John Woo made his reputation as an action film director in Hong Kong during the 1980s, but since 1992 has worked in Hollywood directing big-budget thrillers such as Face/Off (1997, with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage) and Mission Impossible II (2000, starring Tom Cruise). Woo started his filmmaking career with the Shaw Brothers studios in Hong Kong in 1969. He directed his first feature film in 1973 (The Young Dragons) and followed with a string of action movies during the '70s and '80s. Woo gained international attention for the stylized violence in A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Killer (1989) and Hard-Boiled (1992), all starring Chow Yun-Fat, and in 1993 made his first movie in the U.S., Hard Target (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme). His films are known for their choreographed violence, themes of loyalty and honor and visual trademarks like guns and doves. His other films include the World War II drama Windtalkers (2002) and the sci-fi thriller Paycheck (2003, from a short story by Philip K. Dick).
Born: May 01, 1946 in Guangzhou Canton Prvnce, China
Occupation: Director, Writer
Active: '70s-2000s
Major Genres: Action, Crime
Career Highlights: The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off
First Major Screen Credit: The Young Dragons (1973)
Biography
The first Asian filmmaker to helm a major Hollywood feature, John Woo initially emerged as the leading light of the Hong Kong action renaissance of the late '80s. Celebrated for his unique, much-imitated style -- a Molotov cocktail of graceful slow-motion sequences, staccato edits, freeze-frames, and dissolves -- Woo brought a new depth of emotion and visual beauty to the action genre, perfecting an operatic, highly stylized brand of mayhem laced with melodrama, savage wit, and homoerotic undercurrents.
Woo was born Wu Yu Sen on May 1, 1946, in the Guangzhou Canton Province of China, his parents relocating the family to Hong Kong three years later to escape life under communism. The Woos were quite poor, and were homeless for several years. His father, a philosopher, was later hospitalized with tuberculosis for over a decade. It was his mother who introduced Woo to the cinema, where he fell under the sway of American musicals and the films of the French New Wave, with Jean-Pierre Melville emerging as his greatest influence. After the death of his father, Woo was forced to leave school at the age of 16. He took a job at a newspaper called the Chinese Student Weekly, learning film theory by stealing books on motion pictures from area libraries and shops.
Influenced by Western cinema, Woo grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Hong Kong production industry, and decided to begin making his own films in 1968. Over the next two years he made a number of shorts in 8 mm and 16 mm, most of which were later lost. By the close of the decade he was employed as a production assistant and script supervisor at Cathay film studios. By the early '70s, Woo had been elevated to the position of assistant director under the aegis of the prolific Shaw Brothers Studios. At the same time he drew great inspiration from the new breed of American filmmakers including Sam Peckinpah and Stanley Kubrick, the hypnotic violence of their work leaving a profound effect.
At Shaw Brothers, Woo began working under martial arts director Chang Che, whose expressive, emotional brand of action filmmaking left an indelible mark on his protegé. After assisting Chang on several films, including Four Riders and Boxer From Shantung, Woo was finally tapped by the rival Golden Harvest Studios to direct his own feature, 1973's The Young Dragons. An innumerable string of low-budget efforts followed, ranging from chop-socky pictures like 1974's The Dragon Tamers and 1975's Hand of Death (Jackie Chan's first major star turn) to the 1975 Chinese opera Princess Chang Ping. In 1977, he directed The Pilferer's Progress, a comedy starring Ricky Hui. The tremendous success of the film established Woo as a comic filmmaker, and of the many features he subsequently helmed, including 1978's Last Hurrah for Chivalry, 1979's From Riches to Rags, and 1982's Plain Jane to the Rescue, the majority were comedies.
