On the list of films I’ve recently watched, John Woo’s The Killer falls right in line after a long chain of kiddie films Alice in Wonderland, Castle in the Sky, Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro. Naturally, I was in for a treat — John Woo’s The Killer is purely for the big kids.

John Woo’s guns-blazing masterpiece about a hitman with a code of honor ranks among the best action movies ever. International superstar Chow Yun-Fat plays an assassin who agrees to one last job before quitting for good, but when his bosses double-cross him, he must take on the mob and the police in one of the most explosive showdowns in cinematic history. Loaded with some of the most outrageously choreographed action sequences ever committed to film and an absolute hailstorm of bullets, critics agree - The Killer is “as perfect an action film as one could ask for” (James Rocchi, Netflix).

Perfect action films however, come with a price. (Luckily, not for me as I received my copy of the DVD for free courtesy of Dragon Dynasty.) Often, character development and storylines are sacrificed for thrills, bullet showers and blood. As much as I enjoyed The Killer as one big thrill ride, I felt like there was something missing about some characters. I didn’t quite understand why Chow Yun-Fat’s character all of a sudden wanted to abandon his assassin ways for a woman, when I didn’t feel like the woman had much to offer besides a pretty face and a decent singing voice. I also didn’t understand why it was so easy for an assassin to quickly forge a relationship between a cop. Although character details aren’t revealed in full, you’re often left to make the assumptions yourself. Which is fine for some people — I’m just lazy.

That aside, I thought it was a great action film that I highly recommend for lovers of assassin flicks. If blood really isn’t your thing, I’d stay away from it.

John Woo’s The Killer ultimate edition DVD is out today!

For more information or to purchase, visit here.