Product Description: A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to bring down a gun smuggling ring. Features some of the most amazing and influential action set pieces in cinematic history. System Requirements:Run Time: 247 minutes Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 796019801928
Amazon.com essential video: Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film. --Robert Lane
Hard Boiled Delivers A great action movie. John Woo delivers in this film. Also check out The Killer.
Woo's Finest. It is debated whether or not John Woo's films lost a touch when he came to America. Well even if you don't like his newer films, this movie should not be missed. Amazing shootouts leaving you wonder where they get 50 round magazines for pistols...
Find the version of Hard Boiled that best suits your needs Some brief back-story: I first experienced "Hard Boiled" in 1997 and, like all of it's fans, my jaw hit the floor. I had never seen anything like it in my entire life. Soon after seeing it, I bought the Hard Boiled/Killer VHS pack. That followed with "A Better Tomorrow" on VHS and "A Better Tomorrow 2" on DVD. Every so often, I would see the Criterion Collection version of "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer" but not wanting to shell out the money and believing it would be around forever I never picked it up.
Fast forward to 3 years ago when I make a concerted effort to own the best DVD versions of all the films I love. Believing that Criterion did it better then anyone, that's the one I wanted and that's when I discovered it was out of print. At that moment I made a vow to myself that I wouldn't watch either "Hard Boiled" or "The Killer" again until it was re-released on a special edition DVD.
Fast forward again to this July when I look in the weekly Best Buy ad and see "Hard Boiled: The Ultimate Edition". As quickly as my balloon became inflated, it was popped upon going online to read these facts about it:
1. It was not going to be presented in it's original aspect ratio.
2. Instead of upgraded subtitles, it would be subtitled with the script from the dubbed version of the film.
3. No John Woo commentary track.
4. No interview or commentary track with Chow Yun-Fat about the film.
It was also disconcerting to read that no DVD version(not even the Criterion) of this classic was without it's flaws but more on that in a bit. Weighing my options, and feeling like a sellout, I purchased the Dragon Dynasty edition of the film.
This week, I finally got around to watching it. How do I feel about my four biggest reservations now?:
1. While not visually presented in the way that it was meant to be seen, it is a MAJOR upgrade in quality over my VHS version.
2. To not have decent subtitles is ridiculous but the "dubtitles" weren't so egregious that it ruined my enjoyment of the film.
3. The 37 minute interview with John Woo on Disc 2 almost completely made up for not having a full length commentary.
4. Chow Yun-Fat was shown doing voiceover work for the game "Stranglehold" but not having him speak about his experiences during shooting still bothered me.
In addition, I had a whole new appreciation for Tony Leung's performance after this viewing. I was disappointed he was not included on any bonus features.
A couple of more things before I give my summation...the Bey Logan commentary track gave me more information about Hong Kong cinema then I was ever going to find out otherwise. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the genre made me wonder why I haven't gotten more into Hong Kong cinema beyond a few John Woo films. This makes up for a few of his assertions about the film itself which are probably off the mark. The Terrance Chang, Philip Chan, and Kwok Choi interviews are insightful and entertaining. Overall, the location guide didn't give me a sense that I was seeing where "Hard Boiled" was filmed but that might just be because the landscape has changed so much.
In conclusion, I can't understand why no distributor of this film has ever given it the proper DVD release it deserves. Like the back of this version says, "Hard Boiled" is a landmark in film history and deserves to be treated as such. Why Dragon Dynasty failed to achieve this on their crack at it is beyond me. This means that fans have to compare and contrast the 4 or 5 different editions of the film that are out there and decide which one suits their individual needs the most. Therefore, all I can say is that the Dragon Dynasty version of "Hard Boiled" suited my needs the best because:
1. It was major upgrade in picture quality.
2. It wasn't the dubbed version of the film, just the "dubtitles" (which still bother me but not enough to not enjoy it)
3. It has some cool bonus features(if not everything that I wanted).
4. I could walk into my local Best Buy and purchase it.
Until a true "Ultimate Edition" comes out(if it ever does) 10, 15, 20 years from now, I will be happy with this edition. But that doesn't mean you are going to be.
Ultimate Gun Porn...yawn I heard so much about Hard Boiled, and felt let down. It sure puts a lot of empty casings on the floor and cars in the air, but it takes itself far too seriously considering how lame some of the dramatic scenes are. The heroic rescue of the baby at the end while our hero kills bad guys left and right says it all: Woo wants there to be justice and nobility, but it all seems corny in light of the incredibly over-the-top violence. The fight scenes are indeed staged very impressively, and the squib boys were working overtime, but after a while it's boring. There's just too damn much shooting! Violence works when it frightens, not when it numbs. But, if you need to see almost a million shots fired in two hours (30 minutes too long), here's your movie.
No Problems Item was shipped and arrived as expected and was in perfect condition -- everything worked out as was said
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