By the mid-'80s, Woo's career had largely come to a halt. His later films, including a pair of efforts shot in Taiwan (1984's The Time You Need a Friend and 1985's Run Tiger Run), had all failed miserably at the box office. With the aid of producer Tsui Hark, Woo was able to mount his longtime pet project, A Better Tomorrow, a fusion of the themes of traditional martial arts tales with the kind of ambivalent protagonists and graphic violence found in Western action films. Released in 1986, the film was Woo's commercial and critical breakthrough, becoming Hong Kong's top box-office attraction of the year and launching stars Chow Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung into the upper echelon of Eastern film talent. A Better Tomorrow marked the true emergence of Woo's balletic action style, an aesthetic he continued to hone in films like 1987's A Better Tomorrow II and 1989's masterful The Killer, which became his American breakthrough when released in the U.S. a few years later. The Vietnam war drama Bullet in the Head followed in 1990, and after the success of 1992's Hard-Boiled, Hollywood came calling.
With star Jean-Claude Van Damme in the lead, Woo took the helm for 1993's Hard Target. An updating of The Most Dangerous Game, Hard Target ultimately fell victim to overzealous editing after it was stamped with the dreaded "NC-17" rating by the MPAA. Additionally, the film was inexplicably deemed "too Chinese" by the studio and by the time the film reached stateside theaters it was an little more than an anemic ghost of prime Woo. In its original, uncensored form (which was the form it was released in overseas), the film stands alongside many of Woo's most entertaining Hong Kong efforts. After spending close to a year on a project dubbed Tears of the Sun, which never made it past the pre-production stage, he directed the 1996 box-office smash Broken Arrow. Eschewing the traditional two-fisted gunplay familiar to Woophiles, the film instead opted for suspense over action though it did show moments of inspired directing. After helming a 1996 made-for-TV English-language remake of his own 1991 Hong Kong film Once a Thief, Woo next turned to Face/Off, an intricate thriller starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage which was one of the biggest hits of the summer of 1997. With uncut version of Hard Boiled coming in a close second, Face/Off was the American film that came closest to recreating the action and excitement of Woo's Hong Kong heyday, and fans couldn't have been more satisfied. In 2000, Woo hit gold again with the much-hyped sequel to director Brian De Palma's remake of the television spy classic, Mission Impossible. Woo's M:I-2 stepped up the action and pacing of the original, taking the espionage thriller to James Bond proportions with a steady barrage of gadgets, disguises, gun battles, and blistering high-speed chases.
Of course all directors have their ups and downs, and after a series of direct hits at the box office Woo hit something of a wall with the release of Windtalkers in 2002. A dramatic action effort that highlighted the brave efforts of Navajo "code talkers" in keeping American maneuvers secret during World War II, the well-intended but bungled effort simply paled in comparison to such recent efforts as Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line (both 1998). Though it did show the director still had what it takes to craft a finely executed action sequence, the compelling story that it urged to tell was ultimately done in by melodramatic theatrics and sheer predictability. To many Woo fans Windtalkers simply cemented their position that the director's dodgy American efforts simply paled in comparison to his wildly unpredictable pre-Hollywood films; and many simply longed for a cinematic stateside reunion for Woo and longtime collaborator Yun Fat. When the trailers for Paycheck hit theaters in late 2003, thge prospect of Woo adapting a story by legendary science fiction author was a sci-fi action junkie's dream come true. As audienced awaited the arrival of Paycheck with baited breath, the announcement that Woo would indeed re-team with Yun Fat for Land of Destiny - in addition to the fact that the film would pair Yun Fat with stateside Woo collaborator Cage - seemed to bring the internationl action director's career full circle. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Woo was born amidst the chaos of the Chinese Civil War in 1946. The Christian Woo family, faced with persecution during Mao Zedong's early anti-bourgeois-Nationalist purges after the communist takeover of China, fled to Hong Kong when he was five. His father was rendered unable to work by tuberculosis.[4][5] Impoverished, the Woo family lived in the slums at Shek Kip Mei. Woo went to Concordia Lutheran School and received Christian education. His Christian background shows influences in his films. In 1953, the family was rendered homeless by the big Shek Kip Mei fire in 1953.[5] Charitable donations from disaster relief efforts enabled the family to relocate, however, violent crime had by then become commonplace in Hong Kong housing projects.
