Search - Hard-Boiled on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1992 DVD Release: 06/10/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: Cantonese, English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 6 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 30 Genres: Action, Action Thriller, Police Detective Film See Also: Hard-Boiled, Hard Boiled, Hard-Boiled, Hard Boiled [Widescreen] [Ultimate Edition]

Hard-Boiled is the last film directed by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo before his arrival in the U.S. This 1992 thriller, along with The Killer, is widely seen as one of his best from his Hong Kong days. Every ingredient of the quintessential Woo thriller is present, including his ever-present anti-hero (Chow Yun-Fat). Yun-Fat portrays a maverick, clarinet-playing cop nicknamed "Tequila" whose partner is killed in the dizzying chaos of a restaurant gunfight with a small army of gangsters. It is soon revealed that one of the mob's high-ranking assassins is Tony (Tony Leung), an undercover cop who, despite his badge, is dangerously close to the edge. Tequila and Tony must team up in a tense partnership, and their common pursuit of a vicious crime lord results in a brilliantly elaborate climax in a hospital, where the heroes must rescue newborn babies from the maternity ward while fighting off dozens of mob soldiers. The characters Tequila and Tony are two sides of the same coin, another trademark theme of Woo's films that would later be most fully realized with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the American hit Face/Off. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide

Chow Yun-Fat - Inspector Yuen
Bowie Lam - Yuen's Partner
Philip Chan - Superintendant Pang
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai - Tony
Kwan Hoi-Shan - Mr. Hoi

Unlike the other John Woo film Criterion chose to release on DVD, The Killer, this disc is loaded with supplemental features. First and foremost is a comprehensive commentary track. Like =The Killer's, it is indexed with selectable chapters and features not only Woo and producer Terence Chang but also Hollywood producer/screenwriter Roger Avary and film critic Dave Kehr. The other supplements, which will make any Woo-phile dance for joy, include Woo's never-before-seen student film, trailers for all of his Hong Kong films, and several text-based features, including "Notes on Hard-Boiled" and a "Guide to Hong Kong Crime Films."
Another well-conceived feature is the ability to choose the language mode: Cantonese with or without English subtitles and an English dub which, unlike many English dubs of Hong Kong films, is not groan-inducingly bad. Additionally, the subs are a bright, digital white with black outlines, making them quite easy to read. The video transfer is not perfect -- there is a slight amount of graininess in certain areas, but for the most part it is still head and shoulders above any previous version due to the disc's double-layering. ~ Andrew Hercock, All Movie Guide