Introduction:
Director
Wu Yusen is better known to audiences as John Woo and his influence on the action genre can be seen in many of
today’s blockbuster films. His influential gunfight sequences
amid romanticised morality tales of
brotherhood, love, loyalty, adversity and
anti-heroism started an entire sub-genre of action coined as either
Gun-Fu or Heroic Bloodshed, and have echoed copy-cat imitations and
western film-maker homages. His films from the 80’s
revitalised the action genre; not just in
Hong Kong but around the world. The movies A Better Tomorrow & A Better Tomorrow II,
The Killer,
Bullet in the Head and Hardboiled,
were viewed as overpowering pop masterpieces of violent cinematic
frenzy. So it seems quite surreal that John Woo almost became a
Minister before eventually following his passion for film, and even
more so when it is considered he was once touted as “The Hong Kong
king of comedy”.
Humble
Beginnings:
Born into poverty on
September 26 1946 in Guangzhou China, John Woo and his family fled to Hong
Kong in the late 1950’s to escape the communist revolution. As a
child he was enrolled in a Methodist school where he felt socially
isolated and had only a few friends. Surrounded by street violence
and gangs he soon found solace in movies where he fell in love with
the magic of musicals, westerns and animated films. With no film
school in Hong Kong he called directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville,
Henri-Georges Clouzot, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Sam Peckinpah and Alfred Hitchcock some of
his “teachers”, and when unable to afford a trip to the movies
he would visit the library and absorb every and any book he could
find about or relating to film.
Building
his craft:
Due to the corruption
and nepotism it was almost impossible to secure a job in the Hong
Kong film industry, but in 1969 the industry leading Shaw Brothers Studio hired John Woo as apprentice under and assistant director to
Chang Cheh, a leading martial arts director who, in Hong Kong, was
often equaled to Japans Akira Kurosawa. In an industry and era where
true opportunities weren’t abundant until a person reached their
forties, John Woo was unwilling to pursue such a slow and grinding
path to film making and, at 26 years old, left Shaw Brothers Studios
and launched his own independent production company.
In 1973 John Woo made
his directing debut with the martial arts action film The Young Dragons, but unfortunately his final cut of the film proved so
savage and over the top that censors banned it for its excessive
violence (It wasn’t until years later that a less naïve Woo
discovered the censors were actually anticipating a bribe). Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest had somehow managed to acquire and view the
banned film and saw a rough talent in John Woo. Chow purchased and
released a heavily edited version of The Young Dragons and
offered John Woo a three year directing contract. John Woo made
several martial arts films for Golden Harvest, such as Last hurrah for chivalry (1978), which began to display some of the themes
and techniques that would eventually become his trademark, but his
films were all commercial disasters and soon he found himself looking
for work.
Out of work and
slightly disillusioned John Woo was eventually offered a contract at
the newly formed Cinema City studio, but the contract was only under
offer provided he turned his talents to directing comedies and soon
he became known as “The Hong Kong King of Comedy”.
Through Cinema City
John Woo meet kindred visionary Tsui Hark, who had used his position
and status at the studio to form his own production company, FilmWorkshop. Tsui Hark wanted to push the envelope of Hong Kong pictures
while incorporating high-end special effects and after reading John
Woo’s draft script, loosely based on Kong Lung’s - Ying XiongBen Se, production began on the: A Better Tomorrow.
The
Birth of Heroic Bloodshed/The Bullet Ballet:
"I've
got more action than my man John Woo"
Beastie
Boys (Lyrics from the track "Sure Shot"
on Ill
Communication)
A Better Tomorrow
was a complete revelation; gunplay had never looked so exciting and
visceral. It took the Peckinpah School of slow motion and sprayed
blood to an entirely new and never before seen level. One of the most
original and influential scenes, prior to the first major gunfight;
Mark (Chow Yun-Fat) hides a series of back up pistols in a row of
flowerpots on his way to terminate a group of Taiwanese gangsters.
The scene influenced and was almost imitated in such films as Luc Besson’s Leon (AKA: The Professional), Antoine Fuqua’s The Replacement Killers and
even in ShinichirôWatanabe animated feature Cowboy Bebop:Knockin’ on Heavens Door.
“It was
brilliant! You could see a dozen American movies before you ever saw
anything as clever as that!”
