---
name: "John Woo"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-woo"
fi1m_id: "john-woo"
imdb_id: "nm0000247"
tmdb_id: 11401
wikidata_id: "Q55432"
roles: ["Director","Writer"]
born: "22 September 1946"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "director"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-05T00:22:50.676501+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Woo

## Identity

John Woo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-woo
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-woo
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000247
- **TMDB ID:** 11401
- **Wikidata ID:** Q55432
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55432, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000247/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11401

Director and writer. Born 22 September 1946 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer
- **Born:** 22 September 1946, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- **Active:** 1992–2000
- **Also known as:** Wu Yu-Sheng, Wu Yu-Shen, Wu Yao-Shen, John Y. S. Woo, John Y. Woo, Ng Yue-Sum, 吳宇森
- **Frequently works with:** [Terence Chang](https://film.one/person/terence-chang.md), [John Travolta](https://film.one/person/john-travolta.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as director, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 77 (3), 2000s 55 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 68 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Action 4, Thriller 3, Crime 2, Adventure 1, Science Fiction 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $945m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55432, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000247/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11401

## Streaming the US now

- **The Criterion Channel:** [*Hard Boiled*](https://film.one/film/hard-boiled.md) (86)
- **Paramount+:** [*Mission: Impossible II*](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-ii.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on John Woo

> John Woo makes extravagant violence feel personal, staging gunfights with the care other directors give a dance. We rate him for the emotion and clarity, though his appetite for another shoot-out can wear down both.

In *Face/Off* (1997), John Travolta and Nicolas Cage take the business of playing each other seriously enough to make an impossible identity swap worth following. We were delighted by their conviction in such a daft proposition. John Woo gives them room to perform even inside his elaborate action sequences. We rate him highly for that combination of feeling and controlled movement, with one substantial reservation: his appetite for another shoot-out can outlast ours.

His early martial arts films and comedies gave way to *A Better Tomorrow* (1986), which established his reputation with Chow Yun-fat. *The Killer* (1989) took his mixture of violence, melodrama and honour to international attention; *Hard Boiled* (1992) was the culmination of that Hong Kong period. The move to Hollywood began with *Hard Target* (1993), where studio constraints limited his freedom. He returned to Chinese-language filmmaking with *Red Cliff* (2008), and resumed English-language work with *Silent Night* (2023). The familiar slow motion and paired pistols can make it easy to overlook how much his films depend on men proving their loyalty.

*Face/Off* is where we would start. Cinematographer Oliver Wood keeps Woo’s choreography readable, while editors Steven Kemper and Christian Wagner maintain the excitement within individual sequences. We can follow the movement without losing sight of the actors, which matters when their performances are the chief pleasure. The trouble comes from the number of sequences: at 139 minutes, the film gives us time to tire of the gunfire.

Woo also expects domestic unhappiness to hold our attention alongside the violence. John Powell’s score helps those scenes matter, though some changes of mood still feel forced. Neil Spisak’s production design gives the science-fiction premise enough solidity to support the stars without competing with their extravagance. These contributions are important because Woo is asking us to accept something absurd and then care about the people caught in it.

That trust in the actors is worth more than another display of marksmanship. The swap allows for embarrassment, intimacy and confusion, and we would gladly trade a gun battle for more of them. Choose *Face/Off* for the two men taking its nonsense seriously; patience with the extra shooting is part of the arrangement.

## Biography

John Woo is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and producer. Born in Guangzhou, China, he grew up in Hong Kong and began his career as an assistant director at Shaw Brothers Studios in 1969 before directing his first feature in 1973.

He is known for Hong Kong action films including *A Better Tomorrow* (1986), *The Killer* (1989) and *Hard Boiled* (1992), on which he is also credited as editor and story writer. His Hollywood work includes *Hard Target* (1993), *Broken Arrow* (1996), *Face/Off* (1997) and *Mission: Impossible II* (2000). He later returned to Asian cinema with *Red Cliff* (2008).

