Bullet In The Head: Viewer Comments

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Bullet In The Head
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    by Jeffrey Frawley


This is the best film John Woo has yet made, but it suffered a disappointing domestic box office. Tony Leung Chui-Wai is excellent in the lead role: a Hong Kong street kid who has fled to South Vietnam after assaulting a rival. Jackie Cheung gives a slightly over-the-top performance as his buddy who goes with him and on whose behalf he assaulted the thug. Waise Lee is the easily-corrupted buddy from the trio. Simon Yam is impossibly charming as a half-breed gangster they meet.
AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
Ythe killer, hardboiled, and abt get the most praise, but this may be my favorite john woo film. bullet in the head is slightly underrated and a fantastic experienceAH1706
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    by HardBoiled


Quite possibly one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. A very intense movie with powerful performances from the entire main cast--not to mention the great action scenes. This movie will stay with me for a long time.
AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YYou are entirely right. Each character's humanity was firmly established, so the plot adds up to much more than a thriller.Jeffrey Frawley
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    by TheChosenOne
    facebook.com/richard.trondsen


A true masterpiece and definitely one of my favorite Hong Kong films of all time.
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    by 100pr00f
    Wutang-corp.com


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    by DarkHumour


Gunplay to the max as John Woo again explores the relationships of brotherhood and examines the way fear and greed can destroy a strong brotherhood.
AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YTheChosenOne
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    by JAY LEE




John Woo's grand war epic that, despite the scathing reviews and poor box office return it garnered upon its initial release, became a true classic of the heroic bloodshed genre.

This is probably Woo's most personal film, set in the time of his own youth, and using the Vietnam war and political turmoil of the late 60's as a backdrop for a story about brotherhood, sacrifice, redemption, and all the usual themes of Woo's cinematic universe. Here he reaches new emotional heights, through the tragic characters, the dark storyline, and the powerful recreations of iconic images from the era. All this, along with big action set pieces, tons of extras, excellent production design, and a personal knowledge of the period setting, helps give the film its overwhelming epic feel and authenticity--even if it does fall into the traps of anachronism and shoddy editing now and again.

The headlining trio of Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, and Waise Lee all deliver great performances, especially Tony Leung, who can convey more with a look than most actors can with ten pages of dialogue. Cheung and Lee tend to go overboard on occassion, but considering the over the top nature of the film, it is excusable. The prize for coolest character has to go to Simon Yam, though. A lot of his backstory ended up on the cutting room floor, but he still managed to flesh out the character and provide it with enough style and depth to make an impact. And come on, what would a John Woo movie be without a cool hit man character?

The action is a blend of the usual operatic Woo style shootouts, and some pretty grim violence that adds a lot of emotional weight to the tragic story. And while the car jousting finalé may seem a bit tacked on, I think a movie of this scope and magnitude deserves a strong finish. And I actually prefer this action packed showdown to the more subdued alternate ending.

This movie originally started as a proposed prequel for "A Better Tomorrow", but when Woo and Tsui Hark went their seperate ways, Woo decided to run with the Vietnam template for this movie, and Hark did the "A Better Tomorrow 3" prequel, as first intended, on his own. I think Woo drew the longest straw, even if the HK audiences and critics weren't really up for a dark and gritty tale like this at the time.

For all its minor flaws, this is still an awesome classic of the genre and a must-have for HK action fans.

AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YI'd go all the way to five stars, but your review is good.Jeffrey Frawley
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    by RP31864


Not going to belabor the point - this is a John Woo masterpiece. If only this had been (as Woo planned), Mark Gor's backstory and been "A Better Tomorrow 3". Still, everyone is firing on all cylinders, and it's a ride-and-a-half both physically and emotionally. Jacky Cheung in particular will have you crying your eyes out by the conclusion, and all the principals fully embody Woo's portrayal of brotherhood and betrayal to the fullest.
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    by ML1342


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    by Black Dragon


One of John Woo's best movies, simply put.
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    by KungfuManiac


This film is for true fans of John Woo. I love John Woo movies--he knows how to move a camera. His early work is always impressive and will remain a classic to any Asian cinema fanboy.

"Bullet In The Head" is what "The Deer Hunter" should have been. Well, if "The Deer Hunter" was an all-out, over-the-top action film, then it could have been it. "Bullet In The Head" is an intense gunplay story about friendship and how it breaks because of the Vietnam war. The movie is epic in action and I am just happy that John Woo made this picture.

AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YJohn Woo has a great camera eye. The action is done well, I love this film.JV47842
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    by ladynka


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    by CD3974


Simply put: a classic.
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    by Brave 1




"Bullet In The Head" is a story of three loyal-to-the-bone friends who flee Hong Kong for civil war-torn Vietnam after being sought for murder. But that loyalty is soon put to the test when they arrive. Money and power or friendship, which is more important? That is the question they soon find themselves looking to answer. The three main characters and Simon Yam's Luke provide a compelling contrast to one another in performances that just have to be seen. Tony Leung is simply amazing, Waise Lee does a great job in making you hate him even though you feel sorry for him, Jacky Cheung overreacts at certain times but is still impactful, and Simon Yam is one cool mofo. This movie is full of unforgettable moments that you will enjoy--check for the prison camp scenes and the ending.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this movie is stocked full of great action scenes. And, that is what makes this movie my favorite Woo movie: great story and great action.

AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YThis is an amazing flick- the story is like "the the deer hunter", but unlike the "The deer hunter" the action pieces are incredible- woo's bullet ballet scenes are impressive-I agree with your review.JV47842
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    by AB13687


Very good John Woo film. Not what I expected from Woo but highly recommended!
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    by JV47842


My favorite John Woo film! The bullet ballet still amazes me till this day. "Bullet In The Head" is an action fanatic's dream, you have everything in this movie: wild guns, explosions, Mexican stand-offs, and John Woo's two-gun trademark. Though with all those action scenes and style, the story is very emotional--you're with these characters even when you leave the movie. "Bullet In The Head" is a great movie!
AGREE?READER COMMENTSAUTHOR
YNot my personal favorite (but high on the list). Certainly Woo's most emotional and dark film. This one grabbed me pretty hard the first time I viewed it. And all-time classic.Garvinstomp
Yyes you're right this film has a great story and loads of action.i think this film is one of john woo's finest achievements.kung fu kid
Ymany people prefer a Better Tomorrow, The Killer, or Hard Boiled, but this is also my favorite. I could never figure out why it hasn't received a proper release in the U.S.AH1706
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    by LG43358


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    by FS38744




I remember watching this movie almost ten years ago. And maybe I was just a little too young to see it at the time, and it wasn’t the uncut version, but what remained was pretty horrible and remarkable, for life. I saw every action movie by John Woo I had wanted to see until I saw this one, and “Bullet In The Head” was his most personal work. He went broke trying to make this film and experienced a mental breakdown at the time of creating this one. Unfortunately, it was a box office flop, because this came out a year after the Tiananmen Square Massacre. People just didn’t want to see this kind of violence, because much of it is reminiscent to the Vietnam War in the 60s and 70s. So, unlike American audiences, Asian audiences despise this kind of violence being shown on film, and therefore, do not support these kind of movies. However, as soon as the movie came out on DVD in the late 1990s, it soon became out of print and there are all kinds of remasters running around all over the place. Even before the DVD release was official, the film was edited so many times in different countries, because it was so freakin' violent. The German version suffered the worst and was edited down to 90 minutes!

Basically, this is a movie that takes place from 1967-1970, in war-torn Hong Kong and Vietnam. Three childhood friends grow up in the slums of Hong Kong with an ambition to see the world, get rich and form a lifelong bond together. The three young men are Ben, Frank and Paul. After getting into a vicious gang attack on Ben’s wedding night, Frank tells Ben about the attack and the two of them accidentally kills the gang leader who attacked Frank. Then, when there’s a warrant for Ben’s arrest, the three friends travel to Vietnam, trying to get rich and dodge the police. Instead, the three men are faced with circumstances that forces them to collide with a nightclub owner (who has held a female Chinese pop singer captive as a sex slave), the Viet Congs, and eventually each other, thanks to Paul’s dangerous ambition to get rich and put wealth over his friendship with Frank and Ben.

I’m not the kinda dude who’ll cry during a movie, but this is one movie that made me do everything amid watching it. I was disgusted, I laughed, I was in shock, I was emotionally and psychologically disturbed and I cried during a particular scene towards the end. And this was when during the second time I saw it. I’m not gonna go into further details about what happens during the movie, because I’m not trying to spoil anything. You just gotta see it.

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    by KW24313


My favorite movie of all time.
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    by //8144


One of John Woo's best films--amazing and heart-breaking acting, insane and bloody-good gun battles, and an over-the-top duelin' cars finale!!!
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    by Tou Mua

Definitely worth the buy! What can I say about this movie but WOW! Absolutely one of the best movies I've seen a while. Great casting, great acting as well as great action make this film a must own for any die hard HK film watcher. Heck, even if you don't watch too many HK films, this film will make you a believer. The action scenes are clever and deliver the eye candy only John Woo can. Bullet in the head is so compelling that it almost struck a tear in my eye. And just when you thought the ending was over....well, you just have to see it for yourself.
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