The Killer

1989

1h 50m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

856

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99+ Images

Action

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.

Directors

John Woo

Writers

John Woo(screenplay by)

Stars

Chow Yun-Fat

Danny Lee Sau-Yin

Sally Yeh

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Videos1

Trailer
Watch The Killer (1989) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

Photos147

Top cast

Jong

Insp. Li Ying …

Jennie

Sidney Fung

Sgt. Tsang Yeh

Hay Wong Hoi

Teddy Wong Hung

Teddy's Man

Frank Chen

Chief Inspector Tu

Inspector Chan

Tony Wong Tung Yuen

Sniper

Bodyguard A

Review Board Officer (uncredited)

Lam Chung

Cheung Wan

Ng Kwok-Kin

Policeman

Dion Lam

Hay's Man

Directors

John Woo

Writers

John Woo(screenplay by)

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User reviews1

Review

Featured review

7/10

**Action, lots of action, in a slow but elegant film.** It was the first time, to my knowledge, that I saw a film made in Hong Kong. John Woo, its director, gained some international notoriety and would even, long after this film, have some work in western cinema. In general, I liked the movie. I'm not an undefeated fan of action cinema, but I felt that this film manages to balance the explosive action (even better and more intense than in North American films) with a satisfying script. The story revolves around a professional killer who, after accidentally blinding a bar singer, starts to protect her. He will, however, have to kill a mobster and escape from the police, who understand the relationship between the singer and the bandit and start to watch her. Chow Yun-Fat is the film's lead actor, and the only actor I somehow remember seeing, though I can't say where. He is charismatic and intense, and makes his character a tough man but, at the same time, able to capture the audience's sympathy. Danny Lee, in the role of a police inspector, and Sally Yeh, as the singer, also give us a pleasant job. The film's focal point is the intense, explosive action. No means were spared in achieving impressive fight and shootout scenes, and in that respect, both the stuntmen and the special effects team deserve praise. The film has good sets and costumes, and the cinematography has a visual beauty very typical of oriental films, where the color is intense, vivid, something important and always valued. The film is about an hour and a half long, but the pace is quite slow, denoting a certain stretch of the script, and this is the biggest negative criticism I can give it.

FilipeManuelNeto19 Jun, 2023