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Among the rare out of print Criterion Collection titles, "Hard Boiled" was John Woo's last feature before leaving China to seek his fortune in the United States. It was also his last collaboration with long-time partner Chow Yun-Fat, who himself would later seek his fortune in the States as well. "Hard Boiled" offers up an exciting tale about two policeman going to two different extremes to bring down one of the Triads. Inspector "Tequila" Yuen (Yun-Fat) goes in guns blazing. Alan (Tony Leung) has gone so deep undercover that he is fearful of being discovered at any second. When the two find themselves crossing paths, they must find a way to trust one another in order to crack open a gun smuggling ring before it costs innocent lives. The movie itself is awesome. A very well told story woven between a series of spectacular action sequences, the likes of which Woo was the master of at the time. From the thrilling teahouse shoot-out right down to the heart-stopping third act in a hospital, it features everything action-fans want and then some. Nothing is pulled back and everyone gives it their all to put together one of the finest films of its kind. The Criterion Collection edition is unique for a few things. One is that it contains audio commentary Woo recorded a year after the film's release. He is joined throughout at producer Terence Chang, film critic Dave Kehr, and fan Roger Avary of "Pulp Fiction" fame. The insight gives fans a better understanding of the love that went into the film and how it has been appreciated since. The DVD also contains a student film Woo made called "Accidently." In comparison to the Dragon Dynasty edition, this DVD seems somewhat inferior visually. The picture quality is essentially a transfer from laserdisc straight to DVD with no digital clean-up and it is not anamorphic to widescreen television, although it mains the original picture ratio while Dragon Dynasty is slightly stretched. The sound is mono while Dragon Dynasty is supposedly 5.1, though I really couldn't hear the difference. The subtitles are somewhat different as Criterion's is an independent subtitle while Dragon Dynasty is word for word the dubbing dialogue. Great film enthusiasts will probably be looking for this DVD moreso than others, particularly those looking all things Criterion Collection as well as those who want some hard to get John Woo material. You really can't go wrong with either, really. If you're willing to put up the money or sweat it out with competition looking to snag it to, then go for it. It's a great pick up and well worth adding to any DVD library.Read full review
For those of you lucky enough to own the Criterion Collection edition of this movie, you might want to hold onto your copy as none of the extras from that edition are included on this one. That being said, the video and audio on this version easily surpass any previous Region 1 incarnations making this edition a must-have for fans of the movie. The first disc features an audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan. He shows off his impressive knowledge of HK geography by pointing out which locations in the film don't exist anymore and their significance in the country's culture. Logan also dishes out interesting factoids, like the teahouse in the opening sequence was going to be demolished and this happened right after they filmed the last scene in the place! As with other commentary tracks that he has done his encyclopedic knowledge about the film and HK cinema in general is quite impressive, making for an informative track. Disc two starts off with "A Baptism of Fire: A Featurette with Iconic Director John Woo." He was a big fan of Steve McQueen in Bullitt and Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry and with Hard Boiled; he wanted to create his own Dirty Harry. Woo wanted to make Chow Yun-Fat like Eastwood's iconic character but with the Asian actor's warm charisma. "Partner in Crime: An Interview with Producer Terence Chang." He talks about how he met Woo in the late 1970s but that they didn't start working together until ten years later. Chang also talks about the genesis of the film which was originally a psycho who kills baby (?!). Fortunately, after they filmed the teahouse shoot-out, Chang convinced Woo to discard this idea. "Art Imitates Life: An Interview with co-star Philip Chan," the actor who played Tequila's boss in the film. He was real policeman before getting into film and brought that authenticity to his role. He actually ran a team of undercover cops and speaks admiringly of working with Woo. "Mad Dog Bites Again: An Interview with Leading Villain Kwok Choi." He talks about working with Woo on the film. Originally, he was hired to only design the action sequences but Chow Yun-Fat recommended him to play the villain's right-hand man. "Hard Boiled Location Guide": takes us on a fun, fascinating tour of many of the locations from the movie. Some places, like the teahouse (which is now a mall), don't exist anymore and a little historical background is given to some of the places. Also included are two trailers, the U.S. and Hong Kong versions. Finally, there is "Stranglehold Video Game Mini-Making Of." This is the John Woo-approved sequel to Hard Boiled that allows you to play Tequila. This extra shows how deeply involved he was in the game's production with Chow Yun-Fat returning to provide the voice for his character!Read full review
Great film showing John Woo's unique style of editing, photography, story. The Criterion transfer comes from the days of laser discs, and pre-dates the digital restoring techniques which Criterion has used to remake other films, such as the magnificent Seven Samurai. That's why Criterion let it go out of print. The subtitles are less than perfect, but it is the best print we have and, therefore, worth having.
What can I say at this late date that hasn't already been said? Arguably John Woo's greatest & a film that has been ripped off by so many - from (obviously) Tarentino & Rodriquez on down. In fact, every time two guys hold guns in each others faces, this is where it came from! The sad thing is that from what I hear this film is currently out-of-print in the USA, even though John Woo has a new video game based on Chow Yun-Fat's Teqilla character due out as I write this (early 2007). As for this release, my only disappointment was in the Extras which were to show trailers from all Woo's HK films. Turns out rather than the trailer for "A Better Tomorrow 2" they showed a different version of ABT 1. Oh well, everything else makes this a must-own, that is if you are interested at all in modern Action films & where they come from stylistically.Read full review
The movie was in perfect condition and played without issues. It’s also a must watch for action movie fans!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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