John Woo’s 1992 Hong Kong action thriller Hard Boiled is earning fresh acclaim several years after its release, and has earned an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and drawing rave reviews from critics and fans alike. The film follows police inspector called Tequila, who sets out on a relentless mission after his partner is killed in a violent shootout with gun smugglers. To infiltrate the criminal underworld, he teams up with Alan, an undercover cop working as a hitman within a Triad gang.
Together, they use extreme force to bring down the ruthless crime syndicate. Film expert Rob London called Hard Boiled a “masterpiece” that “puts Die Hard to shame.”
Hard Boiled is also a significant film in the director’s history as it was John Woo’s last film in Hong Kong before moving to Hollywood, where he continued to influence the action genre with films like Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2.
Woo sought to create a film that glorified police officers rather than gangsters after his earlier works romanticised crime.
The film’s screenplay, originally penned by Gordon Chan and Barry Wong, underwent several changes during production, especially after the tragic death of Wong.
Characters like Mad Dog and Mr Woo were added to heighten the tension and action, while darker plotlines were trimmed to focus on the intense cat and mouse game between cops and criminals.
The film is an tense, action-packed thriller featuring some of the most iconic gun battles ever captured on screen, including the legendary teahouse shootout sequence which was filmed in a location about to be demolished, adding to its gritty authenticity.
Viewers on Rotten Tomatoes have expressed strong appreciation for Hard Boiled.
One person even described it as the “best action movie ever.”
Another film reviewer said: “I’ve watched it many times, and it’s still jaw-dropping. It puts most action movies to shame.”
Someone else wrote: “I love this movie. It’s my favorite action movie of all time.”