 Think you know action, think you know style, think you know explosions. You don't know anything until you've seen Hard Boiled. John Woo's 1992 Hong Kong action extravaganza, that set a whole new spectacular benchmark for the genre and is proof enough that when it comes to kick ass cinema, except no substitutes. Starring Woo regular Chaoyun Fat, the story follows hardened detective Tequila Yuan, who in his attempts to arrest gun smugglers accidentally gets his partner killed in the shootout. Determined to avenge his deceased colleague, Tequila encounters Alan, a gangster played by Tony Leung who has betrayed his former mentor and now has joined with a rival gang, hellbent on monopolizing the illegal arms trade in Hong Kong. But appearances can be deceiving and it's not long before fate intercedes, forcing both men to work together in a finale that is one of the greatest ever captured on film. Whether you're an action aficionado or a complete newcomer to the genre, it would be scandalous not to browse the back catalogue of Woo's career. From defining the heroic bloodshed era of Hong Kong cinema with 1986's A Better Tomorrow, to giving Hollywood a run for its money with Face Off and Mission Impossible 2, Woo's directorial artistry makes him one of the genre's greatest, inserting his signature trademarks throughout his films, such as slow motion gunplay, hyperkinetic choreography, squibs galore and of course face to face standoffs, with Hard Boiled being no exception. But if you're looking for a grounded realistic depiction of tough cops pursuing mean bad guys, then a Michael Mann John Woo is not. However, if you're hungry for a style and grace that the maestro of Mayhem excels in, then this film won't let you down. As its numerous action set pieces never disappoint in their glorious manic execution, that's filled to the brim with an almost poetic beauty and gore. The best example of which is the film's now legendary third act, a 30 minute climax where an entire hospital turns into a frantic battleground, featuring an inordinately complicated single take, lasting for 2 minutes and 42 seconds. Although you may not remember much about the film's formulaic plot riddled with Woo's regular themes of duty, loyalty and brotherhood, you'll certainly remember the thrilling spectacle of, and I can't stress this word enough, action. The director's last film that he made in Hong Kong before moving to Hollywood, acting as a fitting bookend to a style of action moviemaking that only looks cooler with the passing of time, and proves that John Woo truly is the Black Belt of the Bullet Ballet, the Grandmaster of Gunfoo, the exceptional explosives expert and the most hardboiled director of them all.