-girlfriend as well as others around him make this character less likable than is usual for Chow. The undercover cop portrayed by Tony Leung infiltrates the Hong Kong triads and is willing to do anything to maintain his cover -- even murder. Not only does Leung’s character commit crimes in the line of duty, but he also betrays the trust and loyalty of the gangsters that he has befriended. Like Tequila, Leung’s character is often difficult to empathize with. Ironically, the two most sympathetic characters in the film are Leung's mob boss and an assassin called Mad Dog. Philip Kwok does double duty on this film as both the stunt coordinator and in his portrayal of Mad Dog. He does an excellent job of both.

The action scenes in Hard Boiled are dizzying. One especially notable shot takes place in the final action sequence when a single camera follows the two heroes as they kill bad guy after bad guy and even take an elevator between floors without any edits. The rest of the action sequences are masterfully orchestrated and mercilessly graphic. Woo fans will not be disappointed.

Criterion has once again gone to great lengths to assure the best possible picture quality for this release. Although the picture is marred by occasional scratches and certainly not up to the standards of current Hollywood releases, the low-contrast print results in excellent detail and good color fidelity. The video transfer is not as good as that of The Killer, which is also available on Criterion DVD, but it is superior to that of other Woo films such as A Better Tomorrow and A Better Tomorrow II, which are available on Tai Seng DVD. The mono soundtrack is disappointing. It naturally lacks any depth or stereo imaging and is sometimes harsh. However, foley effects are adequately delineated and dialog is intelligible (if you speak Cantonese). I would suggest turning on the subtitles and selecting the Chinese soundtrack because the dialogue in the English soundtrack is laughable.

The extras provided on this disc are interesting and informative as well as plentiful. The audio commentary by John Woo, producer Terence Chang, Roger Avary (co-writer of Pulp Fiction), and film critic Dave Kehr is excellent and nearly continuous throughout the film. Although I would have liked to have heard more from Woo himself, the observations from all of the commentators are insightful. Check out what Chang has to say about the Woo and Chow during the filming of chapter 41: The Blowup. Also included are an essay on Hard Boiled and trailers from 11 of Woo’s previous Hong Kong films. And finally, there is a black and white student film by Woo that is, well, kind of creepy.

The violence in Hard Boiled is brutal, graphic and less stylized than in earlier Woo films. There are fewer lingering, slow-motion close-ups of the actors and no romantic theme songs to make us feel better about ourselves. Although the world of Hard Boiled is a dark and lonely place that may leave you feeling empty, it is a place worth visiting, if just for a while. Criterion has done an excellent job preserving the dark look and feel of Hard Boiled and has added a lot of extras to this DVD release. This is a disc that John Woo fans will not want to be without.


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