The Killer

Play trailer

The Killer

R

1991

1h 51m

Action

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Mob assassin Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat) 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 (Sally Yeh) 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 (Danny Lee) to make things right.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Killer is another hard-boiled action flick from John Woo featuring eye-popping balletic violence and philosophical underpinnings.

Read Critics Reviews

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Mar 19

4/5

John Woo’s 1989 thriller is a reminder of the director’s habit of hitching the craziest of mayhem to a mile-wide streak of earnest emotionalism and sentimentality; a strong and under-acknowledged part of why his films are so addictive.

Go to Full Review

Hugo Davenport

Daily Telegraph (UK)

07/27/2023

While there is no doubting the technical sophistication of Woo's hyper-kinetic massacres... the most notable aspect of [the film] is the award mix of tongue-in-cheek kitsch and lumbering, macho, male-bonding earnestness in between.

Go to Full Review

Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

09/08/2017

The work of a filmmaker operating at the highest level of his abilities.

Go to Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Mar 7

The execution... is pure Woo bullet ballet with high melodrama, operatic buddy-movie bonding, and blood-soaked excess.

Go to Full Review

Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Feb 24

5/5

This 1980s Hong Kong gun fu movie has spectacular action and bloody violence, but the action is really backdrop to what is essentially a character study along the lines of a Greek tragedy.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 6

3.5/4

It’s a highlight of Hong Kong cinema, a mainstay of action cinema, and John Woo’s best film.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Mr Hollywood

Apr 16

Classic John Woo film. If you love Face/Off you have to watch this. Action movie done right

See more

Matt

Apr 15

If you don't like this movie, you're an asshole.

See more

Rob

Apr 9

What a classic!! Epic!

See more

Dane K

Apr 9

Fantastic action film!

See more

Grace

Apr 9

A touching masterpiece and a true classic. With its iconic photography and legendary music, The Killer stands as the best movie of the Woo and Chow partnership.

See more

Abraham

Apr 9

Amazing film and a Hong Kong classic.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

John Woo

Director

Chow Yun-Fat

Ah Jong

Danny Lee

Insp. Li

Sally Yeh

Jennie

Kenneth Tsang

Sgt. Randy Chang

Kong Chu

Fung Sei

Colors

76%

71%

Colors

Watchlist

Black Rain

54%

55%

Black Rain

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Black Rain

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

22%

40%

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

Watchlist

Thief

80%

81%

Thief

Watchlist

Death Wish V: The Face of Death

0%

31%

Death Wish V: The Face of Death

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Mob assassin Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat) 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 (Sally Yeh) 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 (Danny Lee) to make things right.

Director: John Woo
Producer: Hark Tsui
Distributor: Circle Films
Production Co: Magnum, Golden Princess Film Production Limited, Film Workshop Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 1, 1991, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2026
Release Date (DVD): Mar 30, 2010
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)