View source for Hard Boiled

{{Short description|1992 Hong Kong film by John Woo}}
{{About|the Hong Kong action film|other uses|Hard boiled (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Hard Boiled
| image          = Hard-boiled-film-poster.jpg
| alt            = Film poster illustrates the character Tequila holding a shotgun in one hand, and a newborn baby under his other arm. The background depicts the underground hospital area seen in the film. Text at the bottom of the poster reveals the production credits.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Woo]]
| producer       = {{Plain list|
* [[Linda Kuk]]
* [[Terence Chang]]
}}
| screenplay     = {{Plain list|
* [[Gordon Chan]]
* [[Barry Wong]]
}}
| story          = John Woo
| narrator       = 
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Chow Yun-fat]]
* [[Tony Leung Chiu-wai|Tony Leung]]
* [[Teresa Mo]]
* [[Philip Chan (actor)|Philip Chan]]
* [[Philip Kwok]]
* [[Anthony Wong (Hong Kong actor)|Anthony Wong]]
<!-- Per the billing block of the film's theatrical release poster -->
}}
| music          = [[Michael Gibbs (composer)|Michael Gibbs]]
| cinematography = Wang Wing-heng
| editing        = {{Plain list|
* John Woo
* [[David Wu (Hong Kong actor)|David Wu]]
* Kai Kit-wai
* Jack Ah
}}
| production_companies = {{Plain list|
* [[Golden Princess Film Production]]
* Milestone Pictures
}}
| distributor    = Golden Princess Film Production
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1992|04|16|Hong Kong}}
| runtime        = 128 minutes
| country        = Hong Kong
| language       = [[Cantonese]]
| budget         = US$4.5&nbsp;million<ref name="Elder117">Elder, 2005, pg. 117</ref>
| gross          = HK$19.7&nbsp;million (HK) <br /> US$71,858 (US) <br /> 85,104 tickets (France)
}}
{{infobox Chinese
|title=''Hard Boiled''
|c=辣手神探
|p=Làshǒu Shéntàn
|j=Laat6sau2 San4taam3
|y=Laaht-sáu Sàhntaam
|ci={{IPAc-yue|l|aat|6|.|s|au|2|-|s|an|4|t|aam|3}}
}}

'''''Hard Boiled''''' ({{zh|c=辣手神探}})<ref name="Elder">Elder, 2005, pg. xxviii</ref> is a 1992 [[Hong Kong action cinema|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]], [[Tony Leung Chiu-wai]], and [[Anthony Wong (Hong Kong actor)|Anthony Wong]]. It follows a [[police inspector]] whose investigation of a brutal [[Triad (organized crime)|Triad]] leader entangles him in the complex world of [[Undercover police|undercover policing]].

The film was John Woo's last [[Hong Kong film]] before his transition to [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]. After receiving criticism for making films that glamorized gangsters, Woo wanted to make a ''[[Dirty Harry (film series)|Dirty Harry]]''-styled film to glamorize the police. With the death of screenwriter [[Barry Wong]], the film's screenplay underwent constant changes during filming. New characters such as Mad Dog and Mr. Woo were introduced, while the original plotline of a baby-poisoning psychopath was cut.

''Hard Boiled'' was released in Hong Kong in 1992 to generally positive audience reception. Though it was not as commercially successful as Woo's ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'', it still did slightly better than ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]'' in the domestic box office. Reception from Western critics was much more positive, with many critics and film scholars describing its action scenes as being among the best ever filmed. In 2007, a [[video game]] sequel titled ''[[Stranglehold (video game)|Stranglehold]]'' was released.

== Plot ==
In a Hong Kong [[teahouse]], [[Royal Hong Kong Police]] inspectors "Tequila" Yuen and Benny Mak surveil a group of [[Arms trafficking|gun smugglers]] while they are making a deal. When a rival gang ambushes the deal, a fierce [[shootout]] breaks out; the gangsters are defeated, but several police officers and civilians are wounded and Benny is killed. As revenge, Tequila executes the gangster who killed Benny rather than arrest him. He is reprimanded by Chief Superintendent Pang, who needed the executed gangster as a key witness. After a police funeral, Pang burns the personnel file of another smuggler Tequila killed, revealing him to be an [[Undercover operation|undercover cop]].

Meanwhile, Alan, an assassin working for Triad boss "Uncle" Hoi, murders one of Hoi's subordinates who had double-crossed them for a rival syndicate led by upstart Johnny Wong. Wong, who is looking to usurp the old Triad bosses through his control of the illicit arms trade, is impressed by Alan's skill and attempts to recruit him. Alan reluctantly accepts the offer, and Wong brings Alan to a raid on Hoi's warehouse as an [[initiation]], where many of Hoi's men are killed. Surrounded, Hoi lets Alan kill him to spare his surrendering men, but Alan kills them all anyway to please Wong. Tequila, who has been watching from cover, ambushes and defeats Wong's men, but is caught by Alan, who spares him. Tequila confronts Pang, demanding to know if Alan is an undercover cop. Pang refuses to say, but reveals the teahouse [[friendly fire]] killing to Tequila and warns him to stay away from the case.

