John Woo

So, I’ve got a soft spot for this one director—he’s basically the king of high-octane action... what's the consensus here? What do you guys think of him?

He’s got this massive catalog of movies that I can honestly rewatch over and over without ever getting bored, stuff like: 'Broken Arrow' (1996), 'Hard Target' (1993), 'Paycheck' (2003), or 'Windtalkers' (2002).

But if we're talking absolute favorites—the ones I'd pick every single time—it’s definitely 'Bullet in the Head' (1990), 'Hard Boiled' (1992), 'Face/Off' (1997), and 'Once a Thief' (1991). Honestly, the guy's style just hits different for me.

🙏🙏🙏

There are more of us out there 😉 I haven't sat down with his older stuff yet—but Hard Target is definitely my favorite... mostly because of all those tiny details I started noticing back in '93 when it first hit theaters. Even then, I knew this director had a very specific, very interesting style. Face/Off was particularly great, and Mission: Impossible 2 too—that final sequence where the action kicks off with the mask removal set to rock music... I think that’s something John Woo was just waiting for an excuse to unleash, and he nailed it (especially that shot of Cruise popping a wheelie on the bike and blasting the car... the editing alone deserves a perfect score). My only gripe would be the moment Cruise kicks the gun out of the sand—the ending where he circles around, takes him down, and lands that headbutt is more than enough on its own. But John Woo tends to focus heavily on the faces of the leads—both heroes and villains, who rarely die easily—while the side characters just pass through before they get taken out 🙂 Anyway, a massive bravo to that master of action!

Better Tomorrow 1 & 2... absolute classics🙏

you totally blanked on my favorite, The Killer

but yeah, Woo is the man, especially those early Hong Kong action flicks, though Face/Off might be his peak

Terry Morris41 said:you totally left out my favorite—The Killer

Oh yeah... absolutely killer... just like Hard Boiled... and man, that soundtrack is top-tier too👍

Larry Harris8 said:There are plenty of us left... I haven't checked out his older stuff yet, but 😉 Hard Target is definitely my favorite—mostly because of all those tiny little details I started noticing back in '93 when it first hit theaters. Even then, I knew this director had a seriously unique style. Face/Off was killer too, and Mission: Impossible 2? Man, that final sequence where the action kicks off with the mask removal set to rock music... I think that’s exactly what John Woo was waiting his whole life to blast onto the screen, and he nailed it (especially that scene where Cruise pops a wheelie on the bike and guns down the car... the editing alone is a solid 5 stars). The only thing I'd cut is that bit where Cruise kicks the gun out of the sand, because the ending where he circles around, takes him out, and knocks him with a headbutt is more than enough. But hey, John Woo loves focusing on the faces of the leads—who rarely stay dead, by the way—while the side characters just pass through until they get taken out. 🙂 Anyway, a massive BRAVO to that action master!

Yeah, you summed that up perfectly... brilliant director... the intro to Hard Boiled is just gorgeous, though Bullet in the Head felt a little dragged out to me—it really should have wrapped up about 20 minutes earlier. Also, total rookie mistake on my part for not including Mission: Impossible in my list above, but thanks for reminding me with those scenes. I've seen a good chunk of his movies, maybe not the very earliest ones, but since you mentioned the mask-stripping thing, I guess it's time to go watch that one too! 👍

Terry Morris41 said:you totally missed my all-time favorite, The Killer

But yeah, John Woo is basically the gold standard—especially those early Hong Kong action flicks he did, though I’d say Face/Off might actually be his peak

Ugh, who even cares anymore... honestly, whatever. I haven't caught this new 'Red Cliff' movie yet, but everyone's talking it up... and this guy is my absolute go-to for lead roles

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000334/ - 🙏🙏

🙄Man, without Chow-Yun Fat, they wouldn't have even been able to pull off half the action we saw in those scenes
Hard Boiled - Teahouse Shootout
The Killer (1989) - House Shootout
A Better Tomorrow 2 Showdown

Woo definitely shines on screen! For me, his style is pure cinematic artistry—he handles gunfight scenes like a painter uses a brush... You can't just watch his work as some violent flick; Woo approaches everything with this signature flair that's all his own. And those pigeons? They're basically part of the 🙂

If you have even a passing interest in high-octane, ultra-violent action flicks, then you’re bound to be a massive fan of the legendary 🙏

neonfalcon16 said:If you're into high-octane action movies where things get messy—I mean really intense—then you've gotta be a fan of what 🙏Woo
brings to the table.

Oh, absolutely!

👍

His action sequences are just next level.

He’s such an incredible director, honestly. 👍

If I had to pick my absolute favorites of his, they'd definitely be these:

Face/Off (1997)
Hard Target (1993)
Windtalkers (2002)
Broken Arrow (1996)
The Killer (1989)

Edit:

You know, he actually has a pretty hilarious last name😁

Woo—kind of like when you're trying to scare someone by sneaking up behind them and yelling, "Woooo!!!" 😂

cosmiclynx57 said:He’s a top-tier director. 👍

A few of my absolute favorites of his:

Face/Off (1997)
Hard Target (1993)
Windtalkers (2002)
Broken Arrow (1996)
The Killer (1989)

Edit:

He actually has a pretty funny last name 😁

Woo—kind of like when you’re trying to scare someone and you sneak up behind them and go: "Woooo!!!" 😂

haha... honestly, both the first and last names just hit hard—short, punchy, easy to remember... JOHN WOO.👍

His actual name doesn't have quite the same ring to it—Yusen Wu🙂

Check out this awesome fan edit combining one of the classic John Woo styles with that killer soundtrack from Alien:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvh481hg1jo

I mean, props to the newer guys like Jason Statham or Vin Diesel and all, but honestly? There’s just nobody who can step in and replace the original icon. 🙂

feralowl18 said:Just one of those absolute classics from John Woo.

Honestly, one of his absolute best performances—and I mean this sincerely—is in anything that isn't an acting gig for Chow-Yun Fat.😁His best work with Jean-Claude Van Damme by far—and honestly, the rest of the cast like Henriksen and Vosloo were pretty solid too. The action is top-tier and just hits all the right spots.👍

feralowl18 said:Check out this fan edit—classic John Woo vibes mixed with that killer Alien soundtrack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvh481hg1jo

Look, I'll give credit where it's due to the new guys like Jason Statham and Vin Diesel... they've got their thing going, sure, but there's just nobody who can step into these shoes. Nobody.🙂

hehe... now this is how you do it.🙏🙏🙏🙏

For those who aren't in the loop, it was actually Jean-Claude Van Damme who basically paved the way for John Woo in Hollywood, setting the stage for him to really take off after he crushed it with his first major classic, 🙄 🙏

feralowl18 said:For those who aren't up to speed—it was actually Jean-Claude Van Damme who basically paved the way for John Woo in Hollywood, setting him up to keep building his career after that absolute classic first outing, 🙄 Hard Target! 🙏

I actually had no idea...👍

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFLgaB1ORz0

Check this out, man...

It’s right around 👍