It’s been 21 long years since John Woo made a good movie, and the legendary Hong Kong director appears to be well aware of that fact. “Manhunt,” Woo’s dumb but deliriously fun new film, is nothing if not a very conscious attempt to turn back the clock and revisit the wild kind of pistol opera that he helped to popularize in the late ’80s with classics like “The Killer” and “A Better Tomorrow.”
That being said, nothing about “Manhunt” comes across as safe or lazy. It doesn’t feel like Woo is just going back to the well because he could use a hit. On the contrary — and from the very beginning — his retreat seems like more of an artistic realignment than it does a surrender. This is the work of someone reconnecting with the things that made them fall in love with cinema in the first place. It...
That being said, nothing about “Manhunt” comes across as safe or lazy. It doesn’t feel like Woo is just going back to the well because he could use a hit. On the contrary — and from the very beginning — his retreat seems like more of an artistic realignment than it does a surrender. This is the work of someone reconnecting with the things that made them fall in love with cinema in the first place. It...
- 5/4/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“Manhunt”, which is a remake of the Japanese action classic from 1976 of the same name directed by Jun’ya Satô and the adaptation of the novel written by Jukô Nishimura, is the new film directed by the acclaimed action master John Woo, and stars Zhang Hanyu, Masaharu Fukuyama, Jun Kunimura, Tao Okamoto, Ha ji-won, Qi Wei and Angeles Woo among others.
“Manhunt” is the maestro’s return to his definitive style: the gun-fu, the heroic bloodshed. The master hasn’t directed a film of this style since “Mission Impossible 2”, and if you exclude that cool Hollywood mess, it is since “Hard Boiled” that he hasn´t made a Hong Kong action film. Fans of the director and of Hong Kong action cinema have been waiting for years for this moment to come, and it’s finally here.
It is impossible not to have expectations with a new film directed by John Woo,...
“Manhunt” is the maestro’s return to his definitive style: the gun-fu, the heroic bloodshed. The master hasn’t directed a film of this style since “Mission Impossible 2”, and if you exclude that cool Hollywood mess, it is since “Hard Boiled” that he hasn´t made a Hong Kong action film. Fans of the director and of Hong Kong action cinema have been waiting for years for this moment to come, and it’s finally here.
It is impossible not to have expectations with a new film directed by John Woo,...
- 1/26/2018
- by Pedro Morata
- AsianMoviePulse
Something must have happened to John Woo in the last decade or so. It’s been well over a decade since his last full-blown, modern-day action film, having made the historical epics Red Cliff and The Crossing after leaving Hollywood, and Manhunt — his return to the genre that launched his career — feels like a new kind of John Woo. Now in his 70s, Woo has become fully self-aware, and in doing so seems to have challenged himself to create the most John Woo movie ever made. With Manhunt, he has indeed made the most John Woo movie possible, while also making a film that could just be described as “the most.” It’s a deliriously entertaining thrill ride from start to end, and sure to go down as one of the most enjoyable films of 2017.
Taking place entirely in Japan, Woo’s film follows hotshot Chinese lawyer Du Qiu (Zhang Hanyu...
Taking place entirely in Japan, Woo’s film follows hotshot Chinese lawyer Du Qiu (Zhang Hanyu...
- 9/9/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The 74th Venice International Film Festival (August 30 – September 9) has just announced the world premiere of John Woo’s action thriller Manhunt as part of its Out of Competition roster. The film is hotly anticipated as it marks the return of the Hong Kong director to the police thriller genre 25 years after his classic Hard Boiled, starring Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong.
Set in Japan, Manhunt is the story of a Chinese man wrongly convicted for rape and multiple murders. He becomes the target of a manhunt by the local Japanese police, while he sets out himself to find the real killers.
The film has Chinese star Zhang Hanyu (The Great Wall, Operation Mekong) and Japanese actor-musician Masaharu Fukuyama (Suspect X, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends) in the lead roles. The predominantly Japanese supporting cast includes Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
Set in Japan, Manhunt is the story of a Chinese man wrongly convicted for rape and multiple murders. He becomes the target of a manhunt by the local Japanese police, while he sets out himself to find the real killers.
The film has Chinese star Zhang Hanyu (The Great Wall, Operation Mekong) and Japanese actor-musician Masaharu Fukuyama (Suspect X, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends) in the lead roles. The predominantly Japanese supporting cast includes Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
- 8/8/2017
- by Arnav Sinha
- AsianMoviePulse
Noted editor and director David Wu blasted back into Chinese cinemas in 2011 with “Cold Steel”, a wartime sniper thriller that after enjoying success at international festivals finally lands on DVD. Wu has certainly had an interesting career, having worked with John Woo as editor on several of his classics including “A Better Tomorrow”, “Bullet in the Head” and “Hard Boiled”, as well as directing “The Bride with White Hair 2”, before enjoying success in the Us as a director of genre and television fare. For his return to Asia, Wu assembled an interesting cast, headlined by Peter Ho (“Sophie’s Revenge”) and veteran Tony Leung Ka Fai (“Election”), with support from actress Song Jia (“Once Upon a Time in Tibet”), martial artist Yu Rong Guang (“Iron Monkey”), television star Wilson Guo (“Palace”) and John Woo’s daughter Angeles Woo (“Reign of Assassins”). Based on a popular online novel, the film sees Ho as Mu Liangfeng,...