Tequila tracks Alan to his sailboat and deduces he is undercover, but they are ambushed by the remnants of Hoi's gang. The pair fight off the attackers and Tequila flees just before Wong arrives, allowing Alan to keep his cover. Wong realizes that one of his lieutenants, Foxy, is a police [[informant]]. Wong's henchman, Mad Dog, beats Foxy before Alan is ordered to execute him with a shot to the chest, but before that he manages to place [[Lighter|cigar lighter]] in Foxy's chest pocket that saves his life. Foxy finds Tequila at a jazz bar and informs him that Wong's armory is hidden in a vault beneath the Maple  hospital. As Tequila takes Foxy to the hospital, Wong discovers that Foxy is alive and sends Alan to kill him, while also discreetly sending Mad Dog to monitor Alan. At the hospital, Alan confronts Tequila, demanding to know the whereabouts of the vault; while the two are distracted, Mad Dog kills Foxy.

Alan and Tequila discover Wong's vault, where they briefly skirmish with Mad Dog. As Pang, officer Teresa Chang, and other inspectors evacuate the hospital, Wong and his men attempt to gain leverage by taking the staff and patients hostage while indiscriminately shooting fleeing patients and responding police officers, irritating Mad Dog with his callousness. Alan and Tequila team up to rescue the hostages and battle Wong's men; meanwhile, Pang evacuates the lobby and takes command at the police perimeter, while Chang and the [[Special Duties Unit]] rescue trapped babies from the [[Maternity ward|maternity wing]]. As they fight their way through the hospital, Alan accidentally shoots a [[Plainclothes law enforcement|plainclothes officer]] and is overcome with guilt; Tequila consoles him by sharing his similar experience from the teahouse and encourages him to fight on.

The pair eventually confront Mad Dog again. While Tequila leaves to assist Chang and rescue one last baby, Alan and Mad Dog engage in a tense duel before ending in a standoff with a group of crippled patients between them. They allow the patients safe passage to leave, but Wong arrives and guns down the patients while trying to kill Alan, who escapes. Enraged, Mad Dog tries to kill Wong, but is gunned down by Wong when his pistol runs out of ammunition. Alan and Tequila kill the remaining gangsters and confront Wong, but he detonates bombs in the armory, setting the hospital ablaze and forcing Tequila to flee with the baby while Alan goes after Wong. As the hospital explodes, Wong drags Alan outside at gunpoint and forces Tequila to humiliate himself. Using this as a distraction, Alan wrestles for Wong's pistol and ends up shooting himself in the chest, surprising Wong enough for Tequila to fatally shoot Wong in the head, before collapsing.

Alan is revealed to have survived the ordeal. To protect Alan from the Triads, Pang and Tequila destroy Alan's personnel file and declare him dead, allowing him to leave Hong Kong to start a new life.

== Cast ==
[[File:AnthonyWong08TIFF.jpg|thumb|upright|Anthony Wong, who portrayed triad boss Johnny Wong]]
* [[Chow Yun-fat]] as Inspector "Tequila" Yuen Ho-yan: A [[clarinet]]-playing, alcoholic police sergeant with a reputation for defying his superiors and bending police rules. Chow had previously worked with director John Woo on several of his films, including ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'', ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]'' and ''[[Once a Thief (1991 film)|Once a Thief]]''.<ref name="Heard244">Heard, 1999. p.244</ref><ref name="Heard246">Heard, 1999. p.246</ref><ref name="Heard247">Heard, 1999. p.247</ref>
* [[Tony Leung Chiu-wai]] as Alan:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.criterion.com/films/523-hard-boiled|work=[[Criterion Collection]]|title=Hard Boiled|access-date=11 March 2014}}</ref> An undercover cop posing as a high-ranking triad assassin. He makes an [[origami]] [[Crane (bird)|crane]] every time he kills someone, a trait which was influenced by Woo's daughter when he saw her making them.<ref name="commFox" /> Alan is shown as living alone on a yacht and considers himself to be [[Asociality|asocial]]. Woo stated that this was influenced by [[Alain Delon]]'s character in the French crime film ''[[Le Samouraï]]''.<ref name="commFox" /> Leung had previously worked with Woo on his film ''[[Bullet in the Head]]''.<ref name="Heard247" />
* [[Teresa Mo]] as Teresa Chang: A fellow police officer who is the girlfriend of Tequila. She helps to decode the secret code songs that are sent to the police by Alan written on cards attached to bouquets that he has delivered to her.  
* [[Philip Chan (actor)|Philip Chan]] as Supt. Pang: Tequila's superior. Prior to the film, Chan was a police officer for about fifteen years. He felt that certain scenes in the film were very familiar as they were similar to real police work.<ref name="WooDD" />
* [[Philip Kwok]] as Mad Dog: A skilled gunfighter and gang enforcer working for Johnny Wong.
* [[Anthony Wong (Hong Kong actor)|Anthony Wong]] as Johnny Wong: A scheming triad boss who plans to seize complete control of Hong Kong's gangs using the earnings from his gun smuggling business, most of which are stored in the basement of a hospital.
* [[Bowie Lam]] as Benny Mak: Tequila's long-time partner and fellow jazz musician. He dies in the opening shootout after accidentally killing a civilian.
* Anjo Leung as Benny's son.
* [[Bobby Au-yeung]] as Lionheart: An officer who works under Tequila's supervision.
* [[Kwan Hoi-san]] as "Uncle" Hoi: Alan's boss, an aging gangster who turns down an opportunity to leave Hong Kong as he considers it to be irresponsible. Alan is forced to kill him after Johnny takes control of his gun warehouse.
* [[Stephen Tung]] as Foxy: Johnny's lieutenant who secretly informs on his gang to Tequila. After he is exposed as a traitor, Alan intervenes to save his life. Foxy is later killed by Mad Dog at the hospital in which the final shoot-out takes place.
* [[John Woo]] as Bartender: A former cop who runs the jazz bar where Tequila performs and offers him advice.<ref name="commDD" />
* [[Jun Kunimura]] as Tea-House Gunman: A gun smuggler who kills Benny Mak at the teahouse and is subsequently gunned down by a vengeful Tequila. Credited as Y Yonemura in the film's opening credits

