Known for Directing
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.
Born
September 22, 1946 (age 79)
Birthplace
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Filmography
177 films, 9 shows


The Killer
2024 · 2h 6m
country: Canada
Zee is a feared contract killer known as "the Queen of the Dead," but when she refuses to murder a young blind woman, she finds herself hunted both by criminal colleagues and a determined police detective.


Silent Night
2023 · 1h 44m
country: United States
A tormented father witnesses his young son die when caught in a gang's crossfire on Christmas Eve. While recovering from a wound that costs him his voice, he makes vengeance his life's mission and embarks on a punishing training regimen in order to avenge his son's death.


Manhunt
2017 · 1h 46m
country: China
Accused of a murder he didn't commit, a prosecutor sets out on a mission to clear his name.


The Crossing II
2015 · 2h 11m
country: China
A story of three couples and their intertwining love stories set in 1940s Taiwan and Shanghai, centered around the 1949 sinking of Taiping.


The Crossing I
2014 · 2h 9m
country: China
At the end of the World War II and the middle of the Chinese Revolution, three couples from different backgrounds with different nationalities flee from China to the island of Taiwan.


Reign of Assassins
2010 · 1h 57m
country: China
Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.


Red Cliff II
2009 · 2h 21m
country: China
The battle of Red Cliff continues and the alliance between Xu and East Wu is fracturing. With Cao Cao's massive forces on their doorstep, will the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu survive?


Red Cliff
2008 · 2h 25m
country: China
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.


All the Invisible Children
2006 · 2h 4m
country: France
Seven short films - each one focused on the plight of a different child protagonist.


The Robinsons: Lost in Space
2004 · 45m
country: Unknown
In the year 2082, the Earth was invaded by aliens after it was long determine that existence of extra terrestrials was long thought to be science fiction. Major cities crumbled from the destruction of the beings from beyond the stars. The invasion came to a halt when Earth's own armed forces led by Col. John Robinson fought off the invaders and thus Earth won the battle which came to be known as "Robinson's Raid". 15 years have passed by and John Robinson attends a ceremony for his retirement from his services in defending the Earth from alien threat. This disfunctional family is one of the fewest families chosen to be part of the space program that is heading for a planet called Nova which will become occupied with a new farming colony.


Paycheck
2003 · 1h 59m
country: Canada
Michael Jennings is a genius who's hired – and paid handsomely – by high-tech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his short-term memory is erased so he's incapable of breaching security. But at the end of a three-year job, he's told he isn't getting a paycheck and instead receives a mysterious envelope. In it are clues he must piece together to find out why he wasn't paid – and why he's now in hot water.


Hostage
2002 · 10m
country: United Kingdom
The Driver is hired by the FBI to help defuse a hostage situation. A disgruntled employee has kidnapped a CEO and has hidden her, demanding $5,088,042. The Driver delivers the money, writing the sum on his hand as instructed by the hostage taker. After he is told that he holds the life of a person in his hand, he is ordered to burn the money. As he complies, the federal agents break in and attempt to subdue the man, who shoots himself in the head before he reveals where the woman is hidden. The Driver then tries to find the hostage before she drowns in the trunk of a sinking car. As a twist, the kidnapped woman is revealed to be the hostage taker's lover. She coldly taunts the dying man in the hospital.


Windtalkers
2002 · 2h 14m
country: United States
Joe Enders is a gung-ho Marine assigned to protect a "windtalker" - one of several Navajo Indians who were used to relay messages during World War II because their spoken language was indecipherable to Japanese code breakers.


Mission: Impossible II
2000 · 2h 3m
country: United States
With computer genius Luther Stickell at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.


Blackjack
1998 · 1h 52m
country: Canada
After saving Casey, a daughter of his friend, from hired assassins, Jack Devlin is hit with a strange phobia - fear of white color. But when his other friend, who works as a bodyguard for a supermodel, is wounded, Jack decides to step in for him. Now he must confront his fear and the assassin, who seems to be well aware of Jack's problem.


Face/Off
1997 · 2h 19m
country: United States
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.


