Heroic bloodshed

Last updated

Heroic bloodshed is a genre invented by Hong Kong action cinema revolving around stylized action sequences and dramatic themes, such as brotherhood, duty, honour, redemption, and violence that has become a popular genre used by different directors worldwide. [1] [2] The term heroic bloodshed was coined by editor Rick Baker in the magazine Eastern Heroes [3] in the late 1980s, specifically referring to the styles of directors John Woo and Ringo Lam. Baker defined the genre as "a Hong Kong action film that features a lot of gun play and gangsters rather than kung fu. Lots of blood. Lots of action." [4] Heroic bloodshed films often feature gun fu action sequences.

Contents

Motifs

Protagonists in these films are often good-willed criminals, typically Triad members, hit men, or thieves with a strict code of ethics, which in some cases leads to the betrayal of their employers and the saving of many intended victims. The police officer with a conscience, who cannot be corrupted in any way, is also common, and is usually modeled after the hardboiled detective. Loyalty, family and brotherhood are the most typical themes of the genre. Heroic bloodshed films generally have a strong emotional angle, not only between, but during action sequences.

Pistols and submachine guns are frequently utilized by the heroes due to the light weight they provide, enabling their wielders to move more quickly. They are frequently dual wielded. The heroes are extremely agile and implement rolls, dives, slides, and falls while they duel, making for a graceful, ballet-like performance in the midst of gunfire.

Heroic bloodshed films often end on a downbeat or tragic note with the main heroes either dead, arrested by the police, or severely incapacitated.

History

John Woo's breakthrough film A Better Tomorrow (1986) largely set the template for the heroic bloodshed genre. [5] In turn, A Better Tomorrow was a reimagining of plot elements from two earlier Hong Kong crime films: Lung Kong's The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967) and the Shaw Brothers Studio film The Brothers (1979), the latter a remake of the hit Indian crime drama film Deewaar (1975) written by Salim–Javed. [6]

Woo has also been a major influence in its continued popularity and evolution in his following works, namely A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987), The Killer (1989) and Hard Boiled (1992). [7]

The heroic bloodshed genre had a considerable impact on world cinema, especially Hollywood. [8] The action, style, tropes and mannerisms established in 1980s Hong Kong heroic bloodshed films were later widely adopted by American cinema in the 1990s, reshaping the way action films were made in the Western world. [6] Lam's City on Fire (1987) inspired Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992); [9] Tarantino was an admirer of the genre. [10] The Killer also heavily influenced Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional (1994) from France. [8] Eventually, John Woo himself introduced his brand of heroic bloodshed in the United States. By the end of the 20th century, Woo's style of cinema had become firmly established in Hollywood. [11]

Selected heroic bloodshed films

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Woo</span> Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer

John Woo Yu-Sen is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. He is a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films and the gun fu genre in Hong Kong action cinema, before working in Hollywood films. He is known for his highly chaotic "bullet ballet" action sequences, stylized imagery, Mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to wuxia, film noir and Western cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action film</span> Film genre

Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life-threatening situations, an indestructible villain, or a pursuit which usually concludes in victory for the hero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chow Yun-fat</span> Hong Kong actor (born 1955)

Chow Yun-fatSBS, previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He has collaborated with filmmaker John Woo in five Hong Kong action films: A Better Tomorrow (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), The Killer (1989), Once a Thief (1991) and Hard Boiled (1992), and in the West for his roles as King Mongkut in Anna and the King (1999), Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Sao Feng in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

<i>A Better Tomorrow</i> 1986 Hong Kong action film

A Better Tomorrow is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed, co-written, and co-produced by John Woo; co-produced by Tsui Hark; and starring Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun-fat. The film had a profound influence on Hong Kong action cinema, and has been recognised as a landmark film credited with setting the template for the heroic bloodshed genre, with considerable influence on both the Hong Kong film industry and Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsui Hark</span> Hong Kong film director

Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), the Once Upon a Time in China film series (1991–1997) and The Blade (1995). Tsui also has been a prolific writer and producer; his productions include A Better Tomorrow (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Killer (1989), The Legend of the Swordsman (1992), The Wicked City (1992), Iron Monkey (1993) and Black Mask (1996). He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema and is regarded by critics as "one of the masters of Asian cinematography".

<i>The Killer</i> (1989 film) 1989 Hong Kong film directed by John Woo

The Killer is a 1989 Hong Kong action crime film written and directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee and Sally Yeh. Chow plays assassin Ah Jong, who accidentally damages the eyes of singer Jennie (Yeh) during a shootout and sets out to perform one last hit for her treatment.