== Production ==

=== Development ===
<!-- development of the concept and script, as well as the securing of financing and producers -->
The film was originally developed in 1990.<ref name="commFox">{{cite AV media notes
 | title = Hard Boiled
 | orig-year = 1992
 | others = John Woo
 | type = Commentary with John Woo and Terence Chang
 | publisher = Fox Lorber Films
 | year = 2000
}}</ref> After creating films which focused on the lives of gangsters, director [[John Woo]] wanted to make a film that glorified the police instead.<ref name="commDD">{{cite AV media notes
 | title = Hard Boiled
 | orig-year = 1992
 | others = John Woo
 | type = Commentary with Bey Logan
 | publisher = Dragon Dynasty
 | year = 2007
}}</ref> Woo admired [[Clint Eastwood]]'s and [[Steve McQueen]]'s characters from their films ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' and ''[[Bullitt]]'' respectively, and wanted to make his own Hong Kong-style ''Dirty Harry'' police detective film.<ref name="WooDD">{{cite AV media
 |people     = [[John Woo|Woo, John]]
 |date      = 2007
 |title      = A Baptism Of Fire: An Interview With Director John Woo
 |medium     = DVD
 |publisher  = Dragon Dynasty
 |location   = Santa Monica, California, United States
}}</ref> While creating this character, Woo was inspired by a police officer who was a strong-willed and tough member of the police force, as well as being an avid drummer. This led to Woo having Tequila's character be a musician as well as a cop.<ref name="WooDD" />

Before production started, Woo told his actors that he was not going to make the film as stylish as his previous films, but to have it be more of an "edgy thriller".<ref name="commDD" /> The role of Teresa Chang was originally made for actress [[Michelle Yeoh]], who had a long relationship with producer [[Terence Chang]].<ref name="commDD" /> After casting [[Teresa Mo]], the character of Teresa Chang was greatly re-written.<ref name="commDD" />
The film's initial story was about [[Tony Leung Chiu-Wai|Tony Leung]]'s character being a psychopath who would poison baby food.<ref name="WooDD" /> When Terence Chang was making connections to have Woo make films in the United States, he found people uninterested and disgusted with the theme of babies being poisoned. This halted production for a month to develop a new story.<ref name="commFox" /><ref name="ChangDD" /> Screenwriter [[Barry Wong]] was brought in to write a new story about Tony Leung's character being an undercover police officer. After writing the first part of the script, Wong went on a vacation in Germany, where he died, leaving the script unfinished.<ref name="ChangDD">{{cite AV media
 |people     = [[Terence Chang|Chang, Terence]]
 |date      = 2007
 |title      = Partner in Crime: An Interview With Producer Terence Chang
 |medium     = DVD
 |publisher  = Dragon Dynasty
 |location   = Santa Monica, California, United States
}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
''Hard Boiled'' took 123 days to shoot in 1991.<ref name="Heard98">Heard, 1999. p.98</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Keely |first=Pete |title='Hard Target' at 25: John Woo on Fighting for Respect in Hollywood |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hard-target-john-woo-clashing-jean-claude-van-damme-1137208/ |access-date=7 March 2024 |work=hollywoodreporter.com |date=24 August 2018 |language=en-US |quote=At the end of 1991 I was making my last Hong Kong film, Hard Boiled.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ebiri |first=Bilge |title=A LONG TALK JULY 3, 2023 'My Films Had So Much Anger' John Woo reflects on a career driven by action, ambition, and artistry. |url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/john-woo-on-face-off-mission-impossible-2-and-more.html |access-date=7 March 2024 |work=vulture.com |date=3 July 2023 |location=New York City |language=en-US |quote=In 1991, when I had just started shooting Hard Boiled, all of a sudden, I got a phone call from Oliver Stone.}}</ref> Although Woo told his cast that the film would be more gritty and not as stylish as his previous films, ''Hard Boiled'' became more stylish as the filming began.<ref name="commDD" /> The [[tea house]] sequence in the film was shot before the script was written.<ref name="WooDD" /> The crew found that the teahouse was going to be torn down and decided to film a scene there. Woo saw the staircase in the teahouse, and thought about a scene where a character would come shooting down gun smugglers while sliding down the banister.<ref name="WooDD" /> The teahouse sequence was shot in around a week's time and was choreographed by Woo and [[Philip Kwok]].<ref name="commFox" /><ref name="ChangDD" /><ref name="KwokDD" /> It was shot with interruptions from local triads in the area asking for protection money, and residents complaining about the noise.<ref name="commFox" /><ref name="ChangDD" />

