Doghousesmall
Doghouse
111953
Bullet In The Head
(1990)
Die xue jie tou
Increase the peace.
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Stars: Waise Lee, Jacky Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Simon Yam, Fennie Yuen
Director: John Woo
Writer: Janet Chun, Patrick Leung
Language: English
Studio: Medusa Comms. and Mktg. Ltd.
Duration: 136

BULLET IN THE HEAD (Hong Kong - 1990): Fleeing from a murder rap during the political turmoil of 1960's Hong Kong, three devoted friends (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau and Waise Lee Chi-hung) seek their fortunes in war-torn Vietnam and are ripped apart by greed and betrayal.John Woo's ambitious movie - an operatic valentine to his youth in HK and his love of David Lean epics, and a response to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 - went over-schedule and flopped at the local box-office when released in 1990, but has since been recognized as one of the finest productions in HK film history. Newcomers Leung, Cheung and Lee are terrific as the three friends whose lives are devastated by the violence they encounter in a foreign land, and they're matched throughout by Simon Yam Tat-wah as the Eurasian hitman who rescues them from the worst of their experiences. For all its explosions and gunplay, however, BULLET IN THE HEAD is a very human drama, played out against the vast backdrop of the Vietnam conflict, and invested with a palpable sense of love and compassion for its leading characters. Cinematography and editing are world-class, and Woo's dark-hearted script (co-written by Patrick Leung Pak-kin and Janet Chin) incorporates the themes of loyalty and brotherhood which have shaped and defined all of his films since A BETTER TOMORROW (1986). Cheung's final scene is absolutely heartbreaking; classic score by James Wong Jim and Romeo Diaz. Original title: DIP HUET GAAI TAU (Cantonese) or DIE XIE JIE TOU (Mandarin).Picture quality on Hong Kong Legends' 2-disc Platinum Edition marks a major improvement over previous home video editions, though a certain amount of cropping is evident throughout. For contractual reasons, HKL is unable to provide mono tracks for films released theatrically in that format, though the 5.1 tracks here are remarkably faithful to the spirit of the original experience. The subtitles are also fine, though too literal in places, which blunts some of the film's most emotional sequences. Extras include interviews with some of the film's key personnel, though Leung and Woo are noticeably absent, and Bey Logan provides another sterling audio commentary; his criticisms of Lee's performance and the 'unnecessary' final scene are well-taken but a little too hard, though he makes a number of salient points about the film's lapses in logic whilst also nailing the reasons for the film's classic status. The menus are works of art in their own right. The running time listed below doesn't include the Media Asia logos which open and close the DVD print, and weren't part of the original film.


Waise LeePaul / Little Wing
Jacky CheungFrank / Fai
Tony Leung Chiu WaiBen / Ah Bee
Simon YamLuke
Fennie YuenJane
Yolinda YamSally Yen
Chung LamY.S. Leong
Shek Yin LauFatso
John WooPolice Inspector
Romeo DíazComposer
James WongComposer
Yue Ding
Chung LinY.S. Leong
Hee Ching PawBen's Mother
Hang Shuen SoJane's Mother
Kan-Wing TsangJane's Father
Chang TsengPaul's Father
Kwong Lam TsuiFrank's father
Tseng ChangPaul's Father
Ernst MausserBar Pianist (uncredited)
Jacky Cheung Hok-yau
Leung Siu Hung
Cuba Gooding, Jr.Tré Styles
Ice CubeDoughboy
Morris ChestnutRicky Baker
Laurence FishburneFurious Styles
Nia LongBrandi
Tyra FerrellMrs. Baker
Regina KingShalika
Angela BassettReva Styles
Lloyd Avery IIKnucklehead #2
Hudhail Al-AmirS.A.T. Man
Susan FalconMrs. Olaf
Na'Blonka DurdenTrina
Nicole BrownBrandi
Darneicea CorleyKeisha
Kenneth A. BrownLittle Chris
John Cothran, Jr.Lewis Crump
CealSheryl
Yolinda Yan
Lam Chung
Wei-min Tan
Wai Man Tam(as Wei-min Tan)
Genre: Crime Thriller
Media: DVD
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
IMDb: 0099426