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Hard Boiled
Lorber // R // October 3, 2000
List Price: $29.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Is it just me, or was "Hard Boiled" really dull?
Just kidding. Before launching his largely-mediocre filmmaking career stateside, John Woo was a prolific writer/director/producer/editor/actor/key grip/best boy/whatever-else-you-can-name in Hong Kong, and his HK ouevre went out with a bang (actually, about 14,000 bangs) with "Hard Boiled", which will rightly go down as one of the most action-packed movies of recent memory (which for action fans tends to not be very long). The much-sought-after out-of-print Criterion disc has found new life through Fox Lorber/Winstar, using the same transfer and, although lacking many of the supplements of the Criterion releases, includes a newly recorded commentary track.
So, kids, let's take a crack at the plot. Chow Yun Fat (or Chun Yow Fat, as I always seem to call him) is Tequila, a hard-boiled cop that's boiled even harder when his partner is murdered. Tequila (sorry, I get visions of Pee-Wee Herman whenever I type that) uses his hard-boiledness to exact his revenge on the gun-runners, but everyone seems to be double-crossing everyone, and nothing is as it seems... Unlike most generic action movies, where the tortured hero will go to any length to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, and the villains are too over-the-top and feel the need to just be e-v-i-l just for the sake of being evil, the differences are more obscured here.
Really, though, despite some occassional interesting plot twists, "Hard Boiled" is all about the action. Although best known for the frenzied pace of the extremely long (but justifiably so, and always entertaining) sequence in the hospital, the movie is fat-packed with action from beginning to end. Although the film runs around two hours, if you took out all the non-action bits, "Hard Boiled" would still easily break the 90 minute mark. The fight/gunplay scenes (I'm trying to minimize the number of times I use 'action' in this paragraph) are beautifully choreographed and without equal, and there amount of filler between these scenes is minimal. "Hard Boiled" isn't vapid and masturbatory like most American action films (even Woo's), and I think it stands a pretty good chance of being a favorite action film of both fans of the genre and those who find them mindless. (Interpret 'them' anyway you'd like.)
Video: Again, this is another instance where I have to wonder why so many reviewers are giving the quality of the video such high marks. It's scarcely better than my old roommate's VHS version, particularly the slight fuzziness and the way blacks are more of a...muddy gray. Actually, all of the colors seemed washed out. There are also a number of dust, specks, and assorted print flaws early on, although they seemed to mostly clear up after a short while. The transfer is the same as the Criterion release -- letterboxed to 1.85:1 and not enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
Audio: The primary audio tracks are both in mono -- one Cantonese and the other an English dub. The Cantonese track sounded a bit fuller and richer than the English version, and I recommend listening to it with subtitles rather than using the dub, where much of the rewritten dialogue sounds really out of place. The music has some decent range (on occassion) for a mono track, but few of the effects have much punch to them, which is surprising, considering the hundreds of thousands of gunshots throughout the length of the film. Average.
Supplements: The supplement that'll have most "Hard Boiled" fans drooling is the newly recorded commentary with John Woo and producer Terence Chang. I've heard that the commentary on the Criterion disc is a little hard to follow with the large number of participants, although not having heard it myself, I can't really say... The commentary on this Fox Lorber release is great -- many insights into the film, production anecdotes...and there are very few breaks over the course of the two hour commentary. There also the usual production notes, trailers for "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer", and cast/crew bios.
Conclusion: "Hard Boiled" will probably be remembered as one of the great action films for years to come. Don't expect much in the way of plot or drama...if that's what you're interested in, pick up "The Killer" instead. "Hard Boiled" isn't too much more than a series of incredible action scenes with just enough plot to maintain interest while waiting for the next gunfight to start. For those without the Criterion edition, this Fox Lorber release is worth purchasing. Although the video is far from top-notch and the audio could use a little remastering (not necessarily a remix; purists, don't flame me!), I'm somewhat doubtful that a superior release will see the light of day...at least anytime soon. "Hard Boiled" is a very, very highly recommended rental and a recommended purchase. The disc retails for $29.98 and can be found online shipped for under $20.
