10 Just Heroes Film Analysis

John Woo has been setting the standards for the action genre for almost fifty years, additionally introducing to the world scene current world-class stars as Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung Chiu Wai.

His usual motifs, including stylized, smooth characters and the presence of pigeons, and his distinct action style with the frequent use of slow motion, the chaotic fighting, and even the use of two guns at the same time have influenced the majority of the filmmakers of the genre including Hollywood ones.

Here is a list with his ten best films.

10. Just Heroes (1989)

This particular film was shot in order to aid director Chang Cheh who was broke and John Woo directed part of it, with Wu Ma being responsible for the rest.

The script is similar to

Both the protagonists, John Travolta and Nicholas Cage seem to been having fun during the movie, portraying each other not just as characters but as actual actors, too

The American audience seemed to enjoy the role reversal between the two actors and its stylized and violent action scenes and the film ended up as the 11th highest domestic movie of 1997. John Woo netted a number of awards for his direction including the Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

7. Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)

Before John Woo turned his attention exclusively to gangster films, he shot a number of kung fu movies, with this one, which was a tribute to his mentor Chang Cheh, being the best of them.

His mortal enemy assaults Kao Pun during his wedding and although he manages to escape, his father dies during the attack. He swears to avenge him and subsequently asks of two master swordsmen to assist him. The three of them eventually become friends; however, Kao may not be who he seems.

Although its box office numbers were mediocre, "Last Hurrah for Chivarly" entailed a prolusion of Woo 's later style, chiefly through the fast-paced swordplay