Direction: John Woo

The best movies, series, and documentaries directed by John Woo. Explore exceptional titles that showcase a unique filmmaking vision.


All the Invisible Children

2005 · Movie · 116 min. · Italy

Direction Mehdi Charef · Emir Kusturica · Spike Lee · Kátia Lund

Cast María Grazia Cucinotta · Jiang Wenli · Francisco Anawake · David Thewlis

Synopsis Seven short films - each one focused on the plight of a different child protagonist. This film is a very special initiative. Three years ago, the project’s producers sought to create a cinematic project that would raise awareness about the...

7.3

1K votes

7.3

1K votes

The Killer

1989 · Movie · 111 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Chow Yun-Fat · Danny Lee · Sally Yeh · Paul Chu

Synopsis In this bloody tale of loyalty and friendship, Chow Yun-Fat is Jeffrey, an assassin who wishes to leave the business so he can take care of Jennie, the beautiful lounge singer who he inadvertently blinded during a previous assignment. Danny...

7.0

5K votes

7.0

5K votes

Red Cliff: Part II

2009 · Movie · 142 min. · China

Direction John Woo

Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai · Takeshi Kaneshiro · Chang Chen · Shido Nakamura

Synopsis In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd PRIME MINISTER CAO CAO convinced the fickle EMPEROR HAN the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the...

7.0

910 votes

7.0

910 votes

Hard Boiled

1992 · Movie · 127 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Chow Yun-Fat · Tony Leung Chiu-Wai · Teresa Mo · Philip Kwok

Synopsis Mobsters are smuggling guns into Hong Kong. The police orchestrate a raid at a teahouse where the ace detective loses his partner. Meanwhile, the two main gun smugglers are having a war over territoriality, and a young new gun is...

6.9

3K votes

6.9

3K votes

The Battle of Red Cliff

2008 · Movie · 140 min. · China

Direction John Woo

Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai · Zhao Wei · Takeshi Kaneshiro · Chang Chen

Synopsis Based on the events during the Three Kingdoms period in Ancient China in which specifically told in the title, The Battle of Red Cliffs.

6.8

1K votes

6.8

1K votes

A Better Tomorrow

1986 · Movie · 95 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Ti Lung · Chow Yun-Fat · Leslie Cheung · Emily Chu

Synopsis A death-hardened cop battles the Hong Kong underworld, including his own brother who joins the bad guys. This progenitor of Woos "heroic violence" films introduces the theme of loyalties between men shattered by a violent world that forces them apart....

6.6

2K votes

6.6

2K votes

Bullet in the Head

1990 · Movie · 136 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai · Jacky Cheung · Waise Lee · Simon Yam

Synopsis In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, so they leave...

6.5

994 votes

6.5

994 votes

The Battle of Red Cliff (International Cut)

2009 · Movie · 148 min. · China

Direction John Woo

Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai · Takeshi Kaneshiro · Zhang Fengyi · Hu Jun

Synopsis The Battle of Red Cliff (International Cut) (2009) is an epic historical war film set during the Three Kingdoms period in China. The story follows the alliance of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan as they unite to...

6.5

7K votes

6.5

7K votes

A Better Tomorrow II

1988 · Movie · 105 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Ti Lung · Chow Yun-Fat · Leslie Cheung · Dean Shek

Synopsis Several years after the events of 'A Better Tomorrow'. Sung Tse Ho (Ti Lung) and his brother Tse Kit (Leslie Cheung) are undercover police agents collecting evidence of the counterfeit activities of Lung's (Dean Shek) ship building company. Actually, Lung's...

6.4

968 votes

6.4

968 votes

Last Hurrah for Chivalry

1979 · Movie · 106 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Damian Lau · Wai Pak · Lau Kong · Bonnie Ngai

Synopsis A son tries to avenge his father, and gets two sword fighters to help him.

6.3

50 votes

6.3

50 votes

Just Heroes

1989 · Movie · 97 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo · Wu Ma

Cast Ti Lung · Danny Lee · Chen Kuan-Tai · Stephen Chow

Synopsis A respected and well liked gang-boss is betrayed and killed. One of his three adopted sons are to take his place. One of them is the traitor.