- 4/12/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Director: Su Chao Pin. Review: Adam Wing. Taiwan writer-director Su Chao Pin (Silk) joins forces with legendary filmmaker John Woo for a period tale about love and freedom. Hang on a minute, I here you say. Surely you mean brotherhood and redemption, right? Surprisingly not, Woo’s latest collaboration steps away from familiar themes and embraces the softer side of life instead. I say softer, there are swordsman, epic battles and countless martial arts showdowns, but for the most part Reign of Assassins throws its arms out to love and sentiment. Who am I kidding? Veteran action director Stephen Tung (Bodyguards and Assassins) is on hand to choreograph the exhilarating stunts, wire-assisted swordplay and epic battles sequences. He’s not so well versed in the art of poetic ballads, so I guess bone-crunching action will have to do then. Action queen Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) takes the leading...
- 1/16/2012
- 24framespersecond.net
The trailer for director David Wu’s “Cold Steel” — a clip which has been carefully embedded below — could be a hell of a lot of fun. Everything you could possibly want from a Chinese action flick is in full effect, especially if you like your sex and carnage presented in an insanely stylish fashion. This is pretty impressive, given that Wu’s 2003 made-for-tv horror flick “Webs” is woefully inept. I’m willing to forget all about that particular endeavor given how jazzed I am about the project. “Cold Steel”, which opens in China on December 2nd, 2011, stars Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Peter Ho, Song Jia, Yu Rong-Guang, and Angeles Woo, the latter of whom is John Woo’s daughter. Nifty! The trailer you seek lies below. English-subtitled DVD, please make haste...
- 11/4/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Our first clear look at the actual footage for John Woo & Su Chao-pin's wuxia film Reign of Assassins (Chinese title: Jianyu Jianghu, English translation: Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World) has surfaced online in the form of a promo reel. The cast include Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-sung, Barbie Hsu, Kelly Lin, Shawn Yue, Angeles Woo and Wang Xueqi. Here's a detailed synopsis (spoiler alert):
In 428Ad, Bodhi, a Southern India prince became a Buddhist monk and set off for China, earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappeared.
Hundreds of years later, Zhang, a high-ranking court official, is assassinated by Drizzle. Zhang's son Jingxiu, whilst mourning his father's death, is assailed by a group assassins. They leave him for dead, but somehow he survives and escapes their clutches.
Drizzle, a talented warrior herself, finds herself in possession of Bodhi's remains,...
In 428Ad, Bodhi, a Southern India prince became a Buddhist monk and set off for China, earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappeared.
Hundreds of years later, Zhang, a high-ranking court official, is assassinated by Drizzle. Zhang's son Jingxiu, whilst mourning his father's death, is assailed by a group assassins. They leave him for dead, but somehow he survives and escapes their clutches.
Drizzle, a talented warrior herself, finds herself in possession of Bodhi's remains,...
- 4/20/2010
- Screen Anarchy
After helming the war epic Red Cliff, it looks like John Woo’s next project will tackle wuxia, the martial arts/fantasy genre that inspired Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers.
The new film, currently in production, is entitled Reign of Assassins. A promotional reel has made its way to Twitch — which you can also check out using the player below — and based on what we’ve seen, the new film co-helmed by Woo and Su Chao-pin combines drama, romance, and a few action set-pieces reminiscent of Crouching Tiger. It also stars Michelle Yeoh, who gained international fame in Ang Lee’s 2000 movie.
Yeoh plays Drizzle, a talented warrior in possession of the remains of Bodhi, a renowned mystical martial artist. Her character is on a quest to bring the ashes to their rightful resting place; however, a team of deadly assassins called The Black Stone are after her,...
The new film, currently in production, is entitled Reign of Assassins. A promotional reel has made its way to Twitch — which you can also check out using the player below — and based on what we’ve seen, the new film co-helmed by Woo and Su Chao-pin combines drama, romance, and a few action set-pieces reminiscent of Crouching Tiger. It also stars Michelle Yeoh, who gained international fame in Ang Lee’s 2000 movie.
Yeoh plays Drizzle, a talented warrior in possession of the remains of Bodhi, a renowned mystical martial artist. Her character is on a quest to bring the ashes to their rightful resting place; however, a team of deadly assassins called The Black Stone are after her,...
- 4/20/2010
- CinemaSpy
John Woo’s dreams of staging the greatest aerial battles ever filmed over China is apparently going to be put on hold. At least, if this article by 24Fps is correct, which has the “Red Cliff” auteur setting aside his model toy planes for some swordswoman action with Michelle Yeoh and South Korean actor Woo-sung Jung (”Musa: The Warrior”). And oh yeah, John Woo will also be getting all Will Smith on us and is casting his daughter Angeles Woo, who according to Woo’s longtime producing partner Terrence Chang, will easily embody the role, since she’s been studying martial arts for the role of a female assassin. According to 24Fps, Woo has announced that “The Swordswoman’s World” will be his next movie instead of the “Flying Tigers” movie he had announced earlier, where Woo promised the aforementioned “greatest aerial battles ever filmed over China”. And I...
- 8/28/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Action/epic auteur John Woo has announced his latest project will be a martial arts film titled "Jian Nv Jiang Hu" aka The Swordswoman's World. The 100 million yuan ($14 million) budget movie, set to start filming this October in Shanghai, will star South Korean actor Woo-sung Jung (“The Good, the Bad, and the Weird”) and Michelle Yeoh. Woo’s daughter - Angeles Woo - will also star, playing a ruthless killer. There’s no further detail as yet on the plot, but with Jung and Yeoh - we assume as the leads - and Woo at the helm. That’s pretty much a done deal, around these parts.
- 8/28/2009
- 24framespersecond.net
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