sports
Bullet in the Head review
The Hong Kong action master’s deliriously violent 1990 epic fuses gangland thriller, war movie and tragic melodrama into a spectacular vision of greed and moral collapse
TL;DR
- The film is a gonzo spectacle that combines crime thriller, wartime action in Vietnam, and romantic melodrama.
- A key element is a literal bullet lodged in someone's head, symbolizing violence dehumanizing its victim.
- Director John Woo uses sad music over brutal action sequences to emphasize the poignancy and futility of violence.
- The plot begins in Hong Kong with three friends involved in a gang war, leading them to accept a smuggling job in Vietnam.
- In Vietnam, their plans devolve into anarchy, involving arrest, arms smuggling, and stealing gold.
- They also undertake to rescue a trafficked singer.
- The film culminates on a battlefield with helicopters, explosions, and burning villages.
- A scene standing in front of a tank is noted as potentially echoing the Tiananmen Square protests.