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Hard-Boiled

Play trailer Poster for Hard-Boiled R 1992 2h 6m Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.
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Hard-Boiled

Hard-Boiled

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Critics Consensus

Boasting impactful action as well as surprising emotional resonance, Hard Boiled is a powerful thriller that hits hard in more ways than one.

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Critics Reviews

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Tony Rayns Sight & Sound 07/27/2023
Hard-Boiled is actually Woo's most relaxed and confident film so far, and in many ways a terrific achievement. It offers nothing much new in plot terms... but its details and incidentals are gleefully idiosyncratic. Go to Full Review
Mark Salisbury Empire Magazine 07/27/2023
4/5
Woo has elevated the action movie into the realm of art. Infinitely more exciting than a dozen Die Hards, action cinema doesn't come any better than this. Go to Full Review
John Anderson Newsday 07/27/2023
3.5/4
Woo sets a pace for himself from the outset that he can't maintain. But his action sequences are so artfully handled and his sense of humor is so outrageous that it's difficult not to be tickled, and thrilled. Go to Full Review
Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media 6d
5/5
This Hong Kong cop classic has sat near the top of every "best action movie" list since its release in 1992 and for good reason: it's a total thrill. Go to Full Review
Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews 6d
B+
It is pleasure to see the seminal works of John Woo brought back and restored in awesome 4K release. Go to Full Review
Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews Jan 14
A
One may never forget the sight of Chow Yun-Fat taking out half a dozen combatants with a gun in one hand and the baby he dubs 'Saliva Sammy' cradled in the other. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mickey B. @Mickerdoo 14h So exciting. Dated but a blast too watch. Extensive action set pieces. Death toll is off the charts. Woo with Yun-Fat is chef’s kiss. See more Jack G @Jackkg30 2d Typical western praise for a film that would otherwise be regarded as hot garbage if it were an American production. It's got its actions scenes but with Hong Kong films you get this weird mix of sometimes clever and total shit. The dialogue is fucking horrible. The soundtrack this sentimental, mushy jazz shit. The Bollywood-tier cuts, the ridiculous amount of slow-motion...really makes you wonder if there was any benefit to introducing cinema to the east. See more Enrique R @EnriqueRamosLovesMovies Jan 18 Hard Boiled, one of the best foreign action movies of all time, the director(John Woo) is a passionate director who loves action and Asian cinema. And then, when you put it together. You make Hard Boiled. The action scenes are so satisfying and action packed. Plot, perfect. Chow-Jun Fat does a fantastic role in this film. Lastly, again, John Woo has made great movies like Face/Off, Hard Target. So, overall, at the end of the day, I give Hard Boiled a 9/10 or a 4.7/5 stars. See more Cubed B. @cubedbrick Jan 12 You won't normally find an action movie as wild as this to have such a profound impact on me to where I begin to bawl my eyes out in a river of tears. The very thought of a high octane, shoot em up, explosion filled, cops vs criminals action fest being so poetically beautiful to the point where when I spotted the dove (a trademark in John Woo’s filmography) I began to break down into utter elated joyful sobbing. Before that I was already finding myself so overwhelmed by the cacophonous orchestra of violence, splattering gibs, explosions, guns and sheer utter chaos happening at every turn. The characters are incredibly well written, every main and side player gets a payoff in the best way possible. I can't even describe my thoughts of just how completely enraptured I was during the third act. It's funny really. I was curious as to why I've yet to see any doves in this film, but when I saw it, and everything after that, I knew this was so much more than just your average action cop thriller. It's actual art. It's an art piece disguised as action. It's action made art. No other action movie has given me this feeling I felt watching Hard Boiled. None whatsoever. I do not normally cry when watching movies. Not even ones specifically designed to tug your heartstrings. But Woo has made something truly beautiful for this world. Something that transcends the average action film. Something sacred and pure. Something I will forever cherish. See more Mike N Nov 28 To me, Hard-Boiled is so much the Hong Kong version of Michael Cimino's Year of the Dragon (1985). In fact John Woo should have long been chosen to direct Year of the Dragon instead of Cimino if given the chance. Year of the Dragon (Cimino, 1985) VS Hard-Boiled (John Woo, 1992): - Chinese triads - Crime and smuggling - First kill at a restaurant - Final standoff between the main cop and the triad boss (Mickey Rourke vs John Lone in 1985, Chow Yun Fat vs Anthony Wong in 1992) See more Norman B @KunNeki Sep 26 Packed with tons of action and the creation of Gun Fu= Old school classic See more Read all reviews
Hard-Boiled

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.
Director
John Woo
Producer
Terence Chang, Linda Kuk
Screenwriter
Barry Ping-Yiu Wong, John Woo
Production Co
Milestone Pictures, Golden Princess Film Production Limited
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 1992, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jan 25, 2026
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 27, 2003
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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