John Woo made action films in China before hitting Hollywood, and Bullet in the Head was consistent with his later work.
Three friends in Hong Kong of 1967, Ben, Paul, and Frank become part of a gang in their youth, fighting rivals in the bustling city. Years later, Ben marries Jane at a wedding paid for with money from a loan shark, Mr. Kwai. On his way to the event, Frank is robbed by gang members, lead by a guy named Ringo. Frank and Ben find him at a bar and kill him. The next day, with the police in hot pursuit, Frank, Ben and Paul travel to Vietnam after hearing of a lucrative smuggling trade there.
Bad luck follows them as a suicide bomber blows up all their goods and they are arrested as suspects. They are beaten by interrogators, and when the real bomber is found, it is a young boy who is executed quickly. Frank vomits when he sees the kid shot.
They make their way to a nightclub and brothel to see a singer named Sally, who has been tricked into prostitution, and so they plan a elaborate escape with her, but she gets shot and the four surviving men take a boat up river with gold that they have stolen. The boat breaks down and they are captured by the Vietkong. With the gold is a list of CIZ agents with maps, which the three guys know nothing about; wrong place, wrong time. The VC torture them but they eventually manage to escape. The violence is frequent, with plenty of shootings, and the three main actors are good. The story is interesting with a surprising conclusion.
Three friends in Hong Kong of 1967, Ben, Paul, and Frank become part of a gang in their youth, fighting rivals in the bustling city. Years later, Ben marries Jane at a wedding paid for with money from a loan shark, Mr. Kwai. On his way to the event, Frank is robbed by gang members, lead by a guy named Ringo. Frank and Ben find him at a bar and kill him. The next day, with the police in hot pursuit, Frank, Ben and Paul travel to Vietnam after hearing of a lucrative smuggling trade there.
Bad luck follows them as a suicide bomber blows up all their goods and they are arrested as suspects. They are beaten by interrogators, and when the real bomber is found, it is a young boy who is executed quickly. Frank vomits when he sees the kid shot.
They make their way to a nightclub and brothel to see a singer named Sally, who has been tricked into prostitution, and so they plan a elaborate escape with her, but she gets shot and the four surviving men take a boat up river with gold that they have stolen. The boat breaks down and they are captured by the Vietkong. With the gold is a list of CIZ agents with maps, which the three guys know nothing about; wrong place, wrong time. The VC torture them but they eventually manage to escape. The violence is frequent, with plenty of shootings, and the three main actors are good. The story is interesting with a surprising conclusion.