10 Movies That Prove The 90's Were The Golden Age Of Action

3. Hard Boiled

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator 2
Milestone Pictures

Hard Boiled saw John Woo perfect the techniques that established him as the maestro of balletic action, and while the DVD cover that proclaimed the movie to be 'more exciting that a dozen Die Hards' is a little on the hyperbolic side, it isn't too far off either.

The movie sets its stall out from the very first scene, a precision-engineered and visually stunning tea-house shootout with a body count that runs well into the dozens, featuring plenty of glorious slow-motion and people jumping through the air while firing weapons. From there, it only gets better.

While the undercover cop plot isn't exactly original, the charisma and chemistry between Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung more than compensates for any narrative shortcomings, and the extended hospital-set third act climax is unquestionably one of the greatest action scenes ever committed to film.

Hard Boiled showed that Hong Kong action cinema could play Hollywood at its own game, and do it better.

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