As a young boy, Woo had wanted to be a Christian minister. He later found a passion for movies influenced by the French New Wave especially Jean-Pierre Melville.[2] Woo has said he was shy and had difficulty speaking, but found making movies a way to explore his feelings and thinking and would "use movie as a language".[2]
The local movie theater would prove a haven of retreat. Woo found respite in musical films, such as The Wizard of Oz and American Westerns. He has stated the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made a particular impression on him in his youth: the device of two comrades, each of whom fire pistols from each hand, is a recurrent spectacle later found in his own work.
Woo married Annie Woo Ngau Chun-lung in 1976 and has had three children.[5] He has lived in the United States since 1993.
In 1969, aged 23, Woo was hired as a script supervisor at Cathay Studios. In 1971, he became an assistant director at Shaw Studios, where he was mentored by the noted director Chang Cheh.[citation needed] His directorial debut in 1974 was the feature film The Young Dragons (鐵漢柔情, Tiě hàn róu qíng). In the Kung fuaction genre, it was choreographed by Jackie Chan and featured dynamic camera-work and elaborate action scenes. The film was picked up by Golden Harvest Studio where he went on to direct more martial arts films. He later had success as a comedy director with Money Crazy (發錢寒, Fā qián hàn) (1977), starring Hong Kong comedian Ricky Hui.
By the mid-1980s, Mr. Woo experienced professional burnout. Several of his films were commercial disappointments. In response, he took residence in Taiwan.[citation needed] It was during this period of self-imposed exile that director/producer Tsui Hark provided the funding for Woo to film a longtime pet project called A Better Tomorrow (1986).
The story of two brothers—one a law enforcement officer, the other a criminal—the film became a financial blockbuster. A Better Tomorrow gained prominence as a defining achievement in Hong Kong action cinema[citation needed] for its combination of emotional drama, slow-motion gunplay, gritty atmospherics, and trenchcoat-and-sunglasses fashion appeal. Its signature narrative device of two-handed, two-gunned fire fight within confined quarters—often referred to as "gun fu"—would later inspire American filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers.[citation needed]
Woo would make several more Heroic Bloodshed films in the late 1980s and early 1990s, also with leading man Chow Yun-Fat. These violent gangsterthrillers typically focus on men bound by honor and loyalty, at odds with contemporary values of impermanence and expediency. The protagonists of these films, therefore, may be said to present a common lineage with the Chinese literary tradition of loyalty among generals depicted in classics such as "Romance of the Three Kingdom".
Mr. Woo gained international recognition with the release of The Killer (1989)[citation needed]. Widely praised by critics and audiences for its action sequences, acting and cinematography,[citation needed]The Killer became the most successful Hong Kong film in American release since Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973) and garnered Mr. Woo an American cult following. Bullet in the Head followed a year later, which Mr. Woo has stated he still considers his most personal work.[citation needed]Bullet in the Head did not meet financial expectations.
His last Hong Kong film before emigrating to the United States was Hard Boiled (1992), the antithesis of his earlier glorification of gangsters. Memorable among its preponderance of action scenes is an approximate 30 minute sequence of gun-play set within a hospital. The director pointedly depicts the vulnerability of patients caught in the crossfire. One particular long take follows two characters for an elapsed time of 2 minutes and 42 seconds as they move between hospital floors. On the Criterion DVD and laserdisc, this chapter is referenced as "2 minutes, 42 seconds." The film climax extols the virtues of its leading man, a law enforcement agent, Chow Yun-Fat, who is seen to comfort an infant with a lullaby while engaged in fire fight with his criminal pursuers. He heroically takes leave of this carnage when he leaps to safety from a window, babe gallantly in arms.
John Woo: Interviews (ISBN 1578067766) is the first authoritative English-language chronicle of Woo’s career.[citation needed] The volume includes a new 36-page interview with Woo by editor Robert K. Elder, which documents the years 1968 to 1990, from Woo’s early career in working on comedies and kung fu films (in which he gave Jackie Chan one of his first major film roles), to his gunpowder morality plays in Hong Kong.
In 2008, Woo returned to Asian cinema with the completion of the epicwar filmRed Cliff, based on an historical battle from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Produced on a grand scale, it is his first film in China since he emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States in 1993. Part 1 of the film was released throughout Asia in July, 2008, to skeptical and less than enthusiastic reviews and strong attendance. Part 2 was released in China in January, 2009.
