John Woo Explained

John Woo
Honorific Suffix:SBS
Native Name Lang:zh
Birth Name:Wu Yu-seng
Birth Date:1946 9, df=yes
Birth Place:Guangzhou, China

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Child:yes
P:Wú Yǔsēn
W:Wu23-sen1
J:Ng4 Jyu5-sam1
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}}John Woo Yu-sen (; born 22 September 1946) is a Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre.[1] He is a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films and the gun fu genre in Hong Kong action cinema, before working in Hollywood films. He is known for his highly chaotic "bullet ballet"[2] [3] action sequences, stylized imagery, Mexican standoffs, frequent use of slow motion and allusions to wuxia, film noir and Western cinema.

Considered one of the major figures of Hong Kong cinema, Woo has directed several notable action films including A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Killer (1989), Hard Boiled (1992) and Red Cliff (2008/2009).[4] Hard Target (1993) was his first American film directorial debut, and the first major Hollywood film made by a Chinese director. His other Hollywood films include Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997) and (2000). He also created the comic series Seven Brothers, published by Virgin Comics. He is the founder and chairman of the production company Lion Rock Productions.[5]

Woo is a winner of the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing, as well as a Golden Horse Award, an Asia Pacific Screen Award and a Saturn Award.

Early life

Woo was born as Wu Yu-seng (Ng Yu-sum in Cantonese) on 22 September 1946, in Guangzhou, China, amidst the chaotic Chinese Civil War. Due to school age restrictions, his mother changed his birth date to 22 September 1948, which is what remains on his passport. The Woo family, who were Protestant Christians, faced persecution during Mao Zedong's early anti-bourgeois purges after the communist revolution in China, and fled to Hong Kong when he was five.[6] [7]

Impoverished, the Woo family lived in the slums at Shek Kip Mei. His father was a teacher, though rendered unable to work by tuberculosis, and his mother was a manual laborer on construction sites.[8] The family was rendered homeless by the Shek Kip Mei Fire of 1953.[7] Charitable donations from disaster relief efforts enabled the family to relocate; however, violent crime had by then become commonplace in Hong Kong housing projects. At age three he was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Following surgery on his spine, he was unable to walk correctly until eight years old, and as a result his right leg is shorter than his left leg.[9]

His Christian upbringing shows influences in his films.[10] As a young boy, Woo had wanted to be a Christian minister. He later found a passion for movies influenced by the French New Wave especially Jean-Pierre Melville. Woo has said he was shy and had difficulty speaking, but found making movies a way to explore his feelings and thinking and would "use movies as a language".

Woo found respite in Bob Dylan and in American Westerns.[11] He has stated the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made a particular impression on him in his youth: the device of two comrades, each of whom fire pistols from each hand, is a recurrent spectacle later found in his own work.[12]

Career

1969–1985: Career beginnings in Hong Kong

In 1969, Woo was hired as a script supervisor at Cathay Studios. In 1971, he became an assistant director at Shaw Studios.[13] The same year, he watched Bruce Lee's The Big Boss, which left a strong impression on him due to how different it was from earlier martial arts films. Lee's films inspired Woo to direct his own action films.[13] His directorial debut in 1974 was the feature film The Young Dragons (鐵漢柔情, Tiě hàn róu qíng).[14] In the kung fu film genre, it was choreographed by Jackie Chan.[15] The film was picked up by Golden Harvest Studio, where he went on to direct more martial arts films. He later had success as a comedy director with Money Crazy (發錢寒, Fā qián hàn) (1977), starring Hong Kong comedian Ricky Hui and Richard Ng.[16]

1986–1992: 'Heroic Bloodshed', breakthrough and international recognition

John Woo: Interviews includes a 36-page interview with Woo by editor Robert K. Elder, which documents the years 1968 to 1990. It includes Woo's early career in working on comedies, his work on kung fu films (during which time he gave Jackie Chan one of his first major film roles), and more recently, his gunpowder morality plays in Hong Kong.[17]

1993–2000: Move to the United States and international success

An émigré in 1993, the director experienced difficulty in cultural adjustment while contracted with Universal Studios to direct Jean-Claude Van Damme in Hard Target. Like other foreign national film directors confronted with the Hollywood environment, Woo was unaccustomed to pervasive management concerns over matters such as limitations on violence and completion schedules. When initial cuts failed to yield an "R" rated film, the studio assumed control of the project and edited footage to produce a cut "suitable for American audiences".

