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The Killer (1989 Film)
''The Killer'' () is a 1989 Hong Kong action thriller film written and directed by John Woo. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee and Sally Yeh. Chow plays the assassin Ah Jong, who accidentally damages the eyes of the singer Jennie (Sally Yeh) during a shootout. He later discovers that if Jennie does not undergo an expensive operation, she will go blind. To get the money for Jennie, Ah Jong decides to perform one last hit. After the financial backing from Tsui Hark became problematic following the release of Woo's film '' A Better Tomorrow 2'', Woo had to find backing through Chow Yun-fat's and Danny Lee's financing companies. Woo went into filming ''The Killer'' with a rough draft whose plot was influenced by the films '' Le Samouraï'', '' Mean Streets'', and ''Narazumono''. Woo wanted to make a film about honour, friendship and the relationship of two seemingly opposite people. After finishing filming, Woo referred to ''The Killer'' as a tribute to directors Jean-Pierre Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu genre in Hong Kong action cinema, before working in Hollywood films. He is known for his highly chaotic "bullet ballet" action sequences, stylized imagery, Mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to ''wuxia'', film noir and Western cinema. Considered one of the major figures of Hong Kong cinema, Woo has directed several notable action films including '' A Better Tomorrow'' (1986), '' The Killer'' (1989), '' Hard Boiled'' (1992) and '' Red Cliff'' (2008/2009). His Hollywood films include '' Hard Target'' (1993), '' Broken Arrow'' (1996), ''Face/Off'' (1997) and '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000). He also created the comic series ''Seven Brothers'', published by Virgin Comics. He is the founder and chairman of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Samouraï
''Le Samouraï'' (; ), is a 1967 neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film follows a professional hitman named Jef Costello who is identified by witnesses and his efforts to provide himself with an alibi that drive him further into a corner. The film stars Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon and Cathy Rosier. The film was released on 25 October 1967 and received positive reviews praising Melville's screenwriting and atmospheric direction and Delon's performance. The film grossed over 1.9 million admissions in France. An English-dubbed version was released in the U.S. in 1972 as ''The Godson'', apparently to capitalize on the success of ''The Godfather''. Plot Impassive hitman Jef Costello lives in a single-room Paris apartment whose spartan furnishings include a small bird in a cage. Costello's methodical modus operandi involves creating airtight alibis, including ones provided by his lover, Jane. After carrying out a contract ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triad (underground Society)
A triad ( zh , t=三合會 , s=三合会 , cy=sāam hahp wúi , j=saam1 hap6 wui6‑2 , hp=sān hé huì , first=t,j ) is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China and has outposts in various countries with significant overseas Chinese diaspora populations. The Hong Kong triad is distinct from mainland Chinese criminal organizations. In ancient China, the triad was one of three major secret societies.Wang, Peng (2017). ''The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-Legal Protection''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. It established branches in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese communities overseas.Chu, Y. K. (2002). ''The triads as business''. Routledge. Known as "mainland Chinese criminal organizations", they are of two major types: “dark forces” (loosely-organized groups) (）and “Black Societies" () (more-mature criminal organizations). Two features which distinguish a black society from ordinary "dark forces" or low leve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mexican Standoff
A Mexican standoff is a confrontation in which no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory. Any party initiating aggression might trigger its own demise. At the same time, the parties are unable to extricate themselves from the situation without suffering a loss. As a result, all participants need to maintain the strategic tension, which remains unresolved until some outside event or interparty dialogue makes it possible to resolve it. The term ''Mexican standoff'' was originally used in the context of using firearms and it still commonly implies a situation in which the parties face some form of threat from the other parties. The Mexican standoff is a recurring trope in cinema, in which several armed characters hold each other at gunpoint. Etymology Sources claim the reference is to the Mexican–American War or post-war Mexican bandits in the 19th century. The earliest use of the phrase in print was on 19 March 1876, in a short story about Mexico. An America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triad (organized Crime)
A triad ( zh , t=三合會 , s=三合会 , cy=sāam hahp wúi , j=saam1 hap6 wui6‑2 , hp=sān hé huì , first=t,j ) is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China and has outposts in various countries with significant overseas Chinese diaspora populations. The Hong Kong triad is distinct from mainland Chinese criminal organizations. In ancient China, the triad was one of three major secret societies.Wang, Peng (2017). ''The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-Legal Protection''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. It established branches in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chinese communities overseas.Chu, Y. K. (2002). ''The triads as business''. Routledge. Known as "mainland Chinese criminal organizations", they are of two major types: “dark forces” (loosely-organized groups) (）and “Black Societies" () (more-mature criminal organizations). Two features which distinguish a black society from ordinary "dark forces" or low lev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is approximately 43 dioptres. The cornea can be reshaped by surgical procedures such as LASIK. While the cornea contributes most of the eye's focusing power, its focus is fixed. Accommodation (the refocusing of light to better view near objects) is accomplished by changing the geometry of the lens. Medical terms related to the cornea often start with the prefix "'' kerat-''" from the Greek word κέρας, ''horn''. Structure The cornea has unmyelinated nerve endings sensitive to touch, temperature and chemicals; a touch of the cornea causes an involuntary reflex to close the eyelid. Because transparency is of prime importance, the healthy cornea does not have or need blood ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muzzle Flash