United States career history
An emigre in 1993, the director experienced difficulty in cultural adjustment while contracted with Universal Studios to direct Jean-Claude Van Damme in Hard Target. Characteristic of other foreign national film directors confronted with the Hollywood environment, Mr. Woo was unaccustomed to pervasive management concerns, such as limitations on violence and completion schedules. When initial cuts failed to yield an "R" rated film, the studio assumed control of the project and edited footage to produce a cut "suitable for American audiences". A "rough cut" of the film, supposedly the original unrated version, is still circulated among his admirers.
A three year hiatus saw Mr. Woo next direct John Travolta and Christian Slater in Broken Arrow. A frenetic chase-themed film, the director once again found himself hampered by studio management and editorial concerns. Despite a larger budget than his previous Hard Target, the final feature lacked the trademark Woo style. Public reception saw modest financial success.
Reluctant to pursue projects which would necessarily entail front-office controls, the director cautiously rejected the script for Face/Off several times until it was rewritten to suit him. (The futuristic setting was changed to a contemporary one.) Paramount Pictures also offered the director significantly more freedom to exercise his specialty: emotional characterization and elaborate action. A complex story of adversaries—each of whom surgically alters their identity—law enforcement agent John Travolta and terrorist Nicolas Cage play a cat-and-mouse game, trapped in each other's outward appearance.
Face/Off opened in 1997 to critical acclaim and strong attendance. Grosses in the United States exceeded $100 million. As a result, John Woo is generally regarded as the first Asian director to find a mainstream commercial base.[citation needed] In 2003, Mr. Woo directed a television pilot entitled The Robinsons: Lost In Space for The WB Television Network, based on the 1960s television series Lost In Space. The pilot was not purchased, although bootleg copies have been made available by fans.
John Woo has made three additional films in Hollywood: Mission: Impossible II, Windtalkers and Paycheck. Mission: Impossible II was the highest-grossing film of 2000. Windtalkers and Paycheck fared poorly at the box office and were summarily dismissed by critics.
His future film on Mighty Mouse will either be animated or live-action with CGI.[citation needed] He will also direct a remake of Papillon.[citation needed] There are persistent rumors that Woo will direct a film version of the videogame Metroid.[citation needed] He had optioned the rights at one point, but the option has long since expired.
Woo's next projects are The Divide, a western concerning the friendship between two workers, one Chinese, the other Irish, on the transcontinental railroad, while The Devil's Soldier is a biopic on Frederick Townsend Ward, an American brought to China in the mid 19th century by the Emperor to suppress rebellion. Rendezvous in Black will be an adaption of the drama/thriller novel of the same name, and Psi-Ops is a sci-fi thriller about a telepathic agent, a remake of Blind Spot.
In 2009, he will direct Ninja Gold, collaborating with video-game creator Warren Spector. He is also involved in numerous projects in a producing capacity.
In May 2008, Woo announced that his next movie will be 1949, an epic love story based on true events and that spans the end of World War II and Chinese Civil War to the founding of the People's Republic of China. The announcement was made at Cannes Film Festival where Woo was in to promote Red Cliff. The shooting of 1949 will take place in China and Taiwan, with production set to begin by the end of 2008, theatrical release planned in December 2009. The film is to star South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo and Taiwanese actor Chang Chen, and was written by the scriptwriter of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, Hui-Ling Wang. However, in early April 2009, John Woo's 1949 is cancelled due to script right issues. Also reports indicate that Woo may be working on another World War II film, this time about the American Volunteer Group, or the Flying Tigers. The movie is tentatively titled "Flying Tiger Heroes" and Woo is reported as saying it will feature "The most spectacular aerial battle scenes ever seen in Chinese cinema." Whether this means that John Woo will not be directing the rumored Romeo and Juliet war film, or it's been put on the backburner. Woo has stated that Flying Tiger Heroes will be an "extremely important production" and will "emphasize US-Chinese friendship and the contributions of the Flying Tigers and the Yunnan people during the war of resistance." [6]
Woo discovered then–television actor Chow Yun-Fat to star in A Better Tomorrow, not anticipating the level of stardom the actor would achieve. Woo said of Yun-Fat in a 1999 interview with Robert K. Elder, "This guy was so elegant and also had great charisma. He reminded me of Alain Delon, and Steve McQueen, Ken Takakura—all my great idols, all in him. And I thought, while we are shooting, I just felt, 'He’s a great actor; he will be popular.' But I didn’t know he’d be that popular, you know?"
