Diary entries forThe Killer
The Killer
You can't win all the time. But you can't lose forever, either. Spanish: Usualmente no soy muy fan del cine de acción, a menos de que el metraje en cuestión tenga alguna narrativa interesante que lo respalde, y esta particularmente me encantó justo porque se sale de lo convencional y se siente como un estallido creativo que abrió camino a todo un estilo. Woo no inventó la acción estilizada, pero sí la transformó en una ópera melodramática de pólvora trágica. Este eco puede sentirse incluso en directores como Tarantino, inspirando secuencias tan brutales y explosivas como el final de Django Unchained. Al principio me sentía algo desconectado porque no entendía bien las dinámicas, pero cuando agarré el ritmo y entendí hacia dónde iba todo… wow. Se vuelve extremadamente tensionante y empieza a crecer de una manera tan progresiva que, cuando llega ese final tan épico, quedé en shock por lo poético y trágico que fue. Literalmente se me cayó la mandíbula. No lo podía creer, porque estaba en frente de una sinfonía caótica con un peso narrativo y simbólico que jamás esperé. Todo ese tercer acto es una maravilla. Es una película rodada y ejecutada con una excelencia palpable. Es una danza hipnótica de una violencia gráfica estilizada que en cualquier momento lo tiñe todo de un rojo intenso; es espectáculo visual desmesurado y electrizante, cargado de adrenalina, munición infinita, cámara lenta, explosiones, toneladas de muertos y un desverge monumental. Sin embargo, lo que más destaca es su subtexto. Bajo el frenesí de balas y sangre brota una historia melancólica —algo emotiva— sobre la lealtad y la amistad. La relación entre los personajes transcienden lo convencional, explorando conexiones complejas en medio de conflictos internos y externos moralmente grises. Con una atmósfera sintética y melancólica, musicalmente se refuerza ese tono de romance, de arraigo y humanidad; ese amor al honor y al respeto mutuo, incluso con sus diferencias ideológicas. Los protagonistas son dos lados de la misma moneda: aquí no aplica el término de “bueno” o “malo”, “héroe” o “villano”. Son personas moralmente grises, atípicas y marginadas intentando hacer “lo correcto” en un mundo que siempre los traiciona, unos guiados por la sed de justicia, otros por la culpa y la pena. En definitiva, es una orgía criminal absurdamente épica y emocional. Un desvergue magnífico que pasó de un 3.5 a casi un 4.5 en un cerrar de ojos. Es un thriller que escala y escala hasta explotar hermosamente, mientras es también una reflexión poética sobre la soledad en mundo donde el honor es una palabra sucia y la vida vale menos que una bala. Un caos inhóspito donde las palomas blancas simbolizan la pureza; una figura alegórica que contrasta con la muerte que esta persecución deja a su paso, como una vela que se apaga con el aleteo de sus alas, dejando un hilo de humo que sella esta ópera de pólvora y destino con la desintegración de lo sagrado y sus nociones morales. PD: Se las recomiendo si desean ver una película de acción visualmente bella y entretenida con algo de peso narrativo. Aunque puede ser un poco emocional, tampoco es que sea una película para cranear, pero sí te sorprende y la disfrutas un montón, más si es tu tipo de cine. Sin duda, de las mejores que he visto del género. Voy por ti Hard Boiled. --------------------------------------------------------------- You can't win all the time. But you can't lose forever, either. English: I’m usually not a big fan of action films, unless the movie has some kind of interesting narrative backing it. This one, however, I absolutely loved because it breaks the mold. It feels like a creative explosion that paved the way for an entire style. Woo didn’t invent stylized action, but he turned it into a melodramatic opera of tragic gunpowder. You can feel its echo even in directors like Tarantino, inspiring sequences as brutal and explosive as the final act of Django Unchained. At first, I felt a bit disconnected because I didn’t quite get the dynamics, but once I found the rhythm and understood where it was going… wow. It becomes extremely tense, and it builds progressively in such a way that when that poetically tragic and epic ending hits, I was left in shock. My jaw literally dropped. I couldn’t believe it: a chaotic symphony with a narrative and symbolic weight I never expected. That third act is a masterpiece. The film is shot and executed with palpable excellence. It’s a hypnotic dance of stylized, graphic violence that at any moment