[[File:John Woo Cannes 2005.jpg|upright|thumb|alt=A photo of a Chinese man wearing a black suit against an orange backdrop.|Director John Woo acted in ''Hard Boiled'' as a bartender who would give Chow Yun-fat's character advice. Woo's character was developed after filming had already started.]]
The script of the film went through several changes during filming. Due to the length of the film, scenes from a side-story involving the relationship between the characters Tequila and Teresa Chang were cut.<ref name="ChangDD" /> Another cut scene included Tequila playing clarinet over Benny's grave.<ref name="commDD" /> With these cuts, Chow Yun-fat felt his character was not very deep in comparison to Leung's character of Alan. To develop his character more, Chow asked John Woo to insert a mentor character in the film, which Woo himself would play; Chow felt that having Woo in this role would make Woo not cut out these scenes.<ref name="ChangDD" /> Philip Kwok's role of Mad Dog was not in the script and was created on the set. Kwok first worked with Woo on his film ''[[Once a Thief (1991 film)|Once a Thief]]'' and was asked to return to work on ''Hard Boiled''.<ref name="KwokDD">{{cite AV media
 |people     = [[Philip Kwok|Kwok, Philip]]
 |date      = 2007
 |title      = Mad Dog Bites Again: An Interview With actor Philip Kwok
 |medium     = DVD
 |publisher  = Dragon Dynasty
 |location   = Santa Monica, California, United States
}}</ref> After reading the script, Woo felt that the character of Johnny Wong was not a strong enough physical threat. After seeing Kwok do several of the stunts while filming, Woo created the character of Mad Dog for him.<ref name="WooDD" /><ref name="commDD" />

The scenes in the hospital maternity ward and the warehouse were shot at a studio called "The Coca-Cola Factory", named for its former use as a [[Coca-Cola]] [[bottling plant]].<ref name="ChangDD" /><ref name="Heard101">Heard, 1999. p.101</ref> The hospital scenes took 40 days to shoot.<ref name="Fang44">Fang, 2004. p.44</ref> The hospital segment's location was chosen since they wanted to have an atypical location where gangs would hide their weapons.<ref name="ChangDD" /> While filming in the hospital, the windows were covered with blast shields to give the appearance of night time, which allowed the crew to film at any time during the day. The cast and crew stayed in the hospital for days, often losing track of time.<ref name="WooDD" /> After long hours of filming in the hospital, the crew became exhausted. This prompted the direction of one of the climax's action scenes, a lengthy shootout through the hospital's halls, to be a five-minute [[long take]], so as to shorten the time needed to film. To complete this, during a brief 20-second scene in the middle of the take inside an elevator, the crew quickly changed the set props and rigged the explosions and practical effects in time for the next scene to continue.<ref name="WooDD" /> While filming the hospital sequence, Tony Leung was injured when glass fragments went into his eyes, and he was hospitalized before returning after a week-long rest.<ref name="WooDD" /> Woo changed the ending of ''Hard Boiled'' after many members of the crew of the film felt that Leung's character should survive at the film's end.<ref name="WooDD" />

