The Killer

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The Killer

R

In Theaters Apr 5

1h 51m

Action

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Mob assassin Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat) is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie (Sally Yeh) is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman (Danny Lee) to make things right.

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Critics Consensus

The Killer is another hard-boiled action flick from John Woo featuring eye-popping balletic violence and philosophical underpinnings.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Mar 19

4/5

John Woo’s 1989 thriller is a reminder of the director’s habit of hitching the craziest of mayhem to a mile-wide streak of earnest emotionalism and sentimentality; a strong and under-acknowledged part of why his films are so addictive.

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Hugo Davenport

Daily Telegraph (UK)

07/27/2023

While there is no doubting the technical sophistication of Woo's hyper-kinetic massacres... the most notable aspect of [the film] is the award mix of tongue-in-cheek kitsch and lumbering, macho, male-bonding earnestness in between.

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Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

09/08/2017

The work of a filmmaker operating at the highest level of his abilities.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Mar 7

The execution... is pure Woo bullet ballet with high melodrama, operatic buddy-movie bonding, and blood-soaked excess.

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Feb 24

5/5

This 1980s Hong Kong gun fu movie has spectacular action and bloody violence, but the action is really backdrop to what is essentially a character study along the lines of a Greek tragedy.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 6

3.5/4

It’s a highlight of Hong Kong cinema, a mainstay of action cinema, and John Woo’s best film.

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Luca D.

@JoeCamel7 12h

Overall really solid hk action flic. Has everything you want great shootouts emotional relationships some humor. The editing is naturally very cheesy in these 80s canto movies but aside from that the acting and writing is really good. Major plot hole is that detective Li somehow forgets Ah Jungs real name and just keeps calling him by his nickname and proclaims Ah Jung "never told him his real name" even though he had been investigating him the whole movie and knew his name was Ah Jung. Other than that major plot hole it's a pretty solid movie. Would recommend and probably would watch again, just not top tier and maybe a little overrated when compared to other Hong Kong classics.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jan 25

The worldwide gross is HK$18,255,083.00. Or US$2,330,566.33.

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Frank S

@friedegg05 Jan 5

Absolutely amazing. The movie itself is kind of ridiculous but all the slow-mo action scenes and car chases are filmed beautifully. Definitely worth the watch. 10/10.

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Richard T

@RT47423892 Jan 1

Probably the greatest Hong Kong action film ever made. It's probably better than Hard Boiled on the emotional level. The 4K is amazing

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S N

@RT06562592 Sep 9

Without a doubt one of the greatest action films of all time. John Woo's 'The Killer' is an exiting and thrilling tale of brotherhood, redemption and honour. Carried by a brilliant performance from Chow Yun-Fat, who plays a ruthless yet morale assassin who must escape his past and right a wrong. But is pursued by Danny Lee as the duty-driven police officer. The Killer is a must-watch for not just fans of Hong Kong films or the action movie genre, but a must watch for all film fans. This is truly a masterpiece that will exite you, upset you, and move you.

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Daniel C. M

@RT91944882 03/06/2025

Everything in this movie is nothing short of amazing and there isnt really a single thing that goes wrong here. Amazing script with very loveable and engaging characters, that makes the drama parts work well and not feel boring; and the action itself is absolutly the best Gun-Fu ever made, puts (the massively overrated) John Wick to shame. The direction by Woo is also great at the non-action parts, making it's neo-noir style feel immaculate.

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Synopsis

Mob assassin Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat) is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie (Sally Yeh) is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman (Danny Lee) to make things right.

Director: John Woo
Producer: Hark Tsui
Screenwriter: John Woo
Distributor: Circle Films
Production Co: Magnum, Golden Princess Film Production Limited, Film Workshop Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 1, 1991, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2026
Release Date (DVD): Mar 30, 2010
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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