.png){kind=logo}
Image via The Everett Collection
Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.
Although it's a new year, Shout! Studios is kicking things off with a pulse-pounding classic. Back in December, Collider exclusively announced that three of cinematic icon John Woo's beloved early Hong Kong action films — Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, and The Killer — would be re-released in theaters in 2026 as part of a new collaboration between Shout, Hong Kong Cinema Classics, and GKIDS. The first of that trio, starring Chow Yun-fat as an inspector delving into the criminal underworld to investigate the triad, is now set for release on the big screen later this month, featuring a new 4K remaster that utilizes the original camera negatives, enhanced audio, and retranslated subtitles from the original Cantonese. To commemorate the occasion, we're excited to share a new trailer showcasing the fresh coat of paint over Woo's masterfully crafted action sequences.
This newly constructed teaser acts as a highlight reel of what has made Woo such a beloved filmmaker. Hard Boiled marked his last feature before moving to Hollywood and directing memorable features like the over-the-top Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. As such, it was also hailed as one of his most confident and a culmination of the bombastic action and gun fu fight scenes that would come to influence the genre for years to come, including megahits like The Matrix and John Wick. From intense standoffs to extensively choreographed setpieces that see actors leaping over motorcycles, flying into scenes with guns blazing, and causing more than a few explosions along the way, the video is all about style, even syncing up the many gunshots of Woo's work to the intense music.
Also given the spotlight is the excellent cast that helped elevate the cop epic into a Dirty Harry-inspired masterpiece, including Yun-fat, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, and Teresa Mo. The former, who also appeared prominently in A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, among Woo's other films, plays "Tequila" Yeun, a cop who, after his partner is killed in a shootout, begins a hunt for the gun smugglers responsible. Joining forces with an undercover policeman embedded deep within the triad, he's determined to get close to the leaders behind the operation and take them down, thrusting himself into the line of fire where there's no such thing as excessive force. Woo conceived of the original story while Gordon Chan and Barry Wong penned the screenplay.
When Will 'Hard Boiled' and Woo's Other Films Return to Theaters?
For the partnership of Shout, Hong Kong Cinema Classics, and GKIDS, the nationwide re-releases of Woo's three action epics mark their most expansive theatrical efforts to date. Moreover, with approximately 800 screens playing the films around the country, this special event will be the widest rollout the Hong Kong features have ever had in North America. It's billed as a must-add for any cinephile's to-do list, not only as a rare opportunity to see them in theaters, but to catch them in 4K and with pre-recorded interviews with Woo after each screening, going in-depth on each title.
Hard Boiled will be on the big screen for three nights only, including January 25, 26, and 28. A Better Tomorrow will pick back up in March with the story of a reformed gangster trying to leave his old life behind and reconcile with his brother on March 1,2, and 4. Last but not least will be The Killer, running on April 5, 6, and 8. Tickets are on sale now for all three films, with full details on participating locations available on GKIDS' official website.
Check out the new trailer for Hard Boiled in the player above and visit the link below to secure tickets to this limited-time Hong Kong cinema event.
English (US) ·