=== Post-production ===
Woo is a fan of jazz music and wanted a jazz-style soundtrack for ''Hard Boiled''.<ref name="WooDD" /> Woo had also previously wanted a singer to perform a jazz song and have Chow Yun-fat's character play saxophone in his previous film ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]''.<ref name="Heard78">Heard, 1999. p.78</ref> The producer for ''The Killer'', [[Tsui Hark]], rejected this idea for ''The Killer'', feeling that Hong Kong audiences did not enjoy and understand jazz music.<ref name="Heard78" /> The score heard in ''Hard Boiled'' was created by jazz musician [[Michael Gibbs (composer)|Michael Gibbs]]. During promotional screenings, the score for the film was different and was described as "very haunting music", but this score ultimately could not be used as the production crew could not acquire the rights to the music.<ref name="commDD" /> Other songs featured in the film, include "[[Hello (Lionel Richie song)|Hello]]" by [[Lionel Richie]] and the traditional song "[[Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]]".<ref name="commDD" /> Woo chose these songs specifically for their lyrics to suggest that Tony was a sort of pen pal to Teresa.<ref>Hall, 1999. p.164</ref> All the characters in ''Hard Boiled'' had their voices dubbed by their own actors to save money. Woo stated this was convenient as he did not have to worry about setting up boom mics and other sound elements.<ref name="commFox" />

== Release ==

=== Theatrical run ===
''Hard Boiled'' was released on 16 April 1992 in Hong Kong.<ref name="hkfa" /> The film grossed HK$19,711,048 which was not as strong of a box office reception as Woo's ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'' but was slightly better than the domestic gross of ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]''.<ref name="WooDD" /><ref name="commDD" /><ref name="hkfa">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537712064005|title=Hong Kong Film Archive|access-date=4 September 2014|archive-date=4 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904212809/http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537712064005|url-status=dead}}</ref> On the film's initial release in Hong Kong it debuted at number 3 in the box office where it was beaten by [[Tsui Hark]]'s ''[[Once Upon a Time in China 2]]'' and the [[Stephen Chow]] film ''[[Fight Back to School II]]''.<ref name="ss-review">{{cite journal|title=Hard Boiled|last=Rayns|first=Tony|author-link=Tony Rayns|journal=[[Sight & Sound]]|location=London|volume=2|issue=4|date=August 1992|pages=20–23}}</ref>

The North American premiere of ''Hard Boiled'' was in September 1992 at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref name="Heard105">Heard, 1999. p.105</ref> At the premiere, the audience response was very positive with people stomping their feet and yelling at the screen. This reception surprised producer Terence Chang who did not expect such a positive reaction.<ref name="ChangDD" /> It had a limited US release in June 1993, grossing US$71,858. In France, it was released the same month and sold 85,104 tickets.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lashou Shentan (Hard Boiled) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=4914 |website=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=30 April 2022}}</ref> ''Hard Boiled'' received a wide release in the United Kingdom on 8 October 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film--the-dropdead-director-john-woo-makes-movies-with-guts-and-buckets-of-blood-kevin-jackson-talks-to-him-plus-jeremy-clarke-on-chow-yunfat-woos-favourite-leading-hardman-1509125.html|work=[[The Independent]]|title=The drop-dead director: John Woo makes movies with guts, and buckets of blood. Kevin Jackson talks to him. Plus Jeremy Clarke on Chow Yun-Fat, Woo's favourite leading hard-man|access-date=28 May 2010|date=7 October 1993|author=Jackson, Kevin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622001526/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film--the-dropdead-director-john-woo-makes-movies-with-guts-and-buckets-of-blood-kevin-jackson-talks-to-him-plus-jeremy-clarke-on-chow-yunfat-woos-favourite-leading-hardman-1509125.html|archive-date=2011-06-22}}</ref>

=== Home media ===
A laserdisc edition of ''Hard Boiled'' was released by [[The Criterion Collection]] in December 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06071/CC1397L/Hard-Boiled:-Special-Edition-(1992) | title=LaserDisc Database - Hard Boiled: Special Edition &#91;CC1397L&#93; }}</ref> A region free DVD of ''Hard Boiled'' was released by [[The Criterion Collection]] on 10 July 1998.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hard-Boiled overview |work=[[Allmovie]] |url=http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-1307 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120701174352/http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-1307 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 July 2012 |access-date=8 August 2009 }}</ref> A second Region 1 DVD of the film was released by [[Fox Lorber]]. Fox Lorber released the film as a stand-alone release and as a double feature with ''The Killer'' on 3 October 2000.<ref>{{cite news | title =The Killer (1989) November 6, 2012| work = [[Allmovie]] | url = http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-john-woo-collection-hard-boiled-the-killer-v27286/releases | access-date = 6 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hard Boiled > overview |work=[[Allmovie]] |url=http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-9771 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708003003/http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-9771 |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=8 August 2009 }}</ref> The most recent Region 1 release of ''Hard Boiled'' was from Dragon Dynasty, who released a two disc DVD of the film on 24 July 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hard Boiled [WS] [Ultimate Edition] > overview |work=[[Allmovie]] |url=http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-ws-ultimate-edition-164470 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707123454/http://allmovie.com/dvd/hard-boiled-ws-ultimate-edition-164470 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=8 August 2009 }}</ref> The collector's edition of the PlayStation 3 version of the video game [[Stranglehold (video game)|Stranglehold]], which served as a sequel to Hard Boiled, includes a remastered version of the film on the game disc, but it can only be played on a PlayStation 3 system.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/07/stranglehold-to-include-remastered-high-definition-version-of-hard-boiled/ | title=Stranglehold to include remastered, high-definition version of Hard Boiled | date=19 July 2007 }}</ref>

