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The Killer

1989 · 110 min

A stylish, emotionally charged action drama with balletic gunfights and a surprisingly tender core.

Tagline
One vicious hitman. One fierce cop. Ten thousand bullets.
Overview
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.
Free in the UK
  • Plex
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • redemption
  • guilt
  • friendship
  • loyalty
  • violence
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore strong
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action9
Horror3
Humour2
Realism5
Romance5
Tension8
Darkness7
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Plex
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
action, crime, drama, thriller
Directed by
John Woo
Written by
John Woo
Starring
Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee Sau-yin, Sally Yeh Chian-Wen, Paul Chu Kong, Kenneth Tsang, Shing Fui-On, Tommy Wong, James Ha Chim-si
Music
Lowell Lo Koon-ting
Cinematography
Peter Pau Tak-hai, Horace Wong Wing-Hang
Runtime
110 min
Country
Hong Kong
Languages
Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese

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