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Mission: Impossible II* (2000), Fi1m 55, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-ii.md)
- *Face/Off* (1997), Fi1m 84, Storyboard, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/face-off.md)
- *Broken Arrow* (1996), Fi1m 60, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/broken-arrow.md)
- *Hard Boiled* (1992), Fi1m 86, as Mr. Woo — [page](https://film.one/film/hard-boiled.md)

## Complete filmography (101)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Killer* (2024), Director, Producer, Original Film Writer
- *Silent Night* (2023), Producer, Director
- *A Better Tomorrow* (2018), Original Story
- *Manhunt* (2017), Director, Writer
- *The Crossing II* (2015), Director
- *The Crossing I* (2014), Director
- *Breaking the Waves* (2014), Executive Producer
- *Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale* (2012), Producer
- *Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge* (2011), Producer
- *Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag* (2011), Producer
- *Beginning of the Great Revival* (2011), as Lin Sen
- *Color Me Love* (2010), Producer
- *A Better Tomorrow* (2010), Executive Producer, Screenplay, Original Story
- *Reign of Assassins* (2010), Producer, Director
- *My Fair Gentleman* (2009), Producer
- *The Founding of a Republic* (2009), as Liu Wenhui, National Army Officers
- *Red Cliff II* (2009), Screenplay, Director, Producer
- *Red Cliff* (2008), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Team-Up: John Woo and Shinji Aramaki* (2008), Actor
- *Appleseed: Ex Machina* (2007), Producer
- *Blood Brothers* (2007), Producer
- *The Making of Hard Boiled* (2007), Actor
- *The Making of Stranglehold* (2007), as Producer
- *All the Invisible Children* (2006), Director
- *The Robinsons: Lost in Space* (2004), Director
- *Paycheck* (2003), Director, Producer
- *The Master: Chang Cheh Documentary* (2003), Actor
- *The Life and Times of Wu Zhong Xian* (2003), as As himself
- *Bulletproof Monk* (2003), Producer
- *Hostage* (2002), Director
- *Red Skies* (2002), Executive Producer
- *Windtalkers* (2002), Producer, Director
- *Mission: Improbable* (2001), as John Woo
- *The Hire* (2001), series, Director
- *Mission: Impossible II* (2000), Director — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-ii.md)
- *Blackjack* (1998), Director, Producer
- *The Big Hit* (1998), Executive Producer
- *The Replacement Killers* (1998), Choreographer, Executive Producer
- *Task Force* (1997), as Police Chief
- *Face/Off* (1997), Director, Storyboard — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/face-off.md)
- *Once a Thief* (1996), Director
- *Once a Thief* (1996), series, Creator
- *Somebody Up There Likes Me* (1996), Producer
- *Broken Arrow* (1996), Director — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/broken-arrow.md)
- *Don't Cry, Nanking* (1995), Producer
- *Peace Hotel* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Hard Target* (1993), Director
- *Hard Boiled* (1992), as Mr. Woo · Director, Editor, Story — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/hard-boiled.md)
- *Twin Dragons* (1992), as Priest
- *The Banquet* (1991), as Man on Stairs
- *Once a Thief* (1991), as Stanley Wu · Director, Screenplay, Story
- *Rebel from China* (1990), as Kwong
- *Bullet in the Head* (1990), as Policeman · Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
- *A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon* (1989), Producer
- *Just Heroes* (1989), Director
- *Sunset in Paris* (1989), as Maggie's uncle
- *The Killer* (1989), Director, Screenplay
- *Starry Is the Night* (1988), as Father Fan
- *I Love Maria* (1988), Actor
- *A Better Tomorrow II* (1987), Director, Writer
- *The Thirty Million Dollar Rush* (1987), as Ling's Husband
- *A Better Tomorrow* (1986), as Inspector Wu · Director, Writer
- *Ghost Bustin* (1985), Producer
- *Love, Lone Flower* (1985), as Producer
- *Super Citizen* (1985), Producer
- *Run Tiger Run* (1985), Director, Producer
- *Happy Union 2* (1985), as Producer
- *Heroes Shed No Tears* (1984), Producer, Director, Writer
- *The Time You Need a Friend* (1984), Director
- *Happy Union* (1984), Producer
- *Plain Jane to the Rescue* (1982), Director, Screenplay
- *To Hell with the Devil* (1982), Director, Writer
- *The Idiot Assassin* (1981), Producer
- *Laughing Times* (1980), Screenplay, Director
- *From Riches to Rags* (1980), as [cameo] · Director, Writer
- *Last Hurrah for Chivalry* (1979), Director, Writer
- *Itchy Fingers* (1979), as Triad Boss on Lorry
- *Hello, Late Homecomers* (1978), Director, Screenplay
- *Follow the Star* (1978), as Miss Chen's Father · Director, Writer, Screenplay
- *Money Crazy* (1977), Director, Screenplay
- *The Private Eyes* (1976), Producer
- *Hand of Death* (1976), as Zhang Yi · Director, Screenplay
- *Princess Chang-Ping* (1976), Director, Screenplay
- *The Dragon Tamers* (1975), Director, Writer
- *Young Lovers on Flying Wheels* (1974), as Man at Bike Reclaim Centre
- *The Young Dragons* (1974), as Message Deliverer · Writer, Director
- *The Devils* (1973), Assistant Director
- *Fist to Fist* (1973), Assistant Director
- *The Mandarin* (1973), as Second Unit
- *Blood Brothers* (1973), Assistant Director
- *Four Riders* (1972), Assistant Director
- *Young People* (1972), Assistant Director
- *The Water Margin* (1972), Assistant Director
- *The Boxer from Shantung* (1972), Assistant Director
- *Begging* (1970), Thanks
- *The Ruthless Heart* (1970), Story
- *Dead Knot* (1969), as Boy · Writer, Producer, Editor, Director
- *Accidentally* (1968), as Young Man · Director, Writer, Editor
- *X-Crucior*, Director
- *Better Tomorrow*, Original Film Writer
- *Gambino*, Director

