Bullet in the Head (1990)
Dip huet gai tau (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 2h 16min
- Action, Crime
- 17 Aug 1990 (Hong Kong)
- Movie
- 1 win & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
Tony Leung Chiu-wai | ... |
Ben / Siu Bun
(as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
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Jacky Cheung | ... |
Frank / Fai Jai
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Waise Lee | ... |
Paul / Sau Ming
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Simon Yam | ... |
Luke / Lok
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Yolinda Yam | ... |
Sally Yan Sau Ching
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Chung Lam | ... |
Mr. Y.S. Leong
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Fennie Yuen | ... |
Jane / Siu Jan
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Kan-Wing Tsang | ... |
Jane's father
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Hang-Shuen So | ... |
Jane's mother
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John Woo | ... |
Policeman
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Hee Ching Paw | ... |
Ben's mother
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Tseng Chang | ... |
Paul's father
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San-Yan Siao | ... |
Mr. Shing
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Paco Yick | ... |
Ringo
(as Tin Hung Yee)
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Yun Pei | ... |
Frank's mother
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Kwong Lam Tsui | ... |
Frank's father
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Shek-Yin Lau | ... |
Fatso
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Yee Cheng | ... |
Ringo's man
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Siu Cheung |
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Kwok-Keung Choi |
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Chi Man Ho |
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Kwok Chung Kwan |
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Foo-Wai Lam |
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Jameson Wa-Fan Lam | ... |
Mr Kwai's Thug
(as Wah-Fan Lam)
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Chi-Ho Lau | ... |
Viet soldier
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Shung-Fung Lau | ... |
Mr Leong's Thug
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Raymond Lee | ... |
Mr Kwai
(as Wai-Man Lee)
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Yiu King Lee | ... |
Mr Leong's Thug
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Bo-Jing Leung |
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Wai-Cheung Mak | ... |
Mr Leong's Thug
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Therdporn Manopaibool |
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Siu Hung Ngan |
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Hiu-Sang Pang | ... |
Ringo's man
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Somsak Saengvilia |
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Thirasak Sinsoongsud |
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Damrongphandhu Sudrak |
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Wai-Man Tam |
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Suchai Thilua |
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Yu Ting |
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Wei-Ho Tu |
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Kowit Wattanakul |
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Wai Shun Wong | ... |
Ringo's man
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Wai-Fong Wong |
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Wing-Tat Woo | ... |
Mr Leong's Thug
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Hsiang Lin Yin |
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Jonathan Isgar | ... |
Bomb squad member (uncredited)
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Ernst Mausser | ... |
Bar Pianist (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Woo |
Written by
Janet Chun | ... | () |
Patrick Leung | ... | () |
John Woo | ... | () |
Produced by
Wan Allen | ... | associate producer: Thailand |
Catherine Lau | ... | associate producer |
Patrick Leung | ... | associate producer |
John Woo | ... | producer |
Music by
Sherman Chow |
Cinematography by
Wilson Chan | ||
Ardy Lam | ||
Chai Kittikum Som | ||
Wing-Hang Wong |
Editing by
John Woo | ||
David Wu |
Editorial Department
Simon Broderick | ... | colorist |
Jing Lan | ... | post-production coordinator |
Chan-Kuen Pang | ... | assistant editor |
Production Design by
Wah-Sang Leung | ... | (as James Leung) |
Art Direction by
Wah-Sang Leung | ... | (as James Leung) |
Costume Design by
Bruce Yiu |
Makeup Department
Hoi-Loy Chan | ... | hair stylist |
Fung-Ping Cheng | ... | makeup artist |
Wai-Fong Cheng | ... | hair stylist / makeup artist |
Yun-Ling Man | ... | makeup artist |
Yau-Shing Wong | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
Ying-Fai Chan | ... | assistant production manager |