Quentin
Tarantino (Hong Kong Action cinema, 1995)
A Better Tomorrow
was an immediate success across all of Asia and started a fashion
revolution which saw legions of young men sporting long black coats,
Ray-Ban sunglasses and a toothpick clenched between their teeth, - A week
after the film release the Ray-Ban sunglasses were sold out in all
Hong Kong
John Woo
(Asian Pop Cinema, 1999)
John Woo became the
most sought after action director in the industry and was desperate
to ride the wave and begin his next production, The Killer,
but due to the overwhelming success of A Better Tomorrow the
studio and Tsui Hark insisted Woo break his personal oath (to never
make a sequel to one of his own films) and begin scripting for A
Better Tomorrow II.
A Better Tomorrow
II was well received by Asian audiences, the local reviews
were mixed if not damning, but what no one had anticipated was the
success and praise the film would receive in the United States while
playing in a limited number of “art-house” theatres. The film and
its predecessor gained cult status and eventually A Better
Tomorrow II would go on to heavily influence Quentin Tarantino’s
Reservoir Dogs, The Wachowski brothers The Matrix, Luc
Besson’s Leon (AKA: The Professional) and John McTiernan’s
Die Hard, many of which borrowed heavily from the last
action/fight sequence.
The relationship
between John Woo and Tsui Hark was quickly souring, but not before
the two collaborated one last time on The Killer, which was a
more action based remake of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï.
The film confronted what Don Siegel’s Dirty Harry hinted at,
the idea that the only difference between the hunter and the hunted
is a badge. Danny Lee and Chow Yun-Fat play a cop and an assassin
respectively, who become mirror images of one another and are
eventually redeemed in the final shoot out fighting side by side. The
Killer also saw the first ever on screen instance of John Woo’s
best known signature, white doves taking flight after the first shot
is fired and the final gun battle ensues. The
doves I include to show, redemption of soul, purity before death.
John Woo
(Interview on Hardboiled DVD, 1999)
Audiences were stunned
when an effigy of the Virgin Mary was detonated during the climactic
final gunfight and the film was almost cut for western release even
though it received an R-rating globally. To me,
(she) symbolises all that is good and pure. When the villains destroy
the statue, it’s like they are destroying the last goodness.”
John Woo
(Hong Kong Action Cinema, 1995)
The Killer
became one of the most widely seen Cantonese-language films of all
time, and although not a huge success in Asia the film was released
in “art-house” theatres in the United States, and cemented Woo’s
cult status.
“After
enjoying art-house success in the US, The Killer was screened for the
head of Universal Pictures when it was first suggested that Woo might
make an American film. ‘Well, he can certainly direct an action
scene’ observed the mogul afterwards. ‘Yeah, and Michelangelo can
certainly paint a ceiling!’ fired back the Woo fan and advocate
Quentin Tarantino. “
(Hong Kong
Action Cinema, 1995)
The Killer had
such an impact on the action genre that Renny Harlin’s Die Hard II, Ringo Lam’s Full Contact, Michael Mann’s Heat,
Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado, Mikael Salomon’s Hard Rain, Corey Yuen’s The Transporter and Primo Giroldini’s
Nel cuore della notte are just some of the many films and
directors which claim to have made reference to or borrow from The
Killer in one way or another.
This began a chain of
events, which would eventually see John Woo becoming the first ever
Chinese director to make a Hollywood film, but not for another four
years.
Tsui Hark was so
furious with the final cut of The Killer that the pair parted
ways, Tsui Hark started production on A Better Tomorrow III
which “borrowed” almost the entire concept for John Woo’s next,
and most personal film Bullet in the Head, which was the
final nail in the coffin for their friendship.
The events at
Tiananmen Square, Woo’s own childhood and Michael Cimino’s TheDeer Hunter all played a big influence on Bullet in the Head
and although considered by many as John Woo’s greatest film it was
one of his least successful in Asia as audiences were becoming more
sensitised to the ultra-violence in Hong Kong cinema. This was due to
the increase in both Triad membership and involvement in the Hong
Kong film industry as Triads started small film companies to both
launder and make money, it was believed to be a direct result of what
was considered John Woo’s glorification of gangsters in the first
two A Better Tomorrow films and their subsequent “imitations”.
It wasn’t until Jim Choi manager of Kung Fu star Jet Li was shot
in an office building that a number of performers including Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat took part in a public demonstration as part of
Artists Against Violence campaign. John Woo came up with a creative
solution to the problem with his next film, Hardboiled.
