25 Seriously Cult Movies You Need To See Before You Die

17. Hard Boiled (1992)

In this era of digital trickery, where characters routinely defy the laws of gravity, it€™s easy to overlook the films where not only were the bone smashing stunts performed for real, they were done in one take. Hard Boiled isn€™t the best of John Woo€™s Hong Kong films (The Killer takes that accolade), but as an example of his mastery of balletic bloodshed, it€™s hard to beat. There are no white doves, but otherwise Woo€™s visual trademarks are present and correct: characters fly through the air, one-eyed henchmen emerge from clouds of smoke in slow motion and everyone discharges 2 guns simultaneously. There€™s no real plot, just a succession of action sequences as cop Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) hunts down a gang of smugglers, little realizing that one of them is an undercover cop. This leads to umpteen Mexican standoffs, scores of gun battles and an outrageous finale set in a hospital where €“ get this €“ the bad guy keeps his cache of smuggled weapons.