Chi-Sum Chow | ... | assistant production manager |
Chi-Ho Hui | ... | production manager |
Penny Kanjanapinchote | ... | production manager: Thailand |
Kwong-Hing Ngan | ... | assistant production manager |
Heung-Yeung Tsim | ... | assistant production manager |
Yuk-Ling Wong | ... | assistant production manager |
Deanne Yew | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kai Keung Lai | ... | second assistant director |
Chedpong Laoyant | ... | second assistant director: Thailand |
Kwok-Wai Lee | ... | second assistant director |
Chi-Ming Leung | ... | first assistant director |
Charlie Sungkawess | ... | first assistant director: Thailand |
Chung-Kan Tang | ... | first assistant director |
Wing-Fai Wong | ... | first assistant director |
Art Department
Kwok-Wing Chong | ... | assistant art director |
Yee-Fung Chung | ... | assistant art director |
Rachane Schunhasri | ... | props foreman: thai unit |
Yin-Wai Wong | ... | set designer (as In-Wai Wong) |
Shi-Cheng Yang | ... | props |
Sound Department
Kwok-Kwong Chan | ... | sound effects editor |
Wai-Leung Chan | ... | sound effects editor |
Hsueh-Yui Feng | ... | dubbing editor: mandarin (as Suet-Yeu Fung) |
Wai-Tak Ho | ... | sound effects editor |
Ching Siu-Lung | ... | sound effects editor |
Tin-Lung Tang | ... | sound effects editor |
Yu Ting | ... | dubbing editor: cantonese |
Special Effects by
Arthur Wai Kit Lau | ... | special effects |
Stunts
Bruce Law | ... | car stunt coordinator |
Hiu-Sang Pang | ... | stunt performer |
Camera and Electrical Department
Yingporn Anaman | ... | assistant camera: thai unit |
Chi-Lap Chan | ... | lighting assistant (as Chi Lap Chan) |
Kam-Chuen Chan | ... | still photographer |
Kim-Kit Chik | ... | lighting technician |
Kei Sheung Chow | ... | assistant camera |
Vimvipa Dtangpaibool | ... | image director: thai unit |
Perry Ho | ... | assistant camera |
Yongsri Pimsornthong | ... | lighting assistant: thai unit |
Tin Yan Wu | ... | lighting technician |
Si-Chan Yeung | ... | assistant camera |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Prisana 'Maew' Trachai | ... | wardrobe |
Location Management
Throngterd Mahasuwan | ... | location manager: thai unit |
Music Department
Sherman Chow | ... | music editor |
Romeo Díaz | ... | composer: theme music |
James Wong | ... | composer: theme music |
Yolinda Yam | ... | theme vocals (as Chor-Sin Yan) |
Script and Continuity Department
Janet Chun | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
Wan Allen | ... | planner: thai unit |
Sing-Hung Chan | ... | production assistant |
Udom Choomleur | ... | caterer: thai unit |
Gam-Ging Fung | ... | caterer |
Catherine Lau | ... | planner |
Yim-Fun Lau | ... | caterer |
Patrick Leung | ... | planner |
Vinita Vattanavarodom | ... | production secretary: thai unit |
Lun-Cheung Wong | ... | story editor |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Filmax (1990) (World-wide)
- Cinema Mondo (1993) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Gaga (1990) (Japan) (theatrical) (as GAGA Communications)
- Medusa Pictures (1991) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Metropolitan Filmexport (1993) (France) (theatrical)
- Reserva Especial (1992) (Brazil) (theatrical)
- Astro Distribution (1996) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
- Beam Entertainment (2000) (Japan) (DVD)
- Buena Vista Home Video (2002) (United States) (dubbed)
- Cinema City (1996) (United States) (laserdisc)
- Delta Home Video (1995) (United States) (DVD)
- Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
- Geneon Entertainment (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- Highlight Video (1992) (Germany) (VHS)
- Hong Kong Legends (2004) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
- Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (1996) (United States) (VHS)
- Miramax (2002) (United States) (dubbed)
- Obshchestvennoe Rossiyskoe Televidenie (ORT) (1993) (Russia) (VHS)
- Tai Seng Video Marketing (1996) (United States) (laserdisc)
- Tai Seng Video Marketing (1998) (United States) (DVD)
- Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (1992) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (1992) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Universal Pictures (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
- Vértice 360 (1993) (Spain) (VHS)
- World Wide Cinema (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- World Wide Cinema (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Cinema City Recording Studio (sound re-recording)
- Fine Art Film Production Company (subtitles)
- Mandarin Laboratory (International) Ltd. (film processing)
- Props Company (firearms)
- Salon Films (camera and lighting equipment supplied by)
- Showreel Film Facilities (sound mixing)
- Sound Wave Film Post Production (sound re-recording)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, so they leave Hong Kong to avoid the police and the gang. They run black market supplies to Saigon and get embroiled in the war, being arrested as Viet Cong, then later captured by the Viet Cong, and find that their friendship is tested to the limits as they try to escape.
