Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I've long been a fan of John Woo's films ever since I saw my first, HARD TARGET, about a decade ago. While I still love that movie, I'm aware that many of Woo's Chinese films are considered far superior to anything he's done in Hollywood. HARD-BOILED is a favourite thanks to the intense action but, having just watched BULLET IN THE HEAD, I can appreciate that this is perhaps his most intense and emotional film yet.The story is a simple one: three young friends, all male, all ambitious, find themselves on the wrong side of the law in Vietnam, caught up with smugglers and the Vietcong army. What follows is an odyssey of discovery and heartbreak in equal measure. Woo focuses on the darker side of life (and death), making this his most downbeat yet. What happens is tragic and moving, yet captured with skilled direction and masterful action sequences that make it utterly compelling. It reminded me a little of the Korean war film BROTHEROOD, although this is superior.The three young stars, Leung, Cheung, and Lee, each put in great performances on different sides of the spectrum. Leung is the clear-cut hero, with a conscience; Lee is the one sidetracked by a lust for riches, and Cheung is the comic relief, the one who finds himself in all sorts of scrapes. There's also a brilliant turn from Simon Yam who should have won an Oscar for his supporting performance here – it's the best I've ever seen him and makes me appreciate him as an actor far more than I did previously.The movie is action-packed and has plenty of brilliant moments. Grenades, sticks of dynamites disguised as cigars, Vietcong torture and a car chase: it's all here, all pulse-pounding. The shoot-out in the bad guy's den recalls SCARFACE in terms of sheer over-the-top carnage, and takes some beating. The finale is over-the-top but works well, and in between we have all sorts of other stuff going down. The Vietcong prison camp sequence is one of the most powerful and disturbing I've seen filmed and it's pretty hard to watch. Blood often flows across the screen in this film and it's definitely not one for the faint hearted. Saying that, I can't help but view this as a masterpiece and a film which should be far better known than it currently is.

Bullet In The Head was originally conceived as a prequel to A Better Tomorrow. With producer Tsui Hark and John Woo fighting over the rights of the francise, Woo reworked his script and Tsui Hark rushed out his version. I have not seen Tsui Hark's film A Better Tomorrow 3 in years, but from what I remember Bullet In The Head is a far superior film and not a movie you will ever forget. The story starts in 1960's Hong Kong with a trio of tight knit, close friends that fight together, hang together and live their lives in poverty. After things go awry in a fight where Ben(Tony Leung) accidentally kills ruffian thug Ringo, our heroes flee to Vietnam to let things cool down and fence goods to try to make their fortune. As the film goes on it gets darker and more violent. Innocence is lost, greed brings betrayal, many people die and those who remain are broken and scarred for life. Influenced by Michael Cimino's Deer Hunter, but with lots of Woo's high octane, bullet ridden, blood splattered action. The three lead actors Tony Leung(Ben), Jacky Cheung(Frank) and Waise Lee(Paul) are all excellent. Simon Yam nearly steals the show as a Eurasian hit-man/mercenary Luke. Without going into every detail, Bullet In The Head is John Woo's darkest, most brutal and most intense film. Strong characters and top notch performances knock this out of the park. The shootouts compliment the melodrama and move the story along to its bleak climax. Bullet In The Head is an underrated masterpiece by my estimation and crucial viewing for fans of the heroic bloodshed genre and of 80's/90's Hong Kong cinema!

Bullet In The Head is John Woo's most personal film. I don't know why that is, but this movie is definitely the most grueling, brutal, and certainly the darkest movie of John Woo's entire career. The harrowing events that take place on screen will make even those with strong stomachs squirm. And it's not really even the gore that is disturbing, it's the stuff that our three lead characters are put through, the true hell of what war can be. In case you didn't know, Bullet In The Head is a story about three very close friends, Ben (Tony Leung), the natural leader of the group, Frank (Jacky Chung), the friendly one who will do anything for his friends, and Paul (Waisse Lee), the one who tends to give in to his darker impulses. All these characters are played superbly, I've always liked Tony Leung, and Jacky Chung was just brilliant. Out three main characters travel to Vietnam during the 60's to escape from the law and hopefully earn a bit of profit from the war going on. Things start going wrong very quickly, and eventually our leads are flung into a world that they have never experienced before, and they all adapt quite differently. Bullet In The Head is about how even the closest of friends can be torn apart, and it offers none of the hope that is seen in most John Woo films. This movie is greatly depressing, and as I said, usually very hard to watch, and at the end you'll be emotionally exhausted by what you have just seen. But this is why Bullet In The Head is so great. John Woo is famed for his action, so I guess I should mention how BITH holds up in that department. Obviously, very well. I hadn't really heard much about the action in this movie as I had about the depressing story, but it's just as good and the quality is just as high. When Chow Yun-Fat is nowhere to be found, Simon Yam is your go to guy, and he plays the ice cool character of Luke to perfection. The action is explosive and impressive, just what you would expect from Woo. The acting is all awesome, as is the pacing. There's some cheese here and there, especially at the beginning when we see 3 grown men jump rope together and ride bikes... yep... Other than that, Bullet In The Head is perfect and highly recommended to any action fan, John Woo fan, or anyone who wants to see some of the most intense and sad events ever put on film.

Despite the inclusion of a cut made famous by "the prefab four," this is John Woo at his best. Sentimental to the point of being sappy? Sure, but that's one of the things that all of Woo's pre-Hollywood films seemed to have in common. There's nothing wrong with that, either- not in this context (nor in subsequent films). Over the top? You bet your hairy butt. BULLET IN THE HEAD boasts some of the smoothest, most fluid super slo-mo shootouts in movie history. Though I would rate it lower on the scale than THE KILLER, A BETTER TOMORROW or (my favorite) HARD-BOILED, BULLET IN THE HEAD is most definitely in the same league. If you're one of those people fortunate enough to live near friends who share your appreciation for spectacular, over the top fare, get together and rent and watch BULLET IN THE HEAD. It's got a little something for everyone (even her).