John Woo’s The Killer is often considered one of the best action movies of all time, as well as a Hong Kong crime epic that put the director and star Chow Yun-fat on the map. Now that the 1989 action flick has been given the remake treatment and is available to stream for anyone with a Peacock subscription, it got me thinking about what other classic Woo films I’d love to see redone.
Not counting his various American action films like Face/Off, Mission: Impossible 2 and, most recently, Silent Night, Woo is responsible for some of the most influential movies of the past 40 years. That said, it would be so much fun to see the famed action director revisit some of his earlier titles by either making faithful remakes or massive reimaginings as he did with the new version of The Killer.
Hard Boiled (1992)
John Woo’s Hong Kong swan song (or white dove song) Hard Boiled checks all the boxes to be one of the best ‘90s action movies, and it’s filled with one iconic scene and action set piece after another. As is the case with his other classics, Woo turns to Chow Yun-fat, who takes on the role of the alcoholic and rule-breaking yet deeply committed Inspector “Tequila” Yuen Ho-yan as he does everything in his power to track down those responsible for his partner’s death.
Yeah, it would be hard to match what Woo and Yun-fat achieved with this near-perfect movie back in 1992, but a Hard Boiled remake could be a lot of fun to watch. I would be down for both a more traditional remake and one where the gender of the main character has been swapped, like in the 2024 remake of The Killer.
A Better Tomorrow (1986)
A few years after unleashing The Killer upon the world, John Woo wrote and directed A Better Tomorrow, a blood-soaked gangster film about two brothers – Sung Tse Ho (Ti Lung) and Sung Tse Kit (Leslie Cheung) – on opposite sides of the law. With a complex story about counterfeiters, the heavy price of crime and fractured familial bonds, the movie contains all the staples of Hong Kong cinema and would go on to influence the action genre for years to come.
While there have been several remakes of A Better Tomorrow over the years, John Woo hasn’t been involved with any of them. That said, I would go nuts if Woo remade one of his most important films, but also wouldn’t mind if he helped someone like Gareth Evans, the creator of the Raid franchise, or Timo Tjahjanto of The Night Comes For Us fame take up the mantle.
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Released a year after its predecessor, A Better Tomorrow II ups the ante in every way imaginable. It’s longer, more complex, bloodier and has what could best be described as the greatest shootout ever captured on film. Taking place several years after the events of A Better Tomorrow, the story picks up with Sung Tse Ho (Ti Lung) getting out of prison and working with Sung Tse Kit (Leslie Cheung) to bring down his former gang from the inside.
Chow Yun-fat, whose character died in the first movie, returns as his long-lost twin brother (seriously, I’m not making this up), and proceeds to kick all kinds of ass along the way.
While I don’t know how the final shootout could be topped (John Wick 4’s Paris section came close), I would love to see Woo, or someone picked by the filmmaker, give audiences a new take on the legendary mansion scene. Seriously, if you have nine minutes to spare, take a break and watch the epic scene unfold.
Bullet In The Head (1990)
Definitely one of John Woo’s longer and darker Hong Kong action films, Bullet in the Head is a powerful Vietnam War movie that follows three friends (played by Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, and Waise Lee) as they attempt to profit off the conflict by smuggling supplies into the war-torn region. But as we know all too well, there’s no such thing as a quick buck, and this trio finds that out the hard way. What follows is an action-packed, yet heart wrenching story about friendship, greed and what happens when someone chooses one over the other.
While I think other movies on this list would be best remade as a movie, Bullet in the Head could honestly be a great limited series. This could be one of the best shows on Peacock if the streamer were to pick it up after handling Woo’s The Killer remake.
Once A Thief (1991)
A year after making a movie with a more dramatic tone, John Woo took a more comedic route with the 1991 crime flick, Once a Thief. This one stars Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung as three thieves who have been trained since childhood to pull off miraculous art heists. But when their latest job goes south and they’re double-crossed by the man who trained them, they enact a plan to get even.
It only seems natural to want a remake of Once a Thief after seeing Woo’s new version of The Killer, as both primarily take place in Paris. I’m sure the acclaimed director wouldn’t mind going back to the “City of Lights” to offer a new spin on this fun crime caper.
Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979)
Last Hurrah for Chivalry isn’t one of John Woo’s iconic Hong Kong action films, but instead a historical martial arts film set in ancient China. Released in 1979, the film follows two assassins (played by Damian Lau and Wai Pak) as they team up and take on a kung fu master. However, it’s not as simple as it initially appears, and the two men find themselves in a delicate and increasingly dangerous game of life and death.
This is another John Woo movie I would love to see remade as a TV show, as there’s so much to explore and several elements that could be expanded for the better. Yeah, it’s not as flashy as The Killer or Hard Boiled, but this could be a lot of fun.
Though I don’t know if any of these movies will ever be remade, by John Woo anyway, I can always hope for a better tomorrow, right? At least I still have all kinds of upcoming 2024 movies to look forward to for now.