3 of John Woo’s lesser known action films, from gory war film to Hitchcock-inspired comedy
A triad movie with a young Stephen Chow, a crude war film and a crime caper starring Leslie Cheung. These 3 Woo projects fly under the radar
Not all of John Woo Yu-sum’s action films are as well known as The Killer and Hard Boiled. Here we look at three action films by the Hong Kong director that have flown under the radar.
1. Heroes Shed No Tears (1984)
Brutal and brimming with violence, Heroes Shed No Tears heralded the kind of films Woo was to make a few years later.
The director made this story about a gang of Chinese mercenaries fighting a ruthless drug baron and the Vietnamese army in Thailand and Vietnam simply to fulfil his contract to Golden Harvest studios before he joined Cinema City.
The film, which was originally called Sunset Warriors, is a vicious bloodbath with few let-ups. It was shelved for two years because Golden Harvest felt it was too violent for Hong Kong audiences still obsessed with cheeky kung fu comedies.
The story features a group of mercenaries, led by Eddy Ko Hung, who are hired to kidnap a drug baron in Thailand’s Golden Triangle.
The kidnapping goes well but the gang end up in Vietnam, where they are pursued by a cruel military general and engage in an explosives-fuelled war.
