Now 35 years old, John Woo’s The Killer (1989) is still heralded as one if the best action films ever made. A bona-fide masterpiece, it has been one of the most influential pieces of work in regards to action cinema, with it still being heavily emulated today. Because of this influence I would have expected there to be a remake well before now.
Of course, there have been attempts to transition Woo’s Hong Kong set classic to a more Western setting, but none of these have come to fruition. Even action movie legend Walter Hill couldn’t get his take off the ground, a version of the story that would have teamed up Richard Gere with Denzel Washington. With star power like that it’s a wonder what the issue was. By some accounts, there were difficulties with the supposed homo-erotic tone of the original which the producers didn’t think would translate well to an American audience, seemingly forgetting that the original had already found success in the U.S.
There were further attempts at a remake after this, with director John H Lee all set to make a version of the story that would be set in and around L.A. Korea town. With the awesome Jung Woo-sung in line to take the lead role, this version sounded like it could have been a winner with H Lee proving his action credentials with the likes of 71: Into the Fire (2010) and Operation Chromite (2016).
With all these attempts, it’s ironic that the person to finally bring a remake to the screen is John Woo himself. His attachment to the project quieted many naysayers, although even with Woo’s involvement, there are still many against even the thought of remaking such a classic.
With the length of time The Killer has been in development and with Woo at the helm, I did expect it to be given a much larger release than what we are seeing. Even for lesser Woo fare, Peacock is not the platform it should be debuting on. At least it is better than the alternative, no Woo films at all. Still, it would have been nice to see such a renowned director being treated with some more respect.
Now before I get into it, even the biggest Woo fan (like myself) should know to lower expectations. No matter how good this update of The Killer ended up, it was never going to match the original. The remake is no masterpiece, being more in line with Woo’s more recent works like Manhunt (2016) and Silent Night (2023). The film probably wouldn’t even feature in his top ten best works. Even so, I don’t think it’s unfair the drubbing it has already been receiving since its release. There is still a lot to enjoy here, with several well choreographed action scenes.
Woo transports the action to France this time round, which seems the perfect locale considering the original being heavily inspired by the works of Jeanne Pierre Melville, more specifically his masterpiece Le Samourai (1967). While Woo’s film is a louder affair, The Killer and Le Samourai have a good number of similarities, even done to the leads sharing the same name, with both Alain Delon and Chow Yun-Fat named Jeff.
For the update Jeff has been changed to Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel), a female Assassin that’s feared throughout the Parisian underworld. Like the original, Zee accidentally blinds a singer, Jenn (Diana Silvers), during a hit, with her refusal to tie up loose ends putting her at odds with her employer as well as that of dedicated cop Sey (Omar Sy).
The initial confrontation between Zee and Sey turns to admiration, with the two eventually teaming up to protect Jenn and take down the shadowy organization Zee works for. The partnership between the two is less complex from that of Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee, with Zee not having the same sense of honor that Chow Yun Fat’s Jeff does. It is only through circumstance her and Sey team up, with you getting the feeling that previously she would have killed him if required.
While the theme of brotherhood and honor is something Woo always comes back to, it isn’t as strong here. In some regards this is a good thing, as Woo isn’t merely repeating himself, making sure that 2024’s The Killer is its own thing. Even so, these themes are typically the beating heart of a Woo film and it would have been nice to see more of their inclusion. Saying all that, Zee still has more honor and loyalty than most of the other characters other than Sey.
To no one’s surprise, Woo brings his typical visual flourish to The Killer, although it has been somewhat diluted by being shot digitally. The original had a graininess and a texture to it that digital just can’t match. Director of photography Mauro Fiore isn’t exactly a slouch having shot such films as Training Day (2001) and Avatar (2009) but his work here lacks the class and grandeur that Wong Wing-Hang and Peter Pau brought to the original. At least Fiore shoots the action clearly which is one of the most important aspects of a John Woo film.