Woo was quoted in the June 2000 edition of Premiere magazine: "I love doves. I am a Christian. Doves represent the purity of love, beauty. They're spiritual. Also the dove is a messenger between people and God... When I shot The Killer, these two men, the killer and the cop, they work in different ways, but their souls are pure, because they do the right thing. In the church scene, I wanted to bring them together. I wanted to use a metaphor of the heart. I came up with doves—they're white. When the men die, I cut to the dove flying—it's the soul, rescued and safe and also pure of heart. So the dove became one of my habits: I used it in Hard Boiled, Face/Off, and in Mission: Impossible II".
Woo likes the look of the Beretta 92F/FS pistol and had featured it in many of his movies. He stated in an interview that it "is a great character" and added that "it's so strong and elegant." He also mentioned that other pistols looked dumb to him.
By others
In reply to a studio executive who said "I suppose Woo can direct action scenes," Quentin Tarantino has been quoted as saying "Sure, and I suppose Michelangelo can paint ceilings!"[citation needed]
When Jean-Claude Van Damme was trying to get Woo for Hard Target, he described him as "the Martin Scorsese of Asia".[citation needed]
References in other media
In the anime series, R.O.D the TV which features three girls named after real life Hong Kong action stars, "John Woo" is the name of a mysterious carrier pigeon.
In another anime series, FLCL, two characters can be seen watching the climactic end sequence of an action movie. Although the screen in not visible, it can be surmised that it is indeed a John Woo film, as one of the film's characters exclaims, "What are all these pigeons doing in here?" and a multitude of flapping wings heard. The screen was then broken, and a flock of white doves flew out of the TV set. Also the episode uses gun fu and frequent slow motion, as common in John Woo films. Also in the preview of the above mentioned episode (a preview of the next episode is always shown at the end of the previous, as with most anime series), the character Haruko mentions humorous things to keep in mind when seeing a John Woo film.
Japanese professional wrestler SUWA, of the promotions Dragon's Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah, utilizes a seated dropkick that frequently sends its victim flying back-first into the corner. As a fan of Hong Kong action cinema, he calls this move the "John Woo", as a homage to the impact of shotgun blasts on the human body in Woo's films.
In the video gameMax Payne there are many homages and references to John Woo. For example, the black suit and tie Max is seen wearing at the beginning, as well as the dual guns and jumping and shooting in slow motion. One of the game's difficulty levels is named Hard Boiled, and John Woo's name is mentioned as a password for entering into a gangster hideout, Also a quote by the main character when he is ambushed is "I made like Chow Yun Fat".
In the PC gameF.E.A.R., the developers admitted that they been inspired by John Woo action movies, in that they wanted the game's action sequences to play out as dramatic and elegant gunfights.
On The Simpsons episode "Half-Decent Proposal", Homer sternly tells Artie Ziff his terms for "selling" the billionaire a weekend with Marge: "No hand holding, kissing, or misdirected Woo...which is pretty much any John Woo movie." Ironically, this statement came in February 2002 when Woo had run off several successful Hollywood films, but in the following years Woo's American films were disappointments.
On the television drama ER, Jeanie Boulet bonds with Dr. Ansapugh's sick son by asking him if he liked John Woo movies. The son asked her if she meant his Hong Kong or American entries, and they began talking.
The Christian rock band Newsboys has a song "John Woo" which makes reference to the religious symbolism he often employs in his films.
"I've got more action than my man John Woo" is a lyric from the Beastie Boys song "Sure Shot" from Ill Communication.
In one of the versions of the PC game "Unreal Tournament", when a character is killed by another wielding dual pistols, the deceased character is listed by the kill readout as having been "John Woo'd" by the victor.
