The Killer

Chow Yun Fat is one of Hong Kong's biggest stars, and has portrayed many Chinese heroic figures, including gangsters, sword-fighting chivalrous knights, and even Confucius. However, his original screen legend persona was predicated on a ballet-like grace with a pair of pistols, which was immortalized in The Killer. A critical and commercial breakout film for both Chow Yun Fat and director John Woo, it crystallized the blend of conscience, tragedy, and sacrifice elements that have resonated in many of Woo's heroic characters before and after, with most of them starring Chow. As an assassin who deals with guilt and repentance over the injuring of an innocent bystander, Chow's white clad anti hero embodied a modern version of the heroes portrayed by David Chiang and Ti Lung in the Shaw Brothers films of John Woo's mentor, director Chang Cheh.