For decades after going out of print on home media, the film was unavailable in Western territories due to rights issues with the film catalog of co-producer Golden Princess. Woo said in 2023 that the film, along with ''The Killer'', could not be re-released without the approval of the rights holders.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/the-killer-hard-boiled-4k-releases-john-woo/|work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|title=John Woo Explains Why 'The Killer' and 'Hard Boiled' Don't Have 4K Releases [Exclusive]|last=O'Rourke|first=Ryan|date=November 21, 2023|accessdate=October 9, 2024}}</ref> In early 2025, [[Shout! Studios]] acquired the worldwide rights (excluding select Asian countries) to the 156-film Golden Princess film catalog, with intentions to make the films available via both physical media and streaming platforms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |title=John Woo, Chow Yun-fat Classics Among 156-Film Golden Princess Library Acquired by Shout! Studios (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/john-woo-chow-yun-fat-golden-princess-shout-studios-1236272850/ |website=Variety |access-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250113201036/https://variety.com/2025/film/news/john-woo-chow-yun-fat-golden-princess-shout-studios-1236272850/ |archive-date=13 January 2025 |date=13 January 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==
Initial reception to ''Hard Boiled'' was positive. Vincent Canby of ''[[The New York Times]]'' found it difficult to follow both the action scenes and the subtitles at the same time, but stated that "Mr. Woo does, in fact, seem to be a very brisk, talented director with a gift for the flashy effect and the bizarre confrontation."<ref>{{cite web |last=Canby |first=Vincent |title=Hard Boiled (1992) Review/Film; Blood, Fire And Death, Slow-w-wly |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE2DC163DF93BA25755C0A965958260 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=18 June 1993|access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref> A review in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' stated that "With ''Hard Boiled'', John Woo shows himself to be the best director of contemporary action films anywhere."<ref name="Heard104">Heard, 1999. p.104</ref>
''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' spoke positively about the action scenes, noting the "epic shootouts that bookend Hard-Boiled, John Woo's blood-soaked Hong Kong gangster extravaganza, are wondrously staged, brilliantly photographed tableaux."<ref>{{cite journal
 |date        = 20 July 1993
 |title       = Blood, Bodies, Guns, Mobsters from Hong Kong
 |journal     = [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]
 |pages       = E02
 |url         = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB2A5115DB3B53F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
 |access-date = 6 August 2010
}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The ''[[Boston Herald]]'' proclaimed the film as "arguably Woo's masterpiece, it is an action film to end all action films, an experience so deliriously cinematic it makes ''[[True Romance]]'', a film that clearly aspires to it, look like a cheap copy"<ref>{{cite journal
| author      = Verniere, James
| date        = 10 September 1993
| title       = Movie Review 'Hard Boiled' a hard-core action film ''Hard Boiled''
| journal     = [[Boston Herald]]
| pages       = s.10
| url         = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/68137407.html?dids=68137407:68137407&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+10,+1993&author=James+Verniere&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=Movie+Review+`Hard+Boiled%27+a+hard-core+action+film+``Hard+Boiled%27%27&pqatl=google
| access-date  = 6 August 2010
}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> A review in ''[[Newsday]]'' gave the film three and a half stars, stating that "Mayhem has never looked better than in John Woo's latest high-caliber cops-and-robbers thriller, even if the plot is a bit slippery" and that John Woo "has blasted the action genre onto a whole new level. His shootouts are a ballet; his firebombings are poetry. And while he lets the body count get away from him, he constantly fascinates, through a combination of chaos and an excruciating control over what we're allowed to see."<ref>{{cite journal
| author      = Anderson, John
| date        = 18 June 1993
| title       = Cops and Robbers, Cantonese-Style
| journal     = [[Newsday]]
| pages       = 75
| url         = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/103085271.html?dids=103085271:103085271&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+18,+1993&author=JOHN+ANDERSON&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=Cops+and+Robbers,+Cantonese-Style&pqatl=google
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121103120321/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/103085271.html?dids=103085271:103085271&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+18,+1993&author=JOHN+ANDERSON&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=Cops+and+Robbers,+Cantonese-Style&pqatl=google
| url-status  = dead
| archive-date = 3 November 2012
| access-date  = 6 August 2010
}}</ref>

