General Discussion : Can Woo+Fat ever be beaten Actiongenre-wise?

[Darko]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdN6J7XxtJU[/youtube]

I mean seriously, the stuff they have done with a few movies decades ago will put everything in the shade for a few hundred years to come. If you can, please convince me otherwise, I am in the mood for some badassness I have not yet seen .

[edkrak]

Well WooFat kicks ass, but there there are even better action sequences in HK cinema:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6c8eZy5bgY[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wRQWoetHNo[/youtube]

[ShogunRua]

While I like John Woo and think some of his movies are great and many more are good or entertaining, he is also disgustingly overrated.

There are several elements that he does extremely well in his films (visceral, intense action sequences, creative and bloody shoot-outs, and certain stylish character presentations) and others he does very poorly. (Hilarious plot hole after plot hole, lack of basic continuity and logic, a reliance on over-emotional scenes that frequently miss the mark)

As for Chow Yun Fat, he was an amazing actor, and I've always felt that Woo should thank him every day of his life. Were it not for Fat, no one would remember Woo nearly as fondly.

But yeah, I definitely think Woo+Fat has been beaten in terms of action genre, even if we're sticking to Hong Kong.

Johnnie To is an all-time great director I would rank way ahead of Woo when it comes to crime action, whether he's working with Andy Lau, Simon Yam, or anyone else.

[TheDenizen]

I prefer John Woo over Johnnie To, but both are great. If you're looking for exciting shoot em up action, you could certainly do a lot worse than To.

[ShogunRua]

I prefer John Woo over Johnnie To, but both are great. If you're looking for exciting shoot em up action, you could certainly do a lot worse than To.

To's films are so much more original, intelligent, and emotionally impactful though, with none of the silliness and constant plot holes of Woo's work. If you're just focusing on the raw action itself, Woo is a bit better. But in terms of the story, the characters, even the terrific humor in To's works, he is head and shoulders beyond Woo.

[hellboy76]

Both would do me just fine with a bucket of popcorn and a beer.

[Pickpocket]

Yeah, it's called Woo+Cage.

#FACEOFF

[TheDenizen]

Yeah, it's called Woo+Cage.

#FACEOFF

Man, I hope this is one of those clever ironic posts I keep hearing about.

*checks Pickpocket's rating of Face/Off* Oh.

and ShogunRua, I tend to rate action movies based solely on their action....which is why I have so many kung fu flicks in my Tier 10. I do think that Johnnie To has definitely picked up the baton that Woo fumbled so badly in the mid 90s, and he's done a stellar job...To is essentially "the guy" in Hong Kong these days for Triad/Gunfight movies. I need to see more of his stuff for sure.

[Pickpocket]

Yeah, it's called Woo+Cage.

#FACEOFF

Man, I hope this is one of those clever ironic posts I keep hearing about.

*checks Pickpocket's rating of Face/Off* Oh.

and ShogunRua, I tend to rate action movies based solely on their action....which is why I have so many kung fu flicks in my Tier 10. I do think that Johnnie To has definitely picked up the baton that Woo fumbled so badly in the mid 90s, and he's done a stellar job...To is essentially "the guy" in Hong Kong these days for Triad/Gunfight movies. I need to see more of his stuff for sure.

I was probably half kidding/half serious. I don't get why that movie is hated by so many on here, it's just a silly fun action filled movie which is basically all Woo does. It's actually (surprisingly) his second highest critically acclaimed film on rottentomatoes at a 94%.

[ShogunRua]

I was probably half kidding/half serious. I don't get why that movie is hated by so many on here, it's just a silly fun action filled movie which is basically all Woo does. It's actually (surprisingly) his second highest critically acclaimed film on rottentomatoes at a 94%.

Yet another piece of evidence that RT is fucking stupid and useless for movie recommendations. (As if any more were needed)

"Face Off" wasn't bad (I rated it 53, Tier 5), but for a silly, fun movie, it just didn't have enough action, the humor was almost non-existent, and there were far too many scenes where Woo tries to inject serious emotional gravitas. (Which doesn't work with such an intrinsically stupid movie) If it had embraced its absurdity more, had more fights, and better humor, it would have been a really good action flick.