Once a Thief
1996 · 1h 36m
country: Canada
Set in Hong Kong and Vancouver, the story follows Mac Ramsey and Li Ann Tsei, lovers and professional thieves who are separated while fleeing the powerful Hong Kong underworld crime lord who raised and trained them. After being imprisoned in Hong Kong, Mac is forcefully recruited into a clandestine international crime-fighting unit by a hard-nosed, menacing Director. He is teamed in Vancouver with Li Ann, who thought Mac was dead, and her new fiancé Victor Mansfield, an ex-cop who is attracted to the unorthodox methods of the agency. Conflict flares between Mac and Victor as the trio take on their assignment. They soon learn that their principal target is their foster brother Michael Tang, who had been given Li Ann as his future wife and who has vowed to hunt down the pair for their disloyalty to the "family".


Broken Arrow
1996 · 1h 48m
country: United States
When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.


Hard Target
1993 · 1h 39m
country: United States
When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.


Hard Boiled
1992 · 2h 6m
country: Hong Kong
A cop who loses his partner in a shoot-out with gun smugglers goes on a mission to catch them. In order to get closer to the leaders of the ring he joins forces with an undercover cop who's working as a gangster hitman. They use all means of excessive force to find them.


Once a Thief
1991 · 1h 48m
country: Hong Kong
Three orphans grow up to become art thieves under the tutelage of a crime boss. Romance complicates matters when the trio are double-crossed.


Bullet in the Head
1990 · 2h 16m
country: Hong Kong
Three childhood friends from the slums of Hong Kong flee to war-time Saigon after accidentally murdering a gang leader, but their troubles only escalate.


Just Heroes
1989 · 1h 37m
country: Hong Kong
A respected and well liked gang-boss is betrayed and killed. One of his three adopted sons are to take his place. One of them is the traitor.


The Killer
1989 · 1h 50m
country: Hong Kong
Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.


A Better Tomorrow II
1987 · 1h 44m
country: Hong Kong
A restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.


A Better Tomorrow
1986 · 1h 35m
country: Hong Kong
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.


Run Tiger Run
1985 · 1h 27m
country: Taiwan
Homeless lads Teddy and Benny befriend a rich boy, heir to his grandfather's massive fortune. His uncle mistakes all of them for his nephews and, plotting to steal the inheritance for himself, abducts Benny. Teddy teams up with his friends and an assassin to pull off a rescue mission.


Heroes Shed No Tears
1984 · 1h 27m
country: Hong Kong
The Thai government hires a group of Chinese mercenaries to capture a powerful drug lord from the Golden Triangle. The mercenaries manage to capture the drug lord, but soon find themselves pursued by his forces, and the forces of a bitter Thai officer. The Chinese mercenaries are vastly outnumbered, and as their numbers begin to dwindle, their desperation pulls them into a corner as their enemies close in on them.


The Time You Need a Friend
1984 · 1h 31m
country: Hong Kong
John Woo's melodramatic tragicomedy The Time You Need a Friend (1985) stands at the crucial crossroads in the director's career. Woo had been churning out innocuous comedies for more than a few years, and after establishing the "heroic bloodshed" genre, he'd never look back. But this tale of two comedians - estranged former pals who bury the hatchet for one last show together - blends the pathos and male-bonding of Woo's later dramas with the silliness and pratfalls that marked his early works. At their peak, Ku Ren and Shem Bien were an unstoppable screen comedy team, the undisputed stars of the silent era. But a major falling out has kept the duo offstage for decades. Despite the urgings of family and friends, Ku and Shem refuse to reconcile. As both men approach their twilight years, one last chance for a reunion presents itself in the form of a televised charity benefit. Ku Ren and Shem Bien struggle to come to terms with years of bitterness, and bring the house down once again.


Plain Jane to the Rescue
1982 · 1h 26m
country: Hong Kong
Jane, with plain looks but a heart of gold, is always in between jobs. Once she gets a job, her knack for creating awkward situations immediately loses it for her. Ricky is her suitor, but he gets nowhere as the girl has no time for love. So Ricky goes along with her in job hunting. Somehow, Jane lands on a job as governess. Not to a child, but to an uncouth very old, very rich man who still wants to lead the life of his poor, uncivilized youth. His son is now running the old man's millions. He wants to bring up the father the civilized way. And he wants to take over the whole city through take-over deals. He is ruthless and has thrown thousands into the streets.


To Hell with the Devil
1982 · 1h 28m
country: Hong Kong
A shmo makes a deal with the devil so he can become a great Pop star just to impress his dream girl. After he makes the deal, a catholic priest hangs around him to try and convince him that he screwed up and he needs to get his soul back or he'll be damned for eternity. Well, everything goes bad for the shmo and he wants his soul back. But, the devil's lacky doesn't want to give it back. So the priest and the devil's lackey go at it mano y mano.