Just kidding. Before launching his largely-mediocre filmmaking career stateside, John Woo was a prolific writer/director/producer/editor/actor/key grip/best boy/whatever-else-you-can-name in Hong Kong, and his HK ouevre went out with a bang (actually, about 14,000 bangs) with "Hard Boiled", which will rightly go down as one of the most action-packed movies of recent memory (which for action fans tends to not be very long). The much-sought-after out-of-print Criterion disc has found new life through Fox Lorber/Winstar, using the same transfer and, although lacking many of the supplements of the Criterion releases, includes a newly recorded commentary track.
So, kids, let's take a crack at the plot. Chow Yun Fat (or Chun Yow Fat, as I always seem to call him) is Tequila, a hard-boiled cop that's boiled even harder when his partner is murdered. Tequila (sorry, I get visions of Pee-Wee Herman whenever I type that) uses his hard-boiledness to exact his revenge on the gun-runners, but everyone seems to be double-crossing everyone, and nothing is as it seems... Unlike most generic action movies, where the tortured hero will go to any length to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, and the villains are too over-the-top and feel the need to just be e-v-i-l just for the sake of being evil, the differences are more obscured here.
Really, though, despite some occassional interesting plot twists, "Hard Boiled" is all about the action. Although best known for the frenzied pace of the extremely long (but justifiably so, and always entertaining) sequence in the hospital, the movie is fat-packed with action from beginning to end. Although the film runs around two hours, if you took out all the non-action bits, "Hard Boiled" would still easily break the 90 minute mark. The fight/gunplay scenes (I'm trying to minimize the number of times I use 'action' in this paragraph) are beautifully choreographed and without equal, and there amount of filler between these scenes is minimal. "Hard Boiled" isn't vapid and masturbatory like most American action films (even Woo's), and I think it stands a pretty good chance of being a favorite action film of both fans of the genre and those who find them mindless. (Interpret 'them' anyway you'd like.)
Video: Again, this is another instance where I have to wonder why so many reviewers are giving the quality of the video such high marks. It's scarcely better than my old roommate's VHS version, particularly the slight fuzziness and the way blacks are more of a...muddy gray. Actually, all of the colors seemed washed out. There are also a number of dust, specks, and assorted print flaws early on, although they seemed to mostly clear up after a short while. The transfer is the same as the Criterion release -- letterboxed to 1.85:1 and not enhanced for 16x9 televisions.
Audio: The primary audio tracks are both in mono -- one Cantonese and the other an English dub. The Cantonese track sounded a bit fuller and richer than the English version, and I recommend listening to it with subtitles rather than using the dub, where much of the rewritten dialogue sounds really out of place. The music has some decent range (on occassion) for a mono track, but few of the effects have much punch to them, which is surprising, considering the hundreds of thousands of gunshots throughout the length of the film. Average.
Supplements: The supplement that'll have most "Hard Boiled" fans drooling is the newly recorded commentary with John Woo and producer Terence Chang. I've heard that the commentary on the Criterion disc is a little hard to follow with the large number of participants, although not having heard it myself, I can't really say... The commentary on this Fox Lorber release is great -- many insights into the film, production anecdotes...and there are very few breaks over the course of the two hour commentary. There also the usual production notes, trailers for "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer", and cast/crew bios.
Conclusion: "Hard Boiled" will probably be remembered as one of the great action films for years to come. Don't expect much in the way of plot or drama...if that's what you're interested in, pick up "The Killer" instead. "Hard Boiled" isn't too much more than a series of incredible action scenes with just enough plot to maintain interest while waiting for the next gunfight to start. For those without the Criterion edition, this Fox Lorber release is worth purchasing. Although the video is far from top-notch and the audio could use a little remastering (not necessarily a remix; purists, don't flame me!), I'm somewhat doubtful that a superior release will see the light of day...at least anytime soon. "Hard Boiled" is a very, very highly recommended rental and a recommended purchase. The disc retails for $29.98 and can be found online shipped for under $20.
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