Heroic bloodshed - Definition and Overview

Heroic Bloodshed, or Hong Kong blood opera, refers to a genre of action film generally originating from Hong Kong revolving around stylised action sequences and common themes such as brotherhood, honor and violence. However, nothing prevail more but the redemption/salvation and/or peace of the protagonist, as one (or both) of the two are the implicit goal of the hero.

Hong Kong Blood Operas are films in which a sentimental story is intertwined with ballet-like violence. The action in these movies is rhythmic and acrobatic and the stories usually deal with assassins or other contract killers. These films were made popular by director John Woo and actors like Chow Yun-Fat or Leslie Cheung.

Americanization

As John Woo embraced the American market, several movies were made in the blood opera style. He first created Face/Off, a Nicolas Cage-John Travolta movie met with mixed reviews. Many denounce Woo's American films as poorly made, possibly due to the restraints on Woo's directing and choreography.

Filmography

Chinese

• A Better Tomorrow (Ying xiong ben se)
• A Better Tomorrow II (Ying xiong ben se II) (1987)
• The Killer (Die xue shuang xiong) (1989)
• Once a Thief (Zong sheng si hai) (1990)
• Hard Boiled (Lashou shentan) (1992)
• Fulltime Killer

American

• Replacement Killers, The
• Face/Off
• Mission Impossible 2
• Paycheck
• Matrix series

Details

• Protagonists in these films are usually good-willed assassins or police officers.
• Pistols and SMGs are utilized by the heroes so they can move more quickly and in a more agile way. These guns are usually held akimbo.
• "Mooks" are characters, usually bad guys, who are extremely small characters and die very easily. They are terrible shots and exist only to increase the hero's kill count. Mooks use the most varied weaponry, as they range from knives to rocket launchers to motorcycles.
• Assassins usually leave a token on every kill they make. They have been seen leaving flowers, bullet casings, photographs, or playing cards as distinct "calling cards".
• Heroes in these movies are extremely agile and implement all sorts of cartwheels, wallruns, rolls, dives, slides, flips, and falls while they duel. This makes for a beautiful ballet-like performance in the midst of gunfire.
• Doves are a tradition for Woo's movies and symbolize the purity of the soul. They are especially evident in The Killer and Hard Boiled.

See also

• Cinema of China

External link

• The Art of Heroic Bloodshed (http://www.mediacircus.net/johnwoo.html)