Laughing Times
1980 · 1h 38m
country: Hong Kong
A homeless wanderer just happens across various articles of clothing that make him resemble Charlie Chaplin much to the amusement of passersby.


From Riches to Rags
1980 · 1h 41m
country: Hong Kong
Ricky and Fatso are friends in need. They are in dire need of money since they are only paid slave wages at the bottling factory. However, they become millionaires overnight after buying a winning lottery ticket. During one of their swingin' nights on the town, Ricky is suddenly attacked by an upset stomach; and in no time, a quack doctor diagnoses the seizure as terminal cancer. Ricky seriously considers suicide. But he is appalled by the drawbacks inherent in the available methods of doing himself in--primarily the pain! It is on a rooftop from which he is supposed to make a plunge that he saves a poor man from suicide by giving the latter all the money he has. In gratitude, the newly rich man promises to hire a killer to finish off his suffering benefactor...


Last Hurrah for Chivalry
1979 · 1h 46m
country: Hong Kong
Kao has purchased a new wife, but an enemy has paid her more money to kill him. Kao must recruit a pair of swordsmen to help defend himself and his family from his ruthless enemy. But Kao has his dark side as well.


Hello, Late Homecomers
1978 · 1h 37m
country: Hong Kong
An omnibus of tales from the three directors, Sit, Maka and Woo. Each dealing with true love and romance. The third and the best one of the tales deals with a hen-pecked husband trying to kill his wife. An action packed tale written and directed by John Woo who lets the fireworks fly!


Follow the Star
1978 · 1h 36m
country: Hong Kong
On that side of the track is Ah Sing (Roy Chiao), uncouth, unkempt, a garage repairman, a bravado with plenty of tricks up his overall sleeve. And on the other side of the track is rich, young recording artist Gayle (Rowena Cortes), idol of the young with her songs and dances, but an orphan. Harry is her manager. They should not meet, least to say forming some kind of partnership, but they do. Gayle goes to Ah Sing's garage for repairs. When Harry and she drive off, the car's undercarriage Ah Sing and drags him along. Fate steps in the form of five toughles who stop the car and kidnap Gayle to a farmhouse. It so happens that Gayle's father and the five were robbers but the father took off with all the money while the five were caught. They want the money back now they have served the time...


Money Crazy
1977 · 1h 32m
country: Hong Kong
Ducky is hired by Rich Chen to transport the "diamonds" he stole from Uncle Pai Mary. Uncles Tough Guy and Mary would like to get the diamond from Ducky, so they volunteer to relieve Ducky of his responsibility.


Hand of Death
1976 · 1h 37m
country: Hong Kong
A young monk must face the Extended Iron Claw technique of a powerful warlord seeking to destroy Shaolin.


Princess Chang-Ping
1976 · 1h 42m
country: Hong Kong
A beautiful Cantonese opera about the forbidden love between a princess and a scholar. The backdrop is Ming dynasty China and the two would rather die than be apart.


The Dragon Tamers
1975 · 1h 47m
country: Hong Kong
Carter Wong plays a young chinese martial arts student who travels to Korea to learn Taekwondo. Soon he comes up against a vicious gang who want all the local martial arts schools to join their evil association. But before he can defeat the bad guys, he has to learn to master his own strong desire to fight.


The Young Dragons
1974 · 1h 35m
country: Hong Kong
Powerful mobster Leung, protected by the dangerous Huan Fai, sells 200 Japanese weapons and ammo to a Chinese gang. He uses smuggler Luy Fu to bring the weapons but small-time thief Kim and his gang heist the shipment and dump the cargo into the sea. Meanwhile, Kim befriends Fan Ming, an undercover police office from Shanghai investigating Leung's crimes.


Dead Knot
1969 · 19m
country: Hong Kong
Explores youthful angst and restlessness through the complex, intertwined relationships of two men and a woman.


Accidentally
1968 · 8m
country: Hong Kong
John Woo's experimental short film, made during his time in college. The line between genuine love and violent obsession is blurred when a man falls for a girl and proceeds to tie her up with rope to him, making her follow him around and bend to his whims until tragedy ultimately befalls them both.