STACK #232 February 2024

MOVIE FEATURE

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ECT

THE GUN FU EFF

no signs of slowing down. “It gave me more freedom,” he says with childlike enthusiasm. “Even though our schedule was very tight and we didn't have much money, this gave me a lot of creative freedom. And that's also the good thing about independent films: we were able to do whatever we wanted. In fact, it's like the way I used to work when I relied more on instinct.” Woo’s face lights up when we mention his early Hong Kong material, and draw In a cheeky riff on the term ‘Kung Fu’, ‘Gun Fu’ (sometimes described as Bullet Ballet or Gun Kata) is a modern style of action filmmaking, typically associated with the work of John Woo, who originated the method. It's a highly stylised and polished blend of gunplay and martial arts that has become synonymous with modern action cinema. Woo’s operatic style of violence and choreographed camera moves make up some of cinema’s most memorable moments, and have inspired a generation of filmmakers. The most iconic form of Gun Fu is the classic two-handed pistol fire, also referred to as ‘duel slinging’. In this style of shootout, protagonists and antagonists alike engage in a hail of bullets, usually accompanied by shattered glass, slow-motion cinematography, and ear-shattering sound design. Early examples of Woo’s conception of the technique include his films A Better Tomorrow (1986) and The Killer (1989), and its application can be found in much of Quentin Tarantino’s work, as well as films like The Matrix (1999), John Wick (2014), and Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014).

Ask any die-hard action movie fan who their favourite director is and there's a good chance that they'll say John Woo. Words Glenn Cochrane T he Hong Kong filmmaker is responsible for major turn-of-the millennium Hollywood blockbusters

like Face/Off , Broken Arrow , and Mission: Impossible 2 , and is beloved for cult classics like 1989’s The Killer and A Better Tomorrow (1986).

DYK?

It's been 20 years since Woo’s last American movie, but don't ask him why. As we found out recently when chatting to the cinematic icon, he’s always been on the scene. “Actually, I never left,” Woo says with the amusement of a man

John Woo is a pacifist, who hates violence. He has never hit another person or fired a real gun in his life.

John Woo (second from left)

movie director there have been a lot of good, smaller scripts, but they've never sent them to me,” Woo explains of his frustration with missed opportunities. “So, when I came back looking for new material and found Silent Night , I was so excited. It was a very touching story – and it had no dialogue. “It was very challenging, and also good for me because I'm a visual director. I like to use the visuals to tell my stories, more than any words.” The upside to making a movie

who's been asked this question before. “I just went to China to make two or three movies. After Paycheck (2003) I couldn't get any good scripts. So, I had to try something else. And then, after I made those Chinese movies – some worked and some didn't work well – I came back, because I wanted to do something smaller.” His new movie is Silent Night , a unique

comparisons between Silent Night and his earlier works Hard Boiled and The Killer . “I felt like a young director, similar to when I worked in Hong Kong,” he grins. “We used to work with a much smaller team, and we all knew each other as a family. And back then the director had full control, and could be an auteur. I actually shot The Killer

action flick without any dialogue to speak of. It tells the story of John Godlock (Joel Kinnaman),

without verbal cues was that Woo was able to shoot the entire thing without any sound recording. All

who exacts revenge on gangsters after his son is

killed in their crossfire. It's an ultra-violent exploit with a lot of

of the sounds that you hear were added in

with no script,” he reveals to our amazement. “The whole

heart, which moves at a breakneck pace similar to John Wick . “Since I have been established as a big

thing was in my mind, and I just shot what I felt. So, Silent Night was a similar situation, and it reminded me a lot of Hong Kong.”

post production, a fact which clearly delights the 77-year old director, who shows

• Silent Night is out on Feb 14

12 FEBRUARY 2024

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Joel Kinnaman