<i>Hard Boiled</i> 1992 action film

Hard Boiled is a 1992 Hong Kong action thriller film directed by John Woo from a screenplay by Gordon Chan and Barry Wong based on a story written by Woo. The film stars Chow Yun-fat as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen, Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Alan, an undercover cop, and Anthony Wong as Johnny Wong, a leader of the criminal triads.

Gun fu, a portmanteau of gun and kung fu, is a style of sophisticated close-quarters gunfight resembling a martial arts battle that combines firearms with hand-to-hand combat and traditional melee weapons in an approximately 50/50 ratio. It can be seen in Hong Kong action cinema, and in American action films influenced by it.

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Lau</span> Hong Kong film director, cinematographer and producer

Andrew Lau Wai-keung is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film director and producer. Apart from making films in his native Hong Kong, Lau has also made films in China, Korea and the United States. A highly prolific filmmaker, Lau has made films in a variety of genres, and is most notable in the West for his action and crime films which include the Young and Dangerous film series, the Infernal Affairs trilogy, and Revenge of the Green Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Cheung</span>

Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung is a Hong Kong-based actor, best known on-screen for his roles as Triad gangsters in a number of films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chingmy Yau</span> Hong Kong actress

Chingmy Yau Suk-zing is a retired Hong Kong actress.

Danny Lee is a Hong Kong actor, film producer, screenwriter, director, action director and presenter. He is known for frequently portraying Hong Kong police officers in films such as Law with Two Phases, The Killer and The Untold Story, as well as being a Shaw Brothers alumnus, having starred in martial arts and action movies produced by that studio such as Infra-Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Asian cinema</span>

East Asian cinema is cinema produced in East Asia or by people from this region. It is part of Asian cinema, which in turn is part of world cinema.

Dion Lam is a Hong Kong action choreographer and actor.

The Brothers is a 1979 Hong Kong action crime-drama film directed by Hua Shan, written by Lam Chin Wai and Yuen Cheung, and produced by Runme Shaw under the Shaw Brothers Studio. The film stars Tony Liu, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Chau Li Chuan, Ku Feng, and Nam Hung. It is a remake of Indian action crime-drama film Deewaar (1975), written by Salim–Javed. In turn, The Brothers inspired John Woo's A Better Tomorrow and played a key role in the creation of the heroic bloodshed crime genre of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema.

Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai is a nine time Hong Kong Film Awards-winning cinematographer, actor, screenwriter, film producer and film director.

Billy Chow Bei-lei is a Hong Kong-Canadian former professional kickboxer and actor. He competed in the Welterweight and Super Welterweight divisions from 1977 to 1992. He was the WKA Super Welterweight champion from 1984 to 1986, and retired with a professional record of 45-0-8.

Phillip Ko-fei was a Hong Kong based actor, screenwriter and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangster film</span> Film genre

A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The genre is differentiated from Westerns and the gangs of that genre.

References

  1. Fitzgerald, Martin (2000). Hong Kong's Heroic Bloodshed. Pocket Essentials. ISBN   1-903047-07-2.
  2. Davies, Steven Paul (2001). A-Z of Cult Films and Film-Makers. Batsford. p. 26. ISBN   0-7134-8704-6.
  3. Logan, Bey (1996). Hong Kong Action Cinema . Overlook Press. pp.  191. ISBN   0-87951-663-1.
  4. Stokes, Lisa Odham; Michael Hoover (1999). City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema . Verso. pp.  333. ISBN   1-85984-716-1.
  5. Morton, Lisa (2001). The Cinema of Tsui Hark. McFarland. ISBN   0-7864-0990-8.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Heroic Bloodshed: How Hong Kong's style was swiped by Hollywood". British Film Institute . 11 July 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  7. Morton, Lisa (2001). The Cinema of Tsui Hark. McFarland. p. 62. ISBN   0-7864-0990-8.
  8. 1 2 Volodzko, David (13 June 2015). "30 Years Later, This Chinese Film Still Echoes in Hollywood". The Diplomat .
  9. Spicer, Andrew (2010). Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810873780.
  10. Ingham, Michael (2009). Johnnie To Kei-Fung's PTU. Hong Kong University Press. p. 115. ISBN   9789622099197.
  11. Fang, Karen (2004). John Woo's A Better Tomorrow: Autobiographical Stories by Modern Chinese Women Writers. Hong Kong University Press. p. 85. ISBN   9789622096523.
  12. Banker, Ashok (2002). Bollywood. Penguin Group. p. 83.