Before Rage Against the Machine’s song ‘Bullet in the Head’ was recorded was John Woo’s 1990 film of the same name. The director was now on something of a roll having made ‘A Better Tomorrow’ and its sequel followed by the astonishing The Killer he had established himself as the pre-emptive director of Eastern action movies that was drawing the attention of Hollywood who would later lure him there to make English language films of vastly varying quality. But before all that happened Bullet in the Head would further cement his international reputation.
Bullet in the Head….
Semi-autobiographical the film that he would co-write was set during the Vietnam war, the film follows B, Fai and Wing (iconic actors Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Jacky Cheung and Waise Lee), three best friends fleeing from Hong Kong to seek their fortune as smugglers. In Saigon, they join forces with fellow expat Lok (Simon Yam) and double-cross the ruthless gangster Luong to steal his gold and rescue nightclub singer Sau-ching (Yolinda Yan) from his clutches. The gang must fight their way out of the country in a nightmarish odyssey where each new battle pushes them beyond their limits and threatens to destroy their friendship.
It was arguably the directors most personal and unexpectedly political film which nonetheless included Woo’s spectacular set pieces against a story that had gravitas to it dealing as it did with the ravaging effects of war and its destructive effects on friendships often gruellingly depicted.
Those bonus features…
Released on a limited edition blu-ray there is a glut of excellent bonus features that includes ….
- Reversible sleeve and double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
• Six postcard-sized reproduction art cards
• Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing on the film by critics Priscilla Page and Sean Gilman, archival writing by critic Arnaud Bordas and an excerpt from an interview with John Woo conducted by Stéphane Moïssakis
DISC ONE – THEATRICAL CUT
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut
• Original lossless Cantonese mono and Dolby Atmos audio, and lossless English mono audio
• Optional newly translated English subtitles for the Cantonese audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English audio
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic and Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
• Deleted and extended scenes
• Alternate boardroom ending
• Alternate English opening and closing credits
• Cantonese and English trailers
• Image gallery
DISC TWO – FESTIVAL CUT
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the Festival Cut
• Original Cantonese lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Extended Festival Cut, including footage previously exclusive to the Theatrical Cut
• Option to play with the alternate boardroom ending
DISC THREE – EXTRAS
- Brilliance with a Bullet, a brand new interview with director John Woo
• The Long-Suffering Siu-Chun, a brand new interview with actor Fennie Yuen
• Head Case!, a brand new interview with actor Waise Lee
• Army of One, a brand new interview with regular John Woo collaborator Terence Chang
• Apocalypse Woo, a brand new interview with editor David Wu
• Tumultuous Times, a brand new interview with associate producer Catherine Lau
• Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Bullet in the Head, a brand new interview with author and Hong Kong film expert Grady Hendrix
• Apocalypse How, a brand new interview with author and historian Dr Lars Laamann
• Archival interviews with John Woo, David Wu, actors Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Simon Yam, stunt coordinator Lau Chi-Ho and associate producer Patrick Leung
The Festival cut is arguably better than the Hong Kong theatrical cut as it includes much that was edited out to make the film far shorter and flashes out more of the characters and includes sub plots that were jettisoned to shorten the theatrical cuts running time.
It’s the extras on disc 3 that really make this such a great limited edition with a new interview from Woo along with key talent both in front and behind the camera that males this disc a must for John Woo completists.
related feature : Craig Fairbrass – Secrets of the Summer Blockbuster Cliffhanger | Exclusive Action Movie Interview
related feature : John Woo’s ‘Hard Boiled’ – 4K UHD & Blu-Ray limited edition
Here’s the trailer for Bullet in the Head….