A three-year hiatus saw Woo next direct John Travolta and Christian Slater in Broken Arrow. A frenetic chase-themed film, the director once again found himself hampered by studio management and editorial concerns. Despite a larger budget than his previous Hard Target, the final feature lacked the trademark Woo style. Public reception saw modest financial success.

Reluctant to pursue projects which would necessarily entail front-office controls, the director cautiously rejected the script for Face/Off several times until it was rewritten to suit him. (The futuristic setting was changed to a contemporary one.) Paramount Pictures also offered the director significantly more freedom to exercise his speciality: emotional characterisation and elaborate action. A complex story of adversaries—each of whom surgically alters their identity—law enforcement agent John Travolta and terrorist Nicolas Cage play a cat-and-mouse game, trapped in each other's outward appearance. Face/Off opened in 1997 to critical acclaim and strong attendance. Grosses in the United States exceeded $100 million. Face/Off was also nominated for an Academy Award in the category Sound Effects Editing (Mark Stoeckinger) at the 70th Academy Awards.

Around this period, Woo would also produce and direct several film and TV projects. In 1996, Woo produced and directed Once a Thief, a Canadian made-for-television remake of Woo's 1991 caper film. The teleplay subsequently spawned a television series of the same name, which Woo executive produced. In 1998, Woo directed Blackjack, which featured Dolph Lundgren as a leukophobic bodyguard who hunts down an assassin. The film was intended as a backdoor pilot for a television series, but was not picked up. That same year, Woo served as executive producer and action choreographer on Antoine Fuqua's directorial debut The Replacement Killers, which featured Chow Yun-Fat's first international starring role.

Later, Woo directed , the second entry in the Tom Cruise-led action film series. Despite receiving mixed reviews, Mission: Impossible 2 grossed over $549 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2000,[18] as well as of Woo's career.[19]

2001–2007: Decline in Hollywood and other ventures

Woo made two additional films in Hollywood: Windtalkers (2002) and Paycheck (2003), both of which fared poorly at the box office and were summarily dismissed by critics. Also in 2003, Woo directed a television pilot entitled The Robinsons: Lost in Space for The WB Television Network, based on the 1960s television series Lost in Space. The pilot was not purchased.

Woo also directed and produced the 2007 video game Stranglehold, which is a sequel to his 1992 film, Hard Boiled. The game features Woo as a multiplayer playable character. That same year he produced the anime movie, , the sequel to Shinji Aramaki's 2004 film Appleseed.[20]

2008–2017: Red Cliff and return to Asian cinema

In 2008, Woo returned to Asian cinema with the completion of the two-part epic war film Red Cliff, based on a historical battle from Records of the Three Kingdoms. Produced on a grand scale, it is his first film in China since he emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States in 1993. Part 1 of the film was released throughout Asia in July 2008, to generally favourable reviews and strong attendance. Part 2 was released in China in January 2009.

John Woo was presented with a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2010.[21]

He followed Red Cliff with another two-part film, The Crossing, in 2014 and 2015. Featuring an all-star cast, the four-hour epic tells the parallel stories of several characters who all ultimately find themselves passengers on the doomed Taiping steamer, which sank in 1949 en route from mainland China to Taiwan and has been described as "China's Titanic".

Following the box-office disappointment of The Crossing, Woo and producer Terence Chang disbanded Lion Rock Productions.[22]

Woo followed up The Crossing with Manhunt, a remake of the 1976 Japanese crime thriller of the same name. Production started on Manhunt in June 2016 in Osaka[23] and later reported to be finished filming by the end of November.[24] The film, co-led by Chinese actor Zhang Hanyu and Japanese actor Masaharu Fukuyama, features a large Japanese cast including Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto. In addition, Chinese actress Qi Wei, Korean actress Ha Ji-won and Woo's daughter Angeles were cast in key roles in the film. The film was released in China on 24 November 2017.[25] [26]

2021–present: Silent Night and return to Hollywood

Following another hiatus, Woo returned to Hollywood to direct the action thriller Silent Night, where a normal father heads into the underworld to avenge his young son's death. Produced by Basil Iwanyk, the film starred Joel Kinnaman and was told entirely without dialogue.[27] It was Woo's first American feature film since Paycheck (2003).[28]

Woo commented in 2015 that he will remake The Killer for American audiences. Initially, actress Lupita Nyong'o had been cast for the lead role,[29] however by March 2023, Nathalie Emmanuel was cast instead,[30] with Omar Sy joining the film as the cop character.[31] The film will be directed by Woo, produced by Universal Studios and released exclusively on Peacock.[32]