The idea of a gender flipped take on The Killer isn’t exactly new, with Terence Chang proposing it way back in the 90’s as a way to get around the supposed homo-erotic tone the producers were worried about. At the time he had suggested Michelle Yeoh being a possibility which is a tantalizing prospect. Nathalie Emmanuel doesn’t exactly have the gravitas of a Michelle Yeoh but she more than holds her own as a credible action lead.
Replacing the originally cast Lupita Nyong’o, Emmanuel can be cold but still injects her character with enough humanity and warmth to make the audience care about her. There is a bit of naivete about her, but this is more in the writing than how Emmanuel plays it. Zee constantly asks throughout the film whether her victims deserve to die, with her seemingly unable to see those who are lying straight to her face.
Some suspension of disbelief is required to accept that the 5 foot 7 Emmanuel could bring down men a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier, but for the most part Emmanuel, with help from Woo, sells it. It helps that a lot of the action is gunplay where height in weight isn’t as much of an issue. But, if people can accept Chow Yun Fat’s original hitman getting shot countless times and keep on ticking, I’m sure they can accept Emmanuel. The charismatic Omar Sy makes for a suitably world weary hero. Lacking the finesse of Emmanuel, Sy is all brawn which plays into the film’s action scenes with him getting several hand to hand fight scenes that happen alongside the expected gunplay.
Other than adding another high profile name to the cast, Sam Worthington adds nothing to the film, with his attempts at an “Oirish” accent being laughable. His poor turn here is the polar opposite of the solid work he put in recently in Kevin Costner’s epic Western Horizon: Chapter One (2024). He makes for a mostly ineffectual villain, with ex-footballer Eric Cantona making more of an impression in a handful of scenes as a feared Mob Boss .
Amazingly The Killer has three writers credited. As fun as I found it, you could never consider The Killer as being well written with its thinly written characters and poor dialogue. They are lucky that the two leads are able to inject some personality into their roles, as it isn’t on the written page.
More surprising is that one of the writers is Oscar winner Brian Helgeland, clearly working on auto-pilot. Earlier in the year Helgeland wrote and directed the underrated Finestkind (2023) that whilst not perfect had a host of well rounded characters, a claim that could never be levied at The Killer.
Additionally, where the original film dealt with a power struggle within the Triads and the damage it causes, the remake becomes increasingly convoluted by the unnecessary inclusion of shady politicians, corrupt cops and Arab Prince’s. It is commendable the writers attempt to inject something new into proceedings to keep events feeling fresh, but most of these additions add very little other than help pad the runtime which could have easily been tightened.
However, many of the script’s drawbacks can be overlooked when the film goes into action. Unsurprisingly the action scenes are carried out with considerable skill, with Woo unleashing his veritable box of tricks throughout. Elaborate camera moves, split screens, doves, Mexican stand-offs and his trademark slo-mo are all accounted for.
In some respects it’s almost like Woo is serving us up a sample of his greatest hits, with The Killer not only paying homage to the original but also featuring scenes that harken back to Hard Boiled (1992). Notably this is in the inclusion of a hospital based shootout where both Emmanuel and Sy face off against a couple of Assassins. It may not be on the scale of Hard Boiled but it’s still a memorable set piece.
The church based finale fails to reach the operatic grandeur of the original film, although Woo still keeps the excitement levels high with there being a stronger focus on hand to hand combat than expected.
It may not come close to the likes of Bullet in the Head (1990) or Hard Boiled, the action is suitably violent, with The Killer fully earning its R rating. The blood and gunfire isn’t always the most realistic looking. Digital blood should be a no go area in a Woo film but in this modern climate it’s not really a surprise.
The main obstacle The Killer has is in its title. Most people won’t judge the film on its own merits, instead comparing it to the original. The vitriol I have already witnessed online proves my point, with many unwilling to give the film a chance. Perhaps it would have fared better if it wasn’t called The Killer or was only inspired by the original rather than based on it. We will never know.
Being a Woo fan, there is the possibility of me watching it through rose tinted glasses, but for the most part I was entertained by Woo’s latest. It is certainly John Woo lite, but I was never expecting a masterpiece. I’m just happy that even at 77 Woo is still getting a chance to make films. Long may it continue.
Plot: 3/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.2/5