The Killer (4K Restored Version) (DBHK)

Originally enemies, a killer and a detective discover that they share more in common than they think. Through repeated face-to-face encounters that seem like self-reflections, the film visually emphasises their similarities. When he accidentally blinds a singer, the killer protects her to atone for his sins. And when the detective sees the killer save a little girl, he comes to see his rival’s compassion and masculinity. The film takes inspiration from the tender masculinity of wuxia films, and Bordwell believed that the film’s success came from its sheer romanticism. This is director John Woo pushing the themes and techniques of his previous film A BETTER TOMORROW to a stylised extreme.

The church shootout has become particularly iconic, with racing bullets, flying doves and a candlelit statue of the Virgin Mary emphasising the solemnity and grandeur of a desperate battle. The film remains beloved among Western film buffs, and Bordwell believed that it broke free of cool postmodern irony, unabashedly recycling formulaic tropes to reinvent a narrative that is both emotionally earnest and bold.

Hong Kong premiere of the latest 4K restoration by Shout! Studios.

10/1: Post-screening talk in Cantonese with Ka Ming