could turn everything a deep, intense red; an over-the-top, electrifying visual spectacle loaded with adrenaline, endless ammo, slow motion, explosions, tons of corpses, and monumental madness. Yet what really stands out is its subtext. Beneath the frenzy of bullets and blood emerges a melancholic—almost touching—story about loyalty and friendship. The relationships between the characters go beyond the conventional, exploring complex connections amid morally gray internal and external conflicts. And the melancholic score reinforces that tone of romance, grounding, and humanity; that love of honor and mutual respect, even with their ideological differences. They are two sides of the same coin: “good” and “bad”, “hero” or “villain” don’t apply here. They are morally gray, atypical, and marginalized people trying to do the “right thing” in a world that constantly betrays them, some driven by a thirst for justice, others by guilt and sorrow. Ultimately, it’s an absurdly epic and emotional criminal orgy. A magnificent chaos that jumped from a 3.5 to almost a 4.5 in the blink of an eye. A thriller that keeps escalating until it explodes beautifully, while also being a poetic reflection on loneliness in a world where honor is a dirty word, and life is worth less than a bullet. A hostile chaos where white doves symbolize purity; an allegorical figure contrasting the death this chase leaves behind, like a candle blown out by the flutter of their wings, leaving a trail of smoke that seals this opera of gunpowder and destiny with the disintegration of the sacred and its moral notions. P.S. I recommend it if you want to watch an action movie that’s visually stunning and entertaining, with a bit of narrative weight. It can be somewhat emotional, but it’s not exactly a movie that makes you overthink, it still surprises you and is a ton of fun, especially if this is your kind of cinema. Definitely one of the best I’ve seen in the genre. I’m coming for you, Hard Boiled.
The Killer
Não existe cinema de ação, do seu tempo, mais visual do que os que são feitos por Woo. A antítese e o complemento que um assassino que cumpre seus objetivos, que conclui suas tarefas, mas que ainda sim tem um apreço pela vida e sentimentos de culpa para com pessoas não diretamente ligados a ele, enquanto no outro lado temos um policial que, apesar de acreditar na lei, não mede esforços pra parar um criminoso, inclusive colocando a vida de terceiros em risco contanto que tudo seja resolvido. A narrativa visual desse filme é muito linda, o filme abraça elementos policiais e um tom questionador que nos acompanha o tempo todo. Os cenários que são tomados por uma saturação de cores mais primária, o rosto de um personagem que está banhado em vermelho – seja pra identificar um sentimento ou uma situação – e o que mais me prende aqui é como esse filme tem toda aquela homo erotização da imagem dos personagens protagonistas e seus signos, existe uma admiração de Jeff e Lee que é tão simultânea e uma obsessão tão pura e tão intensa que a perseguição por justiça se transforma em fascínio e paixão, indireta, mas ainda sim forte. A cena do retrato falado é auto didática. Mickey ou Dumbo, O Matador de verdade são os amigos que fazemos no caminho e isso é um elogio sincero.
The Killer
My favorite thing about movies like this is how every gun has an infinite amount of bullets
The Killer
Just the best thing ever. DOVES, THE PARALLELS. Love the melodrama and the hyper realistic violence. Woo goes God mode. So many great action sequences and it has the best bromance ever! Easily my favorite action movie in just one viewing. Completely dumbfounded that this movie doesn't have the iconic teahouse shootout scene, since I always thought it's in this movie, turns out it's in "Hard Boiled"
The Killer
the 1080p Blu-ray I downloaded sucks balls LMFAOO. Woo's most romantic film
The Killer
Fucking amazing experience seeing (finally) this at the theater. Asher’s Review This was a pretty fun movie. A lot of heart in it, and very emotional. Would definitely recommend to anyone who’s above the age of…let’s say 14. This is a pretty great movie. 4.8/5⭐️
The Killer
The action in this is out of this world and the sadness it all holds is unbelievable. Truly incredible stuff. It feels like this mid point between “Le Samurai” and “John Wick” where you can see how it was influenced and also how it went on to influence others. Unbelievably cruel ending
The Killer
ive never felt so depressed walking out of a theater
The Killer
I think I watched the wrong movie
