The 2024 film The Killer is essentially John Woo revisited. Although it lacks Chow Yun Fat from the 1989 version. That iteration of The Killer, set not in France, but China; is a fast paced powerhouse of a movie.
The Killer 1989 trailer
The Killer 2024 Trailer
The 2024 “revisit” of The Killer, orchestrated by John Woo himself is languid in comparison. A slow start, a middle that sags badly, and an apathetic ending all make for a sad re-imagining of his 1989 epic.
I am not misogynistic
There is no complaint here about recasting “The Killer” as a female. Nathalie Emmanuel more than holds her own here as Zee. She comes across every bit as deadly as “The Bride” in Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2. Omar Sy works well as the “legal” equivalent to Zee. (In other words, the Danny Lee character with a few changes.)
Sam Worthington is spot on as the Irish handler who I disliked the moment he opened his mouth.
So in spite of those who complained that “the killer” was a woman, the film works. Just not as well as the original.
Why it falls flat
The pacing is not there with this The Killer remake. The original with Chow Yun Fat and Danny Lee was an out of control roller coaster ride of a film. It ran us headfirst into gun battle after gun battle.
*The shootout at the beach house expended 20,000 rounds of ammunition. The final shootout at the church expended twice that many.* Courtesy of IMDb.
Woo has decided to “take down” the frenetic pacing that made his 1989 movie such a groundbreaking success. He literally changed how Hollywood and the world saw “shoot-em-ups.” Woo also changed forever how we make action films full stop.
On a side note: Eric Cantona has apparently had some acting lessons after his dismal performance in The Salvation. He will never be the French version of Oliver though.
Locating the action in France also hurts the film.
What Does Work
Emmanuel is excellent in whatever she does. The actor fills her character’s shoes almost effortlessly. She also manages to keep both eyes open while filling the bad guys with bullets from her guns. (The actor does “flinch” once in the church.)
Sy convinces as the cop being framed. His interactions with Emmanuel’s character range from slightly awkward to sentimental. They are, it seems, spiritual twins. Both actors manage to make their characters more than real.
The samurai sword scene in the club is clever and inventive.
A nod to Sergio Leone?
The pacing, the music, and some of the camera angles are very reminiscent of the Italian Spaghetti Western films of Sergio Leone. Not overtly, but almost subliminally.
It is almost as if Woo wanted to make this version of The Killer more “operatic” in nature. (A Leone trademark.) This remake feels like a grander, slower, epic. So losing Chow Yun Fat apparently takes away the breakneck speed of the film itself.
Interesting but not better.
The Verdict
The Killer is enjoyable in a slow melodic sort of way. I can safely give it a 3.5 stars out of 5. I miss the pacing of the original and thse shootouts that seemed to be on speed. The Killer is currently streaming on Peacock.
The Trailer
The trailer is at the start of the review. I wanted to compare the two films and their conflicting styles right off the bat.
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