My first exposure to John Woo was THE KILLER. Needless to say, I was impressed. Very. Then A BETTER TOMORROW blew me away (so to speak). By this time, I was hooked. Next came my favorite, HARD BOILED. Woo could do no wrong. Or so I thought. HARD TARGET, while entertaining, was a big step backward as far as I was concerned: missing were the fascinating "gray-area" characters that had helped make the three aforementioned films so memorable. It was watered-down Woo. I won't even mention the films that followed. It was clear that, if I wanted to once again enjoy a John Woo movie, I would have to seek out his earlier work. I searched (if you'll pardon the Kurosawa pun) HIGH AND LOW, but the only copies I could find were washed-out bootlegs at comic book conventions, at ridiculous prices. I finally gave up the chase. The seasons changed. Years passed.
Then, by chance, I happened to switch on a cable channel just the other day and there, listed in the night's offerings, was a title I immediately recognized: HEROES SHED NO TEARS. My jaw dropped. I may have fainted. I popped a tape in the vcr and set the timer. Halfway through the movie, the vcr cut off, of its own accord. Had this been one of Woo's later films, I would've hit the ceiling. But this was done BEFORE Woo had mastered the medium. This was very crude filmmaking, of the Old School kung fu movie variety (only with guns). That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but I'd been spoiled by several of his later films (and VERY disappointed by all of his U.S. films). A matter of taste, I suppose, but I'd hoped to discover that Woo had always been the dazzling stylist he became following this film (up until he started making movies in this country, that is). But such was not the case. HEROES SHED NO TEARS isn't a complete waste of time, but it's not vintage John Woo, either. Pity.
Then, by chance, I happened to switch on a cable channel just the other day and there, listed in the night's offerings, was a title I immediately recognized: HEROES SHED NO TEARS. My jaw dropped. I may have fainted. I popped a tape in the vcr and set the timer. Halfway through the movie, the vcr cut off, of its own accord. Had this been one of Woo's later films, I would've hit the ceiling. But this was done BEFORE Woo had mastered the medium. This was very crude filmmaking, of the Old School kung fu movie variety (only with guns). That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but I'd been spoiled by several of his later films (and VERY disappointed by all of his U.S. films). A matter of taste, I suppose, but I'd hoped to discover that Woo had always been the dazzling stylist he became following this film (up until he started making movies in this country, that is). But such was not the case. HEROES SHED NO TEARS isn't a complete waste of time, but it's not vintage John Woo, either. Pity.