Bullets and Brotherhood: The Films of John Woo

‘When I’m making an action movie, I don’t see it as an action movie. It’s like a painting or a poem, sometimes even like a musical. I’m aiming for that kind of feel, because I’m a dreamer. I think that’s my style because I always have some kind of beautiful dream in my mind.’
– John Woo

In the mid-1980s, Woo teamed up with producer Tsui Hark to make films for production company Golden Princess. The resulting films transformed his career and revolutionised action cinema. They were proudly maximalist, bursting with style and visual flare, treating fights and shoot-outs like elegant and grandiose theatre, and deploying slow motion cinematography, fast edits and pyrotechnics to stunning effect. The extravagance of style was fused with sincere, heartfelt stories of brotherhood and sacrifice, and codes of honour and morality. Known as the ‘heroic bloodshed’ films, they influenced Hollywood directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Michael Mann and the Wachowskis.

These Golden Princess films were recently recovered by Shout! Studios who, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Archives, have remastered and restored several titles. We celebrate the long-awaited return of these films, alongside two Hollywood outings and a rare opportunity to see the full version of Red Cliff, Woo’s monumental period action epic.

Kimberley Sheehan, season curator

A Better Tomorrow

This tale of two brothers on the opposite sides of the law marks the emergence of John Woo’s signature action filmmaking style.

A Better Tomorrow + intro by Dr Lin Feng, University of Leicester

This tale of two brothers on the opposite sides of the law marks the emergence of John Woo’s signature action filmmaking style.

A Better Tomorrow II

Woo’s kinetic thriller ramps up the action and crazy plot twists to deliver a satisfying sequel to his breakout hit.

The Killer

In one of John Woo’s finest Hong Kong films, Chow Yun-fat excels as a charismatic hitman defined by an unshakeable a moral code.

The Killer + intro by Vicki Brown, co-founder of the MilkTea collective

In one of John Woo’s finest Hong Kong films, Chow Yun-fat excels as a charismatic hitman defined by an unshakeable a moral code.

Bullet in the Head

This Vietnam war melodrama is an underrated and emotionally devastating masterpiece in John Woo’s filmography.

Bullet in the Head + intro by film critic Katie Smith-Wong

This Vietnam war melodrama is an underrated and emotionally devastating masterpiece in John Woo’s filmography.

Once a Thief

A heist goes wrong for three art thieves in John Woo’s playful action comedy.

Hard Boiled

The action looks incredible in this in newly restored, digital 4K version of John Woo’s crime thriller masterpiece about a vengeful cop taking down an weapons-smuggling syndicate.

Hard Boiled + intro by Xavier Alexandre Pillai, BFI TV Programmer

The action looks incredible in this in newly restored, digital 4K version of John Woo’s crime thriller masterpiece about a vengeful cop taking down an weapons-smuggling syndicate.