Review of Hard Boiled (1992) by Kevin N — 28 Aug 2010

Excess as fine art. Tequila, played wonderfully by Yun-Fat Chow, joins the ranks of Popeye Doyle and Dirty Harry as one of the silver screen's most energetic and infamous police personalities, a character who never loses our trust but always tests our limits.

But unlike the two aforementioned rogue cops, this man has a deputy; Tony Leung turns in an incredible performance as a man behind enough layers to make him always both sympathetic and dangerous. As far as great action sequences are concerned, look no further than the famous hospital corridor long take, an expertly choreographed ballet of violence that sets the tension of the scene right on our lap.