Directed by:
John WooScreenplay:
Barry WongCinematography:
Horace WongComposer:
Michael GibbsCast:
Yun-fat Chow, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Wong, Phillip Kwok, Stephen Tung, John Woo, Pai Wei, Jun Kunimura, Philip Chan, Teresa Mo, Pau-chung Tong, Fa-yuan Li (more)Plots(1)
Hard-Boiled is the last film directed by Hong Kong action auteur John Woo before his arrival in the U.S. This 1992 thriller, along with The Killer, is widely seen as one of his best from his Hong Kong days. Every ingredient of the quintessential Woo thriller is present, including his ever-present anti-hero (Chow Yun-Fat). Yun-Fat portrays a maverick, clarinet-playing cop nicknamed "Tequila" whose partner is killed in the dizzying chaos of a restaurant gunfight with a small army of gangsters. It is soon revealed that one of the mob's high-ranking assassins is Tony (Tony Leung), an undercover cop who, despite his badge, is dangerously close to the edge. Tequila and Tony must team up in a tense partnership, and their common pursuit of a vicious crime lord results in a brilliantly elaborate climax in a hospital, where the heroes must rescue newborn babies from the maternity ward while fighting off dozens of mob soldiers. The characters Tequila and Tony are two sides of the same coin, another trademark theme of Woo's films that would later be most fully realized with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in the American hit Face/Off. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Gwok-keung Choi
Best movies:
Martial Club (1981)
The Master (1980)
The Killer (1989)
Jameson Wa-Fan Lam
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
Tricky Brains (1991)
Bullet in the Head (1990)
Bruce Law
China
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
Ying Lung
Best movies:
The Victim (1980)
They Call Me Phat Dragon (1979)
Odd Couple (1979)
Kenny Wong
Hong Kong
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
New Police Story (2004)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)
Marco Lee
Hong Kong
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Fight Back to School III (1993)
Bowie Lam
Hong Kong
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
On the Run (1988)
Lawyer Lawyer (1997)
Derek Kwok
China
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
Bobbie Au-Yeung
Hong Kong
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
Gilbert Lam
Hong Kong
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
Kong Lau
Hong Kong
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)
City on Fire (1987)
Wai-Wo To
Best movies:
They Call Me Phat Dragon (1979)
Hard Boiled (1992)
One-Armed Boxer (1972)
Seng-Kwong Chang
Best movies:
Martial Club (1981)
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Foo-Wai Lam
Best movies:
Fist of Legend (1994)
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Chin-Hung Fan
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
A Better Tomorrow (1986)
Chin-Bo Sham
Best movies:
Martial Club (1981)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Aces Go Places II (1983)
Wai-Fong Wong
Best movies:
The Master (1980)
Hard Boiled (1992)
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Kwok-Kin Ng
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Chi-Hok Wong
Best movies:
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
When Fortune Smiles (1990)
Wai-Man Tam
Best movies:
Hard Boiled (1992)
When Fortune Smiles (1990)
Two Champions of Shaolin (1980)