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Hard-Boiled

Play trailer Poster for Hard-Boiled R 1992 2h 6m Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 76 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.
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Hard-Boiled

Hard-Boiled

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Critics Consensus

Boasting impactful action as well as surprising emotional resonance, Hard Boiled is a powerful thriller that hits hard in more ways than one.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian Mar 9
4/5
It is all so bizarre that you have to enjoy it and it makes those of us of a certain generation nostalgic for watching VHS rental tapes on a Friday night. Go to Full Review Tony Rayns Sight & Sound 07/27/2023
Hard-Boiled is actually Woo's most relaxed and confident film so far, and in many ways a terrific achievement. It offers nothing much new in plot terms... but its details and incidentals are gleefully idiosyncratic. Go to Full Review Mark Salisbury Empire Magazine 07/27/2023
4/5
Woo has elevated the action movie into the realm of art. Infinitely more exciting than a dozen Die Hards, action cinema doesn't come any better than this. Go to Full Review Sean Burns WBUR’s Arts & Culture Jan 29
You find yourself laughing aloud — not derisively, but in gratitude and appreciation because you can’t believe what you’re seeing. Go to Full Review Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media Jan 20
5/5
This Hong Kong cop classic has sat near the top of every "best action movie" list since its release in 1992 and for good reason: it's a total thrill. Go to Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Jan 20
B+
It is pleasure to see the seminal works of John Woo brought back and restored in awesome 4K release. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ezra C @RT84486324 6d One of the best action movies every made. A decent plot but there are better See more M V. @wongkarwhy Mar 26 I remember watching this as a second grader. The opening shoot out where Chow slides down the bannister, dual wielding was lit as a kid and still lit. Best action sequence in the hospital. One long action sequence. I'm happy that I got to watch it in theaters and not on VHS or a pipe DVD rip. Tony Leung really like to play an undercover cop. See more Mickey B. @Mickerdoo Jan 27 So exciting. Dated but a blast too watch. Extensive action set pieces. Death toll is off the charts. Woo with Yun-Fat is chef’s kiss. See more Jack G @Jackkg30 Jan 25 Typical western praise for a film that would otherwise be regarded as hot garbage if it were an American production. It's got its actions scenes but with Hong Kong films you get this weird mix of sometimes clever and total shit. The dialogue is fucking horrible. The soundtrack this sentimental, mushy jazz shit. The Bollywood-tier cuts, the ridiculous amount of slow-motion...really makes you wonder if there was any benefit to introducing cinema to the east. See more Enrique R @EnriqueRamosLovesMovies Jan 18 Hard Boiled, one of the best foreign action movies of all time, the director(John Woo) is a passionate director who loves action and Asian cinema. And then, when you put it together. You make Hard Boiled. The action scenes are so satisfying and action packed. Plot, perfect. Chow-Jun Fat does a fantastic role in this film. Lastly, again, John Woo has made great movies like Face/Off, Hard Target. So, overall, at the end of the day, I give Hard Boiled a 9/10 or a 4.7/5 stars. See more Lyle Zildjian G @Northsack85 Jan 16 I founded on this movie and it was a really good action HK film See more Read all reviews
Hard-Boiled

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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John Woo

Director

Chow Yun-Fat

Yuen (Tequila)

Bowie Lam

Benny

Philip Chan

Superintendant

Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Actor

Kwan Hoi-shan

Mr. Hoi

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Hard-Boiled

A scene from the film HARD-BOILED. A scene from the film HARD-BOILED. A scene from the film HARD-BOILED. A scene from the film HARD-BOILED. Hard-Boiled (1992) Poster Art Hard-Boiled (1992) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.
Director
John Woo
Producer
Terence Chang, Linda Kuk
Screenwriter
Barry Ping-Yiu Wong, John Woo
Production Co
Milestone Pictures, Golden Princess Film Production Limited
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 1, 1992, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jan 25, 2026
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 27, 2003
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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