{| class="toccolours" cellspacing="5" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#FFFFE0; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 20%"
| style="text-align: left;" |"I found out Western audiences love it more than ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]''. The critics liked ''The Killer'' more because it mixed the action with the art. But movie lovers liked ''Hard Boiled''."
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |—John Woo on the reception of ''Hard Boiled''<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bernstein |first=Jonathan |date=September 1993 |title=Killer Instinct |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=9 |issue=6 |page=92 |publisher=SPIN Media LLC |issn=0886-3032|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6gb7frVZeYC&pg=PA92 |access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref>
|}
Public perception of the film has only improved over time; the review-aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives it a score of 92%, with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10, based on 71 reviews. The website's "Critic's Consensus" for the film reads, "Boasting impactful action as well as surprising emotional resonance, ''Hard Boiled'' is a powerful thriller that hits hard in more ways than one."<ref name="rottentomatoes">{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hard_boiled/ |title=Hard Boiled – Rotten Tomatoes | access-date=27 July 2023 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref> Film scholar Andy Klein wrote that the film is "almost a distillation of [Woo's] post-1986 work. Even if the plot is full of holes, and the emotional tug isn't quite as strong as in ''[[The Killer (1989 film)|The Killer]]'', the action sequences (nearly the whole movie) are among the greatest ever filmed".<ref name="Heard104">Heard, 1999. p.104</ref><ref name="Heard103">Heard, 1999. p.103</ref> Mark Salisbury of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire Magazine]]'' gave the film four stars out of five, calling it "Infinitely more exciting than a dozen ''[[Die Hard (film series)|Die Hards]]'', action cinema doesn't come any better than this." Salisbury compared ''Hard Boiled'' to Woo's American films, stating that his Hong Kong films are "not as slick as his later films, [''Hard Boiled'' is] more inventive and stylised and [has] great early performances from Fat and Leung".<ref>{{cite web |last=Salisbury |first=Mark |title=Empire Reviews Central – Review of Hard Boiled |url=http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=5929 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015000953/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=5929 |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |access-date=8 August 2009 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref> ''Empire'' placed the film at number 70 in their list of "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema – 70. Hard Boiled |url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=70 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202102946/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=70 |archive-date=December 2, 2011 |access-date=30 July 2010 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref> In 2023, [[Stephanie Zacharek]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' put ''Hard Boiled'' on a list of the "100 Best Movies of the Past 10 Decades", stating that Woo's "artistry lies in the way he shapes a sequence for maximum kinetic effect, creating mosaics of sound and action that leave you feeling exhilarated rather than beaten up."<ref name="Time_Zacharek2023">{{Cite magazine |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |author-link=Stephanie Zacharek |date=2023-07-26 |title=Hard Boiled (1992) |url=https://time.com/collection/100-best-movies/6296086/hard-boiled-1992/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> Ed Gonzalez of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' gave the film the highest rating of four stars, proclaiming it to be one of Woo's best films.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Ed |title=Hard Boiled/ Film Review |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=932 |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=27 December 2003 |access-date=8 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908202758/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=932 |archive-date=8 September 2009  }}</ref> The British film magazine ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' ranked the character of Tequila as 33rd in their "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" poll.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 Greatest Movie Characters |url=http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=33 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420003725/http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=33 |archive-date=April 20, 2011 |access-date=8 August 2009 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref>

==Accolades==
At the [[12th Hong Kong Film Awards]], David Wu and John Woo won the award for "Best Film Editing".<ref>{{Cite web|title=香港電影金像獎|url=http://www.hkfaa.com/|access-date=2021-12-27|website=香港電影金像獎}}</ref> Tony Leung was nominated for "Best Supporting Male Actor", but he refused the nomination on the grounds that he had a leading role in the film. His protest was supported by John Woo and Chow Yun-fat. This later led the [[Hong Kong Film Award]]s to change its nomination rules to allow for multiple leading roles from the same film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=5次金像奖影帝，竟拒绝男配提名，梁朝伟用演技征服评委_腾讯新闻 |url=https://new.qq.com/omn/20210605/20210605A049LE00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227041755/https://new.qq.com/omn/20210605/20210605A049LE00.html |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |access-date=2021-12-27 |website=new.qq.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=吴宇森"暴力美学"最后绝唱：《无间道》前传，梁朝伟拒绝金像奖_腾讯新闻|url=https://new.qq.com/omn/20200317/20200317A07LLL00.html|access-date=2021-12-27|website=new.qq.com|date=17 March 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=你知道吗？梁朝伟这神作成就《无间道》原型，还让金像奖"丢脸"_腾讯新闻|url=https://new.qq.com/omn/20210412/20210412A0BKAA00.html|access-date=2021-12-27|website=new.qq.com|date=12 April 2021 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Ceremony
!Category
!Nominee
!Outcome
!Ref
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[12th Hong Kong Film Awards]]
|[[Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|[[Tony Leung Chiu-wai]]
|{{nom}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{cite web |title=List of Nominees and Awardees of The 12th Hong Kong Film Awards |url=http://www.hkfaa.com/winnerlist12.html |access-date=8 March 2022 |publisher=[[Hong Kong Film Awards]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
|[[John Woo]], [[David Wu (Hong Kong actor)|David Wu]], Kai Kit-wai, and Jack Ah
|{{won}}
|}

