At one point comedian Chris Tucker commented during an awards show as to what John Woo was smoking, and that he wanted some of it. This was of course in response to Woo’s films and their insane but very positive influence on Hollywood as his style has been seen to bring a good deal of change to how the Hollywood landscape works as it pertains to action movies. For a while now Woo has been one of the biggest names in show business and for a good reason since his vision and his ability to bring to life some of the most unconventional but appealing visuals has been second to none in a big way. Some might actually think he’s overrated but when you take a look at some of the movies he’s managed to create that belief flies right out the window without hesitation as it becomes easier to think that his foray into action movies was one of the greatest things to happen in the history of show business.
Here are five of the best movies he’s directed.
5. Mission: Impossible 2
There might have been some folks that thought the first Mission:Impossible was a one and done, but a lot of people were likely hoping to see Ethan Hunt again since he was the last remaining member of his team and as such the most popular and skilled as it was shown at this point. But Ethan has had a glaring weakness throughout the movies thus far and it’s been one that a lot of bad guys seem more than willing to exploit when they go after women he cares about. It’s not really a weakness to care about people but at the same time it’s a huge target for enemies to look at and in a way it’s one of his only real vulnerabilities apart from any physical damage he might take.
4. A Better Tomorrow
The stories in which one sibling goes the way of law and order and one is invested in crime are pretty old but almost always interesting since they detail just how hard it is for siblings to reconcile after such a huge division between them. For many years Kit blames his brother Ho for the death of their father since it had something to do with Ho’s criminal connections. When Ho is released from prison however he tries to go straight only to realize that the criminal world is going to continue to call to him and try to draw him back in. Eventually he settles things and the two brothers reunite, but at a huge cost.
3. Face/Off
Getting a good long look at the criminal underworld is tough when you have to work your way in and do your best to understand the different motivations behind why some criminals are the way they are. Sean Archer however takes things another step further when attempting to undo a possible bombing that Castor Troy has set in motion, he becomes Castor by undergoing a risky surgical procedure that should be insanely creepy but is somehow allowable in this movie. The only thing is that Castor does wake up eventually and assumes Archer’s identity in turn, thereby turning his life upside down and making everyone believe that Archer really is Castor.
2. Hard-Boiled
John Woo definitely likes a lot of action in his movies and there’s no shortage in this one as Tequila and Alan have to continually fend of mob members in order to simply survive. Tequila, played by popular actor Chow Yun-fat, is one of the most prominent figures in the movie and it’s been seen that Woo likes to use this actor multiple times throughout his movies which is great since he’s a lot of fun to watch. As far as the movie goes though it’s a pretty thrilling shoot ’em up type that has a decent story to it and offers up a good range of visuals that help to make the movie something interesting to watch.
1. The Killer
This movie kind of feels like it has a Replacement Killers vibe but obviously that’s not the case thanks to how it ends. The whole idea of it though seems as though it might have inspired the movie in which Chow Yun-fat starred with Mira Sorvino and Michael Rooker, as the assassin with a heart of gold is a very popular character that’s been used more than once in the movies. In this case however there’s a very specific individual that the assassin wants to help out as he was the cause of her troubles and he wants to make amends. It seems very counterproductive for anyone that kills for a living to have this big of a heart, but at the same time it does make them far more human and easier to relate to when it comes to a movie setting.
John Woo is one of the best filmmakers out there, hands down.
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