Muzzle flash is the light — both visible and infrared — created by a muzzle blast, which is caused by the sudden release and expansion of high-temperature, high-pressure gases from the muzzle of a firearm during shooting. Both the blast and flash are products of the exothermic combustion of the propellant (gunpowder), and any remaining unburned powders reacting with ambient air. The size and shape of the muzzle flash is dependent on the combustion energy of propellant being used, the amount of combustible ejecta remaining, and any devices attached to the muzzle (such as a flash hider, suppressor or muzzle shroud). Characteristics Muzzle flash can be broken down into five distinct components. *The ''muzzle glow'' is a reddish glow that is visible before the bullet leaves the barrel. It glow is created by superheated gases that have leaked past the projectile and have exited the barrel ahead of it. *The ''primary flash'' is caused by superheated propellant gases ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nightclub Singer
A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may also be referred to as a ''nightclub act''. A scheduled performance, such as a wedding gig, is a club date.Church , Joseph (2015). ''Music Direction for the Stage: A View from the Podium'', pp. 57–58. Oxford University. . Acts may resemble revues and, "a good part of the music heard in nightclubs is standard popular song (jazz standards and the so-called Great American Songbook) and theater music repertoire...comedy songs, novelty songs, and the occasional torch song." "Cabaret, literally, is a subset of nightclub performance...In actual modern usage the terms 'nightclub' and 'cabaret' are virtually interchangeable." The role of the female nightclub singer occurs frequently in fiction: books, movies, television, and even songs; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Films Considered The Best
This is a list of films considered the best in national and international Opinion poll, surveys of Film criticism, critics and the public. Some surveys focus on all films, while others focus on a particular genre or country. Electoral system, Voting systems differ, and some surveys suffer from biases such as Self-selection bias, self-selection or skewed Demography, demographics, while others may be susceptible to forms of interference such as vote stacking. Critics and filmmakers ''Sight and Sound'' Every decade, starting in 1952, the British film magazine ''Sight and Sound'' asks an international group of film critics to vote for the greatest film of all time. Since 1992, they have invited directors to vote in a separate poll. Sixty-three critics participated in 1952, 70 critics in 1962, 89 critics in 1972, 122 critics in 1982, 132 critics and 101 directors in 1992, 145 critics and 108 directors in 2002, 846 critics and 358 directors in 2012, and 1639 critics and 480 d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnnie To
Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following (which include Quentin Tarantino, who once said that he really loves to watch To's gangster films). To's biggest international successes include ''Breaking News'', ''Election'', '' Election 2'' (a.k.a. ''Triad Election''), '' Exiled'', '' Mad Detective'' and '' Drug War''; these films have appeared in a number of international film festivals, been distributed theatrically in France and the United States, and been widely sold to foreign countries. His films, often made in collaboration with the same group of actors, screenwriters and cinematographers, frequently explore themes of friendship, fate and the changing face ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 action film '' El Mariachi'', which was a commercial success after grossing $2.6 million ($4.9 million in 2021 dollars) against a budget of $7,000 ($13,153 in 2021 dollars). The film spawned two sequels known collectively as the '' Mexico Trilogy'': ''Desperado'' and '' Once Upon a Time in Mexico''. He directed ''From Dusk till Dawn'' in 1996 and developed its television adaptation series (2014–2016). Rodriguez co-directed the 2005 neo-noir crime thriller anthology '' Sin City'' (adapted from the graphic novel of the same name) and the 2014 sequel, '' Sin City: A Dame to Kill For''. Rodriguez is also the creator of the ''Spy Kids'' franchise, as well as '' The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl'', '' Planet Terror'', '' Machete'', '' We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensemble casts, and references to popular culture. Other directorial tropes associated with Tarantino include the use of songs from the 1960s and 70s, fictional brand parodies, and the prominent framing of women's bare feet. Tarantino began his career as an independent filmmaker with the release of the crime film '' Reservoir Dogs'' in 1992. His second film, '' Pulp Fiction'' (1994), a dark comedy crime thriller, was a major success with critics and audiences winning numerous awards, including the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 1996, he appeared in ''From Dusk till Dawn'', also writing the screenplay. Tarantino's third film, '' Jackie Brown'' (1997), paid homage to blaxploitation films. In 2003, Tarantino ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