Hardboiled
would be John Woo’s farewell to Hong Kong before leaving to live
and work in the United States. Woo realised that he would face
limitations when filming in the US and used Hardboiled as an
opportunity to create a film which was two thirds action. Hardboiled
is the story of a tough cop who discovers he has been pursuing an
undercover cop amid a gun smuggling operation, but unfortunately
the story-line went no further and relentless explosive action filled
in the gaps, but the film worked. The extremely long climax of the
film saw the destruction of an abandoned hospital after a chaotic and
continuous three minute gun battle scene which to date had never been
attempted by any other director, it worked brilliantly and confirmed
Woo’s move to Hollywood. British stuntman Vic Armstrong made his
feature length directorial debut with Joshua Tree which he,
almost entirely, self funded in homage to and loosely based remake of
Hardboiled.
And
Beyond:
The United States has
always been attracted to violent and fast paced action and the last
decade has seen an increased and respect for films by John McTiernan,
Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Sam Raimi and the Wachowski
brothers, they have all mastered their directing but all claim the
influence of John Woo.
“John
Woo’s mastery of action is equal to Alfred Hitchcock’s mastery of
suspense!”
Sam Raimi
(Hardboiled UK DVD Release cover)
John Woo had expected
and anticipated limitations in America but Universal Pictures still
had doubts about the ability of a Chinese director handling an
American crew and Sam Raimi was assigned to oversee Hard Target
and take over if Woo didn’t work out. Sam Raimi accepted that
making a mainstream studio film would impose limitations and
restraint on John Woo’s work, but argued that John
Woo at seventy percent is still going to blow away most American
action directors working at one hundred percent!
Sam Raimi
(Hong Kong Action Cinema, 1995)
After his shaky debut
in America John Woo has since reached a plateau in Hollywood where he
has the luxury and ability to hand select the films he directs and
after the critical acclaim and box-office successes of his American
films Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off,
Mission Impossible II and Windtalkers, it is widely
believed he has earned that right. His influence on gunplay and
action can be seen and is hugely evident in many of Hollywood’s
blockbuster action films from 1988 onward but his influence is not
only limited to film. He has been the inspiration to many of today’s
computer game creators, and popular game titles such as Max Payne,
F.E.A.R., Unreal Tournament and Stranglehold
John Woo has
re-teamed with his muse Chow Yun-Fat and is currently working on The Battle of Red Cliff in China which he has suggested will be his
equivalent of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran and his own personal
legacy to the art of film.
References:
Filmography:
- Paycheck (2003)
- Hostage (2002) (Short)
- Windtalkers (2002)
- Mission: Impossible II (2000)
- Blackjack (1998) (TV)
- Face/Off (1997)
- Once a Thief (1996) (TV)
- Broken Arrow (1996)
- Hard Target (1993)
- Hardboiled (1992)
- Once a Thief (1991)
- Bullet in the Head (1990)
- Tragic Heroes (1989)
- The Killer (1989)
- A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
- A Better Tomorrow (1986)
- Heroes Shed No Tears (1986)
- Run Tiger Run (1985)
- The Time You Need a Friend (1984)
- Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982)
- Laughing Times (1981)
- To Hell with the Devil (1981)
- From Riches to Rags (1980)
- Follow the Star (1978)
- Hello, Late Homecomers (1978)
- Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1978)
- The Brave Lion (1977)
- Money Crazy (1977)
- Hand of Death (1976)
- Princess Chang Ping 1975)
- The Dragon Tamers (1974)
- The Young Dragons (1974)
- Fist to Fist (1973)
- Accidentally (1968)
Recommended
Viewing:
- Hostage (2002) (Short)
- Windtalkers (2002)
- Face/Off (1997)
- Hardboiled (1992)
- Once a Thief (1991)
- Bullet in the Head (1990)
- Tragic Heroes (1989)
- The Killer (1989)
- A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
- A Better Tomorrow (1986)
- Heroes Shed No Tears (1986)
Bibliography:
Dannen,
F. (1997). Hong Kong Babylon.
(1st
Edition). Hyperion.
Logan,
B. (1995). Hong Kong Action Cinema.
(1st
Edition). Titan Books.
Server,
L. (1999). Asian Pop Cinema: Bombay to
Tokyo. (1st
Edition). Chronicle Books.
Yang,
J. (2003). Once Upon A Time In China.
(1st
Edition). Atria Books.
Discography:
Ill
Communication, The Beastie Boys,
Capitol Records Inc, 1994. (Compact Disc, CDEST 2229)
Internet
Reference:
“John
Woo”, (2006, December), (imdb.com). Available: http://
www.imdb.com/name/nm0000247/
(Accessed: 2007, January 16)
“John
Woo”, (2007, January 13), (wikipedia.com). Available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woo
(Accessed: 2007, January 16)
Additional
Reference:
Hardboiled,
“Interview with John Woo (1999)”. Tartan Video, 2000. (Digital
Versatile Disc, TVD 3301)