Unrealized film projects

In May 2008, Woo announced in Cannes that his next movie would be 1949, an epic love story set between the end of World War II and Chinese Civil War to the founding of the People's Republic of China, the shooting of which would take place in China and Taiwan. Its production was due to begin by the end of 2008, with a theatrical release planned in December 2009. However, in early April 2009, the film was cancelled due to script right issues. Reports indicated that Woo might be working on another World War II film, this time about the American Volunteer Group, or the Flying Tigers. The movie was tentatively titled "Flying Tiger Heroes" and Woo is reported as saying it will feature "The most spectacular aerial battle scenes ever seen in Chinese cinema." It was not clear whether Woo would not be directing the earlier war film, or whether it was put on the back burner. Woo has stated that Flying Tiger Heroes would be an "extremely important production" and will "emphasise US-Chinese friendship and the contributions of the Flying Tigers and the Yunnan people during the war of resistance."[33] Woo has announced he will be using IMAX cameras to film the Flying Tigers project. "It has always been a dream of mine to explore shooting with IMAX cameras and to work in the IMAX format, and the strong visual element of this film is incredibly well-suited to the tastes of cinemagoers today [...] Using IMAX for Flying Tigers would create a new experience for the audience, and I think it would be another breakthrough for Chinese movies".[34]

Personal life

Woo has been married to Annie Woo Ngau Chun-lung since 1976. They have two daughters, Kimberley Woo, Angeles Woo, and a son Frank Woo.[7] He is a Christian and told BBC in an interview that he believes in God and has utmost admiration for Jesus, whom he calls a "great philosopher".[35]

His three favorite films are David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï. A complete list of his 48 inspirational films was published in May 2018.[36] As of July 2024, Woo is the only filmmaker who has listed The Bridge on the River Kwai by David Lean and Zorba the Greek by Michael Cacoyannis as favorites on LaCinetek, a French website that collects and publishes lists from film directors.[37]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1968死結 Sijie (Dead Knot)Short film, co-directed with Sek Kei
Ouran (Accidentally)Short film
1974The Young Dragons
1975The Dragon Tamers
1976Princess Chang Ping
Hand of DeathAlso actor (as Scholar Cheng)
1977Money Crazy
1978Hello, Late Homecomers
Follow the StarAlso actor (as Mr. Chen)
1979Last Hurrah for Chivalry
1980From Riches to Rags
1981To Hell with the Devil
Laughing Times
1982Plain Jane to the RescueCameo (as a director playing God)
1984The Time You Need a Friend
Heroes Shed No Tears
1984Run, Tiger, Run
1986A Better TomorrowAlso actor (as Inspector Wu)
1987A Better Tomorrow II
1989The Killer
Just Heroes
1990Bullet in the HeadAlso actor (as Police Inspector)
1991Once a Thief
1992Hard BoiledAlso actor (as Bartender)
1993Hard Target
1996Broken Arrow
1997Face/Off
2000
2002Windtalkers
2003Paycheck
2008Red Cliff: Part I
2009Red Cliff: Part II
2010Reign of AssassinsCo-directed with Su Chao-pin
2014The Crossing: Part I
2015The Crossing: Part II
2017Manhunt
2023Silent Night
2024The KillerPost-production

Television

YearTitleDirectorExecutive ProducerNotes
1996Once a ThiefTV movie
1997–98Once a Thief
1998BlackjackTV movie

Producer only

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1989Tsui Hark
1995Peace HotelWai Ka-fai
1996Somebody Up There Likes MePatrick Leung
1998The Replacement KillersAntoine FuquaWoo also choreographed the action sequences
The Big HitKirk Wong
2003Bulletproof MonkPaul Hunter
2005The Glass BeadsAngeles WooShort film
2007Blood BrothersAlexi Tan
Appleseed Saga: Ex MachinaShinji Aramaki
2009My Fair GentlemanLi Ju-Yuan
2010A Better TomorrowSong Hae-sungAlso writer
2011Seediq BaleWei Te-sheng

Other works

Accolades

YearTitleAward/Nomination
1986A Better TomorrowHong Kong Film Award for Best Film
Nominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Screenplay
1989The KillerHong Kong Film Award for Best Director
Nominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Screenplay
1990Bullet in the HeadNominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
1991Once a ThiefNominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
1993Hard TargetNominated–Saturn Award for Best Director
1997Face/OffSaturn Award for Best Director
2008Red Cliff: Part INominated–Asian Film Award for Best Director
2009Red Cliff: Part IINominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
Nominated–Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director

