Hard Boiled
Hard Boiled
辣手神探
Overview
"Tequila, a tough-as-nails, jazz-playing police inspector, loses his partner in a violent shootout with illegal arms smugglers. His unrelenting quest for vengeance brings him face-to-face with an undercover cop deeply embedded within a rival triad, leading to a catastrophic and unimaginably brutal showdown in a fully operational hospital."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
A violent, chaotic shootout completely destroying a traditional Hong Kong teahouse filled with birdcages.
"teahouse shootout""birdcage fight" - ▶
An undercover cop and a detective sliding down banisters dual-wielding pistols in a warehouse.
"warehouse shootout""dual wielding pistols" - ▶
The legendary, unbroken long-take tracking shot moving through hospital corridors annihilating thugs.
"hospital long take""hospital shootout" - ▶
Fighting through an exploding maternity ward while holding a crying baby.
"saving the baby""maternity ward shootout"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The opening, flour-filled massacre inside a traditional birdcage teahouse.
- ★Alan and Tequila sliding down warehouse banisters dual-wielding pistols.
- ★Saving the crying newborn baby in the maternity ward while actively fighting off mercenaries with a shotgun.
Cultural Context
- ◈John Woo's final Hong Kong film before transitioning to Hollywood.
- ◈Universally cited as one of the greatest and most violent action films ever produced, featuring an astronomical body count.
- ◈The iconic and incredibly dangerous continuous tracking shot through the hospital corridors is a masterclass in staging and pyrotechnics.
About the Action Elements
Hard Boiled is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving shootout, teahouse, birdcages, destruction, shotgun. One of the most memorable sequences features Chow Yun-fat naturally executing teahouse shootout, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.