## Gallery

- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-25c1bdad07f7.jpg) John Woo — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/John_Woo_Cannes_2005.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Avenue of Stars (John Woo) (2007)](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-a7fbb39fd8bf.jpg) Avenue of Stars (John Woo) (2007) — User:Ahleong, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Avenue_of_Stars_John_Woo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![John Woo and Salma Hayek at Cannes (2005)](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-09789c77b28f.jpg) John Woo and Salma Hayek at Cannes (2005) — yakobusan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/John_Woo_Salma_Hayek_Cannes.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![John Woo's signature at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (2010)](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-935c4db87522.jpg) John Woo's signature at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (2010) — NativeForeigner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/John_Woo_graumans.jpg/1280px-John_Woo_graumans.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-70ddbe07fd80.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-691260c055ea.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-1d1020f664f0.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB
- ![Festival de Cannes 2005. From left to right: John Woo, Salma Hayek, Emir Kusturica and Agnès Varda.](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-0b7a1179b20b.jpg) Festival de Cannes 2005. From left to right: John Woo, Salma Hayek, Emir Kusturica and Agnès Varda. — Flickr user Montrasio International, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/John_woo_emir_kusturica_salma_hayek.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![109シネマズ川崎。 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-bf65958a026e.jpg) 109シネマズ川崎。 (2018) — Razgrad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/RZ_Kanagawa_109_Cinemas_Kawasaki_2018-01c.jpg/1280px-RZ_Kanagawa_109_Cinemas_Kawasaki_2018-01c.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-8dcc78887420.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-0c1fab90623c.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB
- ![John Woo](https://film.one/media/person/82183/gallery-799d16a57095.jpg) John Woo — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Golden Horse Award for Best Director 1986: Golden Horse Award for Best Director (won), for *A Better Tomorrow*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-woo