See also

Further reading

In English

Other languages

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Woo . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141101000000/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/artist/id/4289098/link/jury.html . 1 November 2014 . 10 January 2009.
  2. Web site: Kehr . Dave . 2002-07-14 . John Woo: Ballets full of bullets . 2022-10-29 . the Guardian . 29 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221029191651/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/jul/14/features.review1 . live .
  3. News: Weinraub . Bernard . 1996-02-22 . ON LOCATION WITH: John Woo;Ballets With Bullets . The New York Times . 2022-10-29 . 0362-4331 . 29 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221029191649/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/22/garden/on-location-with-john-woo-ballets-with-bullets.html . live .
  4. Web site: WOO John - Festival de Cannes 2014 (International Film Festival) . 10 January 2009 . 1 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141101004651/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/artist/id/4289098/link/jury.html . bot: unknown . . Festival de Cannes fiche artiste (artist profile)
  5. Web site: John Woo. Variety. 7 November 2013. 11 December 2017. 23 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171223220413/https://variety.com/exec/john-woo/. live.
  6. [Rawnsley, Gary D.]
  7. Book: Woo, John. Elder, Robert K.. 2005. John Woo:Interviews;Conversations with Filmmakers Series. University Press of Mississippi. 978-1-57806-776-3. Conversations with Filmmakers Series.
  8. News: COVER STORY New Gun in Town John Woo, Hong Kong's legendary action director, teams with Jean-Claude Van Damme for his first American thriller, 'Hard Target'. Joe. Leydon. 3 January 1993.
  9. Web site: Famous Persons with Disabilities. Tampagov.net. 19 October 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121008040558/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_mayor/mayors_alliance/famous_persons/people_S_thru_Z.asp. 8 October 2012.
  10. June 2000 edition of Premiere magazine
  11. Web site: amiamcable. John Woo. N/A. 27 October 2015. 1 March 2018. 1 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180301164331/https://successfulpeeps.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/john-woo/. live.
  12. Book: Szeto, Kin-Yan. The Martial Arts Cinema of the Chinese Diaspora: Ang Lee, John Woo, & Jackie Chan in Hollywood. SIU Press. 978-0809330218. 77. 2011. 19 September 2020. 5 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240305212036/https://books.google.com/books?id=e9C5VicIj2gC&pg=PA77#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
  13. How Bruce Lee Changed the World . 17 May 2009 . television documentary . . 16 May 2022 . . 16 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220516132750/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTPwICYeBU&gl=US&hl=en . live .
  14. Web site: John Woo. 2021-06-24. IMDb. 18 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210718151918/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000247/. live.
  15. News: Havis . Richard James . Being a stunt double for Bruce Lee made Jackie Chan want to be a star . 19 March 2022 . . 3 October 2021 . 19 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220319134532/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3150677/revealed-martial-arts-star-jackie-chan-bruce-lee-everyone . live .
  16. Web site: Andrew Saroch . Money Crazy (1977) - Review . 2022-06-21 . Far East Films. 24 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524022144/https://www.fareastfilms.com/?review_post_type=money-crazy . live .
  17. Book: Elder, Robert . 2005 . John Woo: Interviews . Conversations with filmmakers series . Jackson . University Press of Mississippi . 978-1-57806-776-3.
  18. Web site: 2000 Yearly Box Office Results. 19 October 2012. 6 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121006084133/http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2000&p=.htm. live.
  19. Web site: John Woo - Box Office. 16 October 2023. 4 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231204041225/https://www.the-numbers.com/person/154440401-John-Woo#tab=technical&all_technical_credits=od5. live.
  20. Kelly, Kevin (17 December 2007). "io9 Links Up With 'Appleseed: Ex Machina' Director" . Gizmodo.
  21. https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jn8fqNXb3XIs_esDukLr47rR7IvgD9I0JDEO0 Woo awarded Golden Lion for lifetime achievement
  22. Web site: Terence Chang talks China market challenges and new ventures. Screen Daily. 30 June 2017. 10 July 2017. Shackleton. Liz. 30 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170630174012/http://www.screendaily.com/features/interviews/terence-chang-talks-china-market-challenges-and-new-ventures/5119574.article. live.