Written by Ed Sutton |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Filming Locations |
Box Office
Budget | $3,500,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
Trivia | John Woo's original cut of Bullet In The Head was over three hours long. Much like he was forced to do with A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987), Woo reluctantly re-cut the film down to little over two hours long running time. But, as Woo himself confirmed, the version of the movie that was premiered in Hong Kong the day before it was actually released was 2 hours and 35 minutes long. It was decided this version was still too long, so all the prints of the film had to be re-edited and delivered back to the cinemas all over Hong Kong by the next day. Even after all the re-edits that movie already had, many other different cuts of it were made due to local market/censorship, which is why even today there are many different versions of the film with different running times. Since it had been radically cut down, there are some still photos of the film, which indicate that entire subplots have been removed from the film, which aren't even referenced in the final cut. On one such photo, you can see Tony Chiu Wai Leung's face in bandages, his girlfriend standing near him. This is from a subplot in which Ben gets his face burnt with acid by a rival gang. Some of the other cut scenes also include cuts made on some of the more violent scenes in the film. Hong Kong trailer for the film shows some alternate takes and edits of some scenes and three deleted scenes; During the Vietnam protestation sequence one protestor is being clubbed to death on the head by members of the Vietnamese troops while blood is gushing out of his head, infamous deleted scene where Ben, Frank and Paul are forced to drink urine after Mr Leong suspects them of wanting to take Sally away from him (this scene was actually mentioned by Chow Yun Fat's character Mark in A Better Tomorrow), and extra part of the Bolero action sequence where Frank who is armed with two pistols is shooting at a long array of Vietnamese baddies who are standing in the corridor. Some versions of the film also include alternate shorter ending which doesn't ends with Ben chasing Paul in the car and two of them having a shootout, but instead in this alternate ending Ben kills Paul in the boardroom after he shows him Frank's skull and tells him what happened to him. John Woo secretly hoped that as soon as he got to Hollywood, he would acquire the rights to his old films (including Bullet) and put back in all the things that he was once forced to cut. But when he tried to do so, he was told that all the material he had cut, hadn't been preserved, but instead wandered straight into the garbage bin. However, some time later Woo created what would become known as "the festival print" which was the longest version of the movie seen since the original Hong Kong premiere and was 136 minutes long and it included the infamous urine drinking scene. It has been illegally released on a bootleg VHS. Another 135 minute version released on DVD has been sold to the public legally. It is distributed by Joy Sales; this ultimate 2 disc-set edition has seamless branching which can be shown in its Theatrical Version, Alternate Ending version and the Festival Print version but the deleted scenes maintain a blue tint (possibly from the chemicals of the film reacting badly) and also frame jumping (film preservation done too late by the director himself). See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in A Better Tomorrow (2015). See more » |
Soundtracks | I'm a Believer See more » |
Quotes |
Ben:
Mr Leong. I think think you're mistaken. When we were in Hong Kong we admired Miss Yen. We like listening to her sing. We were all staring at her just now, as we were wondering... wondering why she had changed so much. She's not pretty any more. Paul: Ah Bee! Ben: She's lost her innocence. She's not happy any more. I wonder who was responsible for that? Y.S. Leong: You're criticizing me? Not many people would speak to me like that. Young man, you've got balls. Bring me wine! See more » |