6.2

33 votes

6.2

33 votes

Face/Off

1997 · Movie · 139 min. · United States

Direction John Woo

Cast John Travolta · Nicolas Cage · Joan Allen · Gina Gershon

Synopsis In Face/Off (1997), an FBI agent and a ruthless terrorist undergo a radical face-swapping surgery to infiltrate each other's lives. The agent seeks to prevent a catastrophic attack, while the criminal seizes the opportunity to dismantle his enemy's world. As...

6.1

93K votes

6.1

93K votes

The Hire: Hostage (S)

2002 · Movie · 9 min. · United States

Direction John Woo

Cast Clive Owen · Maury Chaykin · Kathryn Morris · Darius McCrary

Synopsis The Driver is hired by the FBI to help defuse a hostage situation. A disgruntled employee has kidnapped a CEO and has hidden her, demanding $5,088,042. The Driver delivers the money, writing the sum on his hand as instructed by...

5.9

620 votes

5.9

620 votes

Windtalkers

2002 · Movie · 133 min. · United States

Direction John Woo

Cast Nicolas Cage · Adam Beach · Christian Slater · Peter Stormare

Synopsis Windtalkers (2002) follows the story of two Navajo Marines, Ben Yahzee and Charlie Whitehorse, who are recruited as code talkers during World War II. Their mission is to use their native language to transmit unbreakable coded messages, vital to Allied...

5.7

26K votes

5.7

26K votes

Once a Thief

1991 · Movie · 108 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Chow Yun-Fat · Leslie Cheung · David Wu · Cherie Chung

Synopsis A romantic and action packed story of three best friends, a group of high end art thieves, who come into trouble when a love-triangle forms between them.

5.7

534 votes

5.7

534 votes

Paycheck

2003 · Movie · 114 min. · United States

Direction John Woo

Cast Ben Affleck · Uma Thurman · Aaron Eckhart · Colm Feore

Synopsis Paycheck (2003) follows Michael Jennings, a brilliant engineer who specializes in reverse engineering technology for lucrative contracts. After completing a top-secret project, he undergoes a standard memory wipe to protect corporate secrets. However, instead of receiving his usual hefty paycheck,...

5.7

23K votes

5.7

23K votes

The Crossing: Part 1

2014 · Movie · 129 min. · China

Direction John Woo

Cast Zhang Ziyi · Huang Xiaoming · Song Hye-kyo · Takeshi Kaneshiro

Synopsis The film is based on a real-life tragedy of the sinking of the steamer "Taiping" ferry in January, 1949. The incident led to the deaths of over 1,500 passengers and crew members. With the incident as its backdrop, the film...

5.5

24 votes

5.5

24 votes

The Killer

2024 · Movie · 126 min. · United States

Direction John Woo

Cast Nathalie Emmanuel · Omar Sy · Sam Worthington · Diana Silvers

Synopsis Follows Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler, Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman in...

5.3

225 votes

5.3

225 votes

Hand of Death (Shao Lin men)

1976 · Movie · 95 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Jackie Chan · Kim Yeong-sook · Sammo Hung · Dorian Tan

Synopsis Yun Fei must avenge the name of the Shaolin Temple against rogue student turned Manchu rat Shih. After being defeated by Shih and escaping (barely) with his life, Yun Fei finds allies in the form of Tan, Zorro and Scholar...

5.2

415 votes

5.2

415 votes

Heroes Shed No Tears (Blast Heroes)

1986 · Movie · 93 min. · Hong Kong

Direction John Woo

Cast Eddy Ko · Chin Yuet-Sang · Lam Ching-Ying · Pang Yun-Cheung

Synopsis A group of mercenaries, led by the tough-as-nails Chung, are sent into Thailand to capture a general, who also happens to be one of the Golden Triangle's biggest drug runners. After rescuing Chung's son and sister-in-law, they head to the...

5.0

71 votes

5.0

71 votes