Ying xiong wu lei (1986)

Director:

John Woo

Guionista:

John Woo (writer)

Release Date:

26 julio 1999 (France)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Thai government hires group of Chinese mercenaries to capture powerful druglord from Golden Triangle...

Plot Keywords:

Mercenary | Drugs | Vietnam

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Before Eastern Condors There Was Heroes Shed No Tears

Cast

Yuet Sang Chin
Doo Hee Jang
Ho Kon Kim
Eddy Ko	...	Chan Chung
Ching-Ying Lam	...	Vietnamese officer
Chau Sang Lau	...	Chau Sang
Cécile Le Bailly	...	French girl
Philippe Loffredo
Kuo Sheng

También conocida como:

Heroes Shed No Tears (Hong Kong: English title)
The Sunset Warrior
Ying hung mo lui (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Duración:

93 min | USA:82 min

País:

Hong Kong

Idioma:

Cantonese | English | Thai | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Mono

Clasificación:

Australia:MA (2007) | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | Portugal:M/18 | West Germany:18 | UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Thailand

Company:

Paragon Films Ltd.

Trivialidades:

Even though he disavowed it at first (mostly due to Golden Harvest's re-editing), 'John Woo' calls this his first "real" film. He also enjoyed his first international shooting experience; Woo thought the Thai crew was very professional and willing to partake of dangerous stunts even the noted Hong Kong stuntmen would not tackle.

Movie Connections:

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

Before Eastern Condors There Was Heroes Shed No Tears

Ying Xiong Wei Lei/Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) was a pivotal feature in the early 80s for the director, John Woo. This was the first John Woo movie that included heavy use of gunplay. Although filmed in 1984/85, Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) did not get released until after the box office success of A Better Tomorrow(1986). Before this, Woo was mainly known for his comedies and Kung Fu flicks. Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) combines explosive action with some good martial arts.

Even if the film isn't as great or polish as John Woo's best, its still better then most of the ones that he has done in Hollywood. There are a few terrific set pieces within the movie. One, the opening gun battle with some drug runners. Two, the fight between the mercenaries and the Thai natives. Three, the martial arts fight between Eddy Ko and Ching Ying Lam.

It was one of the few war films besides Eastern Condors(1987) and Bullet in the Head(1990) to come out of Hong Kong. Ying Xiong Wei Lei(1986) is a precursor to John Woo's Bullet in the Head(1990). The plot of the film is very similar to Eastern Condors(1987) in that both films deal with mercenaries who are sent to Southeast Asia on a secret mission. Heroes Shed No Tears is the most grim and nihilistic of all John Woo movies(that includes Bullet in the Head). Its in the tradition of films like Aguirre:The Wrath of God(1974), The Deer Hunter(1978), and Apocalypse Now(1979).

Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) is a modern day retelling of the Lone Wolf & Cub comics. The relationship between Eddy Ko's soldier and his son has the same fatalistic bond that was present with Ogami Itto and his son, Daigoro. Its the closest thing that John Woo has ever come to doing a Lone Wolf & Cub feature. There is a scene that's right out of Lone Wolf & Cub(involves a child who covers himself in a mudhole in order to avoid being burned alive in a fire). The big influence for the one sequence is a similar sequence from Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart in Peril(1973).

Ching Ying Lam is very convincing as the cruel and sadistic Vietnamese officer. The torture scene involving Eddy Ko is the most brutal one ever done by Woo. Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) has many traits that would become part of the Heroic Bloodshed genre in Hong Kong. Has its share of fogish atmosphere and stylish cinematography. The fight near the end of the movie would be done again in the terrible Mission:Impossible 2(2000)(there was also a exact scene in Strike of Death{1975}).