John Woo
Biography
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled and Red Cliff. His Hollywood films include Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. He also created the comic series Seven Brothers, published by Virgin Comics. Woo was described by Dave Kehr in The Observer in 2002 as "arguably the most influential director making movies today". Woo cites his three favorite films as David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, and Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï.
Most directed genres
Recurring actors
- Chow Yun-Fat 5
- Angeles Woo 4
- John Woo 4
- Kenneth Tsang 4
- Shing Fui-On 4
- Takeshi Kaneshiro 4
- Tony Chiu-Wai Leung 4
- Chin Yuet-Sang 3
Awards and nominations
- 1986 Golden Horse Award for Best Director
- — Silver Bauhinia Star
- — Bronze Bauhinia Star
- — Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director
The career in numbers
- US$ 755 mi Total budget from 16 film(s) with data
- US$ 1.6 bi Total box office from 21 film(s) with data
- US$ 47 mi Average budget from 16 film(s) with data
- US$ 78 mi Average box office from 21 film(s) with data
- 6.7 Average rating from 24 film(s) with data
- 2.3× Return on investment from 14 film(s) with data
Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.
Films directed
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Killer
|
2024 | US$ 30 mi | US$ 318,618 | 6.3 |
Silent Night
|
2023 | — | — | 6.1 |
Manhunt
|
2017 | US$ 30 mi | — | 5.6 |
The Crossing II
|
2015 | US$ 30 mi | US$ 10 mi | 5.3 |
The Crossing I
|
2014 | US$ 35 mi | US$ 32 mi | 5.5 |
Reign of Assassins
|
2010 | US$ 12 mi | — | 6.9 |
Red Cliff II
|
2009 | US$ 80 mi | US$ 121 mi | 7.3 |
Red Cliff
|
2008 | US$ 80 mi | US$ 250 mi | 7.1 |
All the Invisible Children
|
2006 | — | — | 7.0 |
Paycheck
|
2003 | US$ 60 mi | US$ 117 mi | 6.2 |
Windtalkers
|
2002 | US$ 115 mi | US$ 78 mi | 6.4 |
Hostage
|
2002 | — | — | 6.6 |
Mission: Impossible II
|
2000 | US$ 125 mi | US$ 546 mi | 6.1 |
Blackjack
|
1998 | — | — | 5.3 |
Face/Off
|
1997 | US$ 80 mi | US$ 246 mi | 7.1 |
Broken Arrow
|
1996 | US$ 50 mi | US$ 150 mi | 6.1 |
Once a Thief
|
1996 | — | — | 4.9 |
Hard Target
|
1993 | US$ 18 mi | US$ 74 mi | 6.5 |
Hard Boiled
|
1992 | US$ 5 mi | US$ 3 mi | 7.5 |
Once a Thief
|
1991 | — | US$ 4 mi | 6.8 |
Bullet in the Head
|
1990 | US$ 4 mi | US$ 1 mi | 7.6 |
The Killer
|
1989 | — | US$ 2 mi | 7.6 |
Just Heroes
|
1989 | — | US$ 1 mi | 6.6 |
A Better Tomorrow II
|
1987 | — | US$ 3 mi | 7.1 |
A Better Tomorrow
|
1986 | US$ 1 mi | US$ 4 mi | 7.4 |
Heroes Shed No Tears
|
1984 | — | US$ 358,103 | 6.4 |
Plain Jane to the Rescue
|
1982 | — | US$ 589,198 | 6.3 |
From Riches to Rags
|
1980 | — | — | 4.9 |
Last Hurrah for Chivalry
|
1979 | — | — | 7.1 |
Hello, Late Homecomers
|
1978 | — | — | 8.5 |
Money Crazy
|
1977 | — | — | 6.6 |
Hand of Death
|
1976 | — | US$ 102,049 | 6.6 |
The Young Dragons
|
1974 | — | — | 6.8 |
Dead Knot
|
1969 | — | — | 6.0 |
Gambino
|
— | — | — | — |