  23. Web site: John Woo's 'Manhunt' starts shooting in Osaka. Screen Daily. Screen International. Shackleton. Liz. 20 June 2016. 14 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160709011006/http://www.screendaily.com/territories/asia-pacific/john-woos-manhunt-starts-shooting-in-osaka/5106038.article. 9 July 2016.
  24. Web site: AFM: Media Asia launches 'Love Off The Cuff' sales. Screen Daily. Screen International. 14 December 2016. Shackleton. Liz. 5 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122114837/http://www.screendaily.com/news/afm-media-asia-launches-love-off-the-cuff-sales/5111068.article?referrer=RSS. 22 January 2017.
  25. Web site: 追捕 - Manhunt. 6 September 2017. Gewara. zh. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170906223512/http://www.gewara.com/movie/307934735. 6 September 2017. Maoyan.
  26. Web site: John Woo remakes 'Manhunt' for career reboot. China.org.cn. China Internet Information Center. 15 May 2017. Zhang. Rui. 16 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170116180240/http://china.org.cn/arts/2017-01/16/content_40112858.htm. 16 January 2017.
  27. News: Fleming. Mike Jr.. John Woo Returns To Direct Joel Kinnaman In No-Dialogue Action Film 'Silent Night' – AFM. Deadline. 29 Oct 2021. 1 November 2021. 30 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211030235249/https://deadline.com/2021/10/john-woo-hollywood-return-silent-night-joel-kinnaman-wordless-action-film-1234864994/. live.
  28. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . September 22, 2023 . John Woo's First American Pic In 20 Years, 'Silent Night', Sets December Release . October 16, 2023 . Deadline . 3 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231003093448/https://deadline.com/2023/09/john-woo-silent-night-release-date-1235554142/ . live .
  29. Web site: Lupita Nyong'o to Star in 'The Killer' Remake With John Woo Directing. Variety. 30 April 2018. Dave. McNary. 2 May 2018. 2 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180502134551/http://variety.com/2018/film/news/john-woo-lupita-nyongo-the-killer-remake-universal-1202792353/. live.
  30. Web site: Archived copy . 16 October 2023 . 7 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230607114409/https://deadline.com/2023/03/game-of-throness-nathalie-emmanuel-omar-sy-universal-pictures-the-killer-remake-peacock-1235298609/ . live .
  31. Web site: 'Lupin's Omar Sy to Lead John Woo's Reimagining of 'The Killer' for Peacock . 4 August 2022 . 16 October 2023 . 4 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204050823/https://deadline.com/2022/08/lupins-omar-sy-to-lead-john-woos-reimagining-of-the-killer-for-peacock-1235085318/ . live .
  32. Web site: Petski . Denise . 2022-05-02 . Original Films From LeBron James, Will Packer & John Woo To Premiere On Peacock In 2023 . 2022-06-07 . Deadline . 2 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220502165037/https://deadline.com/2022/05/original-films-from-lebron-james-will-packer-john-woo-to-premiere-on-peacock-in-2023-1235014097/ . live .
  33. Foreman . Liza . Woo sets prod'n clock for '1949' . The Hollywood Reporter, the Daily from Cannes . 8 . 22 . 21 May 2008 .
  34. Web site: Woo's Flying Tigers to be shot in IMAX format. ScreenDaily. 30 October 2010. 11 March 2010. 6 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100906074035/http://www.screendaily.com/territories/asia-pacific/woos-flying-tigers-to-be-shot-in-imax-format/5017532.article. live.
  35. News: Pierce. Nev. Calling The Shots: John Woo. BBC. 24 September 2014. 22 December 2019. 29 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200129231922/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/john_woo.shtml. live.
  36. Web site: John Woo's list . 2024-07-01 . LaCinetek . us-EN.
  37. News: Vincentelli . Elisabeth . 2020-07-29 . The World’s Greatest Directors Have Their Own Streaming Lists . 2024-07-01 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  38. Lang . Mark . Creative: Best Spots – April . . 11 May 1998 .
  39. News: PBS’s POV, New York Times Pact on Digital Documentary Series. 2014. Todd Spangler. 2 June 2024. 2 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240602062444/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/03/07/pbss-pov-new-york-times-pact-on-digital-documentary-series/. live.
  40. Web site: Fantasia 2022 round-up . Harish . Mallya . Deccan Herald . 9 August 2022 . 10 August 2022 . 10 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220810072905/https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/fantasia-2022-round-up-1134603.html . live .