Fulltime Killer

2001 Action/Adventure

Following up on his two-fisted 2000 flick The Mission, Johnnie To, along with Wai Ka Fai, directs this high-octane shoot 'em up about a pair of hired killers vying for their reputation and for a beautiful girl. O (Takashi Sorimachi) is a reclusive, highly disciplined assassin who is considered the top killer of Hong Kong. Since the murder of his comely housekeeper, with whom he secretly has fallen in love, he has grown even more inward. For him, any connection to the outside is fraught with danger, usually leading to death. Tok (played by pop star and heartthrob Andy Lau) is the polar opposite of O -- brash and eager to be number one. Chin (Kelly Lin) is O's part-time housekeeper -- a replacement to her murdered predecessor -- and current obsession. When Tok seduces her -- in between knocking off gangsters in a Bill Clinton mask -- he forces O out of his seclusion and into a confrontation with his rival. Meanwhile, Interpol, lead by Inspector Lee (Simon Yam of Bullet in the Head fame), is hot on their trail. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. more..

Director: Johnnie To

Starring: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Simon Yam, Teddy Lin, Kelly Lin

Reviews

  • The story won't win any prizes for coherence, but that doesn't much matter. As in most Hong Kong thrillers, it's the visuals - love those boldly choreographed shootouts! -- and moments of absurdity that count.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    19 January 2013

  • Filmed with panache, wit, chic amorality, and an inexhaustible supply of Micro Uzi ammunition, ''Killer'' nevertheless represents a baroque dead end for the Hong Kong action genre.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

  • The film is filled with the kind of choreographed carnage that became synonymous with Hong Kong action during the genre's heyday, but there's an elegiac self-consciousness to it all that acknowledges that while the best is behind us, there's still something to be said about its passing.

    Ken Fox - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • Too scattershot to take hold.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • The story matters less than the style, full of swooping camera movements, rapid-fire editing, and color-drenched displays of violence the Hong Kong school is famous for.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Film Editing

    Hong Kong Film Awards (2002)