Typing the cheat code "JOHNWOO" in the PC game Rise of the Triad gives the player dual pistols.
Picking up a second submachine gun in the PC game Shadow Warrior causes the player's avatar Lo Wang to quip "Be proud, Mr. Woo!"
Comedian Daniel Tosh references John Woo in a joke on both his CD True Stories I Made Up and his DVD Completely Serious. ("I want to be rich enough to release a dozen doves every time I walked into a room. Everyone would be like 'Did you see that guy come out of the bathroom? The one with doves!' 'I bet that's John Woo's kid.'")
In the animated TV series American Dad episode "Homeland Insecurity", Stan describes what an argument with Francine is like and says "...and we have our little John Woo stand off..."
On an episode of the USA Network television show Psych entitled "The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable", Shawn Spencer comments in the middle of a Mexican standoff, "If there were doves flying around, this would be a John Woo movie."
In the comic-book series Kick-Ass the vigilante superhero Big-Daddy quizzes his sidekick/daughter Hit-Girl on military and gun related trivia while she kills criminals. One of his questions is "What was John Woo's first English language film?"
In the season 2 episode of How I Met Your Mother, Moving Day, Ted asks Robin if she owns any movies "not directed by John Woo."
During the season finale of season 1 of the Venture Bros. there is an entire scene devoted to smashing as many John Woo references as humanly possible into 30 seconds.
In the PC game SWAT 3, the cheat code "JOHNWOO" makes the game run in slow motion.
On an episode of Adult Swim's show Robot Chicken entitled "Maurice gets caught", a scene involving a remake of Gone With The Wind has a fight scene featuring a slow-motion action sequence in which 3 doves fly by, referencing Woo's love of doves and slow motion.
^ Rawnsley, Gary D. Rawnsley, Ming-Yeh T. (2003). Political Communications in Greater China: the construction and reflection of identity. Routledge publishing. ISBN 070071734X.
^ abc Elder, Robert K. (2005). John Woo Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578067766
^Foreman, Liza (21 May 2008). "Woo sets prod'n clock for '1949'". The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily from Cannes (Cannes) (8): p.22.
Bliss, Michael. Between the Bullets: The Spiritual Cinema of John Woo. Filmmakers series, no. 92. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. ISBN 081084110X.
Brown, Andrew M. J. Directing Hong Kong: The Political Cinema of John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai. Political Communications in Greater China: the Construction and Reflection of Identity. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2001. ISBN 070071734X.
Fang, Karen Y. John Woo's A Better Tomorrow. The New Hong Kong Cinema. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2004. ISBN 9622096522.
Hall, Kenneth E. John Woo: The Films. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1999. ISBN 0786406194.
Heard, Christopher. Ten Thousand Bullets: The Cinematic Journey of John Woo. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Publishing Co., 2000. ISBN 158065021X.
Woo, John, and Robert K. Elder (ed.). John Woo: Interviews. Conversations with filmmakers series. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2005. ISBN 1578067758, ISBN 1578067766.
In other languages
Berruezo, Pedro J. John Woo y el cine de acción de Hong Kong. Biblioteca Dr. Vértigo, 23. [Barcelona]: Ediciones Glénat, 2000. ISBN 8484490432. (Spanish)
Bertolino, Marco, and Ettore Ridola. John Woo: la violenza come redenzione. Recco, Genova: Le mani, 1998. ISBN 8880120980. (Italian)
Gaschler, Thomas, and Ralph Umard. Woo Leben und Werk. München: Belleville, 2005. ISBN 3933510481. (German)
Nazzaro, Giona A., and Andrea Tagliacozzo. John Woo: la nuova leggenda del cinema d'azione. Contatti, 199. Roma: Castelvecchi, 2000. ISBN 8882102033. (Italian)
Spanu, Massimiliano. John Woo. Il castoro cinema, 203. Milano: Castoro, 2001. ISBN 8880331922. (Italian)
Vié-Toussaint, Caroline. John Woo. Paris: Dark star, 2001. ISBN 2914680015. (French)
