When people start thinking that the United States is the only country with the directors that can make the great action flicks, they can think again. John Woo is basically the James Cameron of China. And Woo's film-making skill is on the same level as Cameron's since he can make films that have great eye-candy action and a film that makes us identify and care about its characters.<br /><br />After seeing "Hard Boiled", I was completely blown away by the awesome gun fight scenes that were among the best my eyes ever witnessed. And there's plenty of it. The opening scene with the shoot-out at the teahouse is remembered for when Tequila (Yun Fat Chow) does a bunch of insane stunts like firing while jumping in mid-air and when he slides down the staircase handle and shoots the bad guys without getting hit. The warehouse betrayal will be known for the bad guys on the motorcycles shooting at the other bad guys, and then, Tony, who is really an informant for the police, betrays his gun-runner boss. And then that's when Tequila shows up and kicks a ton of @$$! There's even some shots of him shooting at the motorcycle engines and exploding them, which is some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen. And last but not the least, the climatic action scene at the hospital that lasts for over a half-hour, and it displays a long continued shot that lasts for almost 3 minutes. And in that shot Tequila and Tony shoot every bad guy in sight and while talking some emotional lines, I've never seen such a masterful shot like that until "Children of Men". This movie has EVERYTHING, grenades, shotguns, machine pistols and an entire arsenal of weapons that is shown in the hospital part. And we also have some suspense and emotional to along with the action since the hospital scene is very tense with all the babies in danger when Tequila tries to save them all while narrowly dodging bullets.<br /><br />And also, the American audience probably liked the action because the setting was very different. We didn't see an American background or an American city like L.A, but what we see is Hong Kong. And in the action sequences we see Chinese stuff getting blown up, like in the teahouse for instance. We saw a bunch of Chinese pasta and tea (of course) getting smashed to bits. And it also works cause it's very unique compared to the same old American films that we get here in America.<br /><br />The acting also works, Yung-Fat Chow, who is basically the Chinese Schwarzenegger due to his position as an action superstar is absolutely terrific as Tequila. Tequila is basically a maverick cop whose partner is killed during the teahouse shootout and seeks revenge against the Triad gang. However his boss is constantly pushing him over the edge and he has to deal with while disobeying orders to get to the Triads. And his character also delivers one of the most recognizable quotes in film history ("You're full of $h!t, you know that? There's a toilet over there.") I bet that if it was an American film, every person in the United States would be saying that in everyday situations, next to "Hasta la Vista, baby" and "Yippie-ki-yay, motherf**ker".<br /><br />And Tony Leung, another Hong Kong superstar, totally shines as the undercover cop who is infiltrating the gang of weapon smugglers. And his loyalty is tested on whether or not he'll be loyal to the Triads or to the cops. And also, I'll remember his character for his face-off with that bad guy with eye patch in the hospital (forgot his name), and then one scene, they realize there are a bunch of innocent patients and they BOTH choose to let them go so they could finish their fight. But unfortunately the gang leader shows up and decides to kill them all and the eye-patch guy basically dies while standing up for what he believes is right that only the violent people should die. Very touching moment.<br /><br />If you're looking for a great foreign action film and if you're tired of watching too many Hollywood stuff, then "Hard Boiled" is the film for you. The action is so insane that you'll probably see this over a hundred times before you die.