== Video game ==
{{Main|Stranglehold (video game)}}
In 2007, [[Midway Games]] released the game [[Stranglehold (video game)|''Stranglehold'']]. The game's story and storyboards were made in collaboration with John Woo.<ref name="strangleholdDD">{{cite AV media
 |date      = 2007
 |title      = Stranglehold Preview
 |medium     = DVD
 |publisher  = Dragon Dynasty
 |location   = Santa Monica, California, United States
}}</ref> The game features the character Tequila from ''Hard Boiled'', who is travelling the globe in search of his kidnapped daughter.<ref>{{cite news | last = Leach | first = Gracie | title = John Woo Presents Stranglehold – Overview – allgame | work = [[Allgame]] | url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=47731 | access-date = 8 August 2009 | archive-date = 14 November 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141114195414/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=47731 | url-status = dead }}</ref> In 2009 John Woo's production company Lion Rock Entertainment was reported to be developing a film version of the game, to be written by Jeremy Passmore and Andre Fabrizio.<ref>{{cite news |last=Parfitt |first=Orlando |title=IGN: Woo Making Hard Boiled 2 |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/960/960356p1.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312091006/http://movies.ign.com/articles/960/960356p1.html |archive-date=March 12, 2009 |access-date=8 August 2009 |work=[[IGN]]}}</ref> Following the box-office disappointment of Woo's film ''[[The Crossing (2014 film)|The Crossing]]'', Woo and Chang disbanding Lion Rock Productions.<ref name="sd-mannix">{{cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/features/interviews/terence-chang-talks-china-market-challenges-and-new-ventures/5119574.article|work=Screen Daily|publisher=[[Screen International]]|title=Terence Chang talks China market challenges and new ventures|date=30 June 2017|accessdate=10 July 2017|last=Shackleton|first=Liz|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630174012/http://www.screendaily.com/features/interviews/terence-chang-talks-china-market-challenges-and-new-ventures/5119574.article|archivedate=30 June 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chow Yun-fat filmography]]
* [[Hong Kong action cinema]]
* [[Hong Kong films of 1992]]
* [[List of action films of the 1990s]]
* [[List of cult films]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book
| last      = Fang
| first     = Karen
| title     = John Woo's A better tomorrow
| publisher = [[Hong Kong University Press]]
| year      = 2004
| isbn      = 962-209-652-2
| url       = https://books.google.com/books?id=eZQEF-3pvz8C
}}
* {{cite book
 | last= Hall
 | first= Kenneth E.
 | title= John Woo: The Films
 | publisher= [[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]
 | year= 1999
 | isbn= 0-7864-0619-4
 | url-access= registration
 | url= https://archive.org/details/johnwoofilms0000hall
 }}
* {{cite book
| last      = Heard
| first     = Christopher
| title     = Ten Thousand Bullets: The Cinematic Journey of John Woo
| publisher = [[Doubleday Canada]]
| year      = 1999
| isbn      = 0-385-25731-7
| url       = https://books.google.com/books?id=PhoKAAAACAAJ
}}
* {{cite book
| last      = Elder
| first     = Robert K.
| title     = John Woo: Interviews
| publisher = [[University Press of Mississippi]]
| year      = 2005
| isbn      = 1-57806-776-6
| url       = https://archive.org/details/johnwoo00robe
| url-access = registration
}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0104684}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|hard_boiled}}
* {{tcmdb title|77397}}
*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/44-hard-boiled ''Hard Boiled''] an essay by Barbara Scharres at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{John Woo}}
{{Gordon Chan}}
{{Portal bar|Hong Kong|1990s|Film}}

[[Category:1992 films]]
[[Category:1992 action thriller films]] <!-- http://www.allmovie.com/movie/hard-boiled-v21553 -->
[[Category:1992 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s Cantonese-language films]]
[[Category:1990s crime action films]]
[[Category:1990s Hong Kong films]]
[[Category:1990s police procedural films]]
[[Category:Films about arms trafficking]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Woo]]
[[Category:Films set in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Films set in hospitals]]
[[Category:Hong Kong films about revenge]]
[[Category:Hong Kong action thriller films]] <!-- http://www.allmovie.com/movie/hard-boiled-v21553 -->
[[Category:Hong Kong crime action films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong gangster films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong New Wave films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong police films]]
[[Category:Police detective films]] <!-- http://www.allmovie.com/movie/hard-boiled-v21553 -->
[[Category:Triad films]]