JOHN WOO'S INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN FILMS

Even if you have not seen many of Woo's films, you probably have seen elements of his work in many well-known American movies. The following is a list of some of the more notable examples of this.

DESPERADO (1995)

Director Robert Rodriguez has said that this is his homage to Hong Kong movies, John Woo's in particular. The film's hero (played by Antonio Bandaras, doing his best Chow Yun-Fat impersonation) often fights with a gun in each hand ala Woo.

LAST MAN STANDING (1996)

Star Bruce Willis almost never goes into a gunfight without a gun in each hand. The fight scenes are also choreographed, shot and edited much like a John Woo movie.

A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME (1993)

In one sequence, star Keenan Ivory Wayans adopts "Mark Gor style" (black trenchcoat and sunglasses) and attacks the bad guys with dual handguns. One of the gangsters even calls himself "Chow Yun-Fat." During one sequence, Wayans slides down a staircase while shooting the bad guys -- similar to a scene in A Better Tomorrow 2.

NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994)

In an interview, director Oliver Stone (a big fan of Hong Kong movies) said he wanted the shootout inside the drug store to be reminiscent to the shootouts featured in Woo's movies, Hard-Boiled in particular.

RESERVOIR DOGS (1991)

The black suits with skinny ties look and Mr. White's use of dual .45s was inspired by A Better Tomorrow 2.

JACKIE BROWN (1997)

Samuel L. Jackson's character (a gun dealer) mentions that since people saw The Killer, everyone wants dual .45s so they can be like Chow Yun-Fat.

TRUE ROMANCE (1994)

There are many nods to Woo in the film; one of the most notable is when two of the characters can be seen watching A Better Tomorrow 2 on TV.

COBRA (1987)

Sylvester Stallone's character has similar characteristics to Mark Gor -- dressing in black, sunglasses, match in mouth.

TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997)

In the ending shootout, both Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh use dual guns and there is libreal use of slow-motion. Interestingly, director Roger Spottiswoode mentions in the DVD commentary that he wanted to get away from making Woo-like action sequences.

ALIEN RESURRECTION (1998)

One of the characters keeps (and fights with) dual handguns -- the role was originally intended for Chow Yun-Fat.

TOMCATS (2001)

This comedy features a parody of the rock climbing sequence from Mission: Impossible 2.

THE MATRIX (1999)

During one of the key action sequences (and on the poster/cover art), Keanu Reeves dresses like Mark Gor (trenchcoat/sunglasses) and uses several sets of dual guns. In an interview on the DVD, the directors state that they are big fans of John Woo movies and wanted to bring some of those elements to the film.

THE MUMMY (1999)

Brendan Fraser's character (as well as several others in the film) almost always fights with dual handguns.

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