Filmmaking is an unpredictable commodity. You have the ingredients but never quite know how the end product will turn out. Take “Bullet for Hire”. Action movies were popular at the time so take two stars and throw in a bit of heroic bloodshed, a reliable supporting cast, and decent box office returns should follow. As for the quality of the film, well that's an entirely different story. When all the ingredients were put in the blender the script might have been forgotten here.
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Ngok (Lo Lieh) and Hon (Simon Yam) are professional hitmen under the service of Mr Dick (Dick Wei). Hon lives aware that the life of a hitman is short, whilst Ngok is more circumspect with age. Hon is assigned a new partner Shan (Jacky Cheung) a novice from the rural areas who had fought in Vietnam. This pairing struggle to gel until a clash with another gang in a bar gets them to bond. Interpol Agent (Elaine Liu) is still hunting them down after an earlier assignation and tracks down Ngok, who, wanting to protect his daughter agrees to aid the agent but also triggers a series of events that lead to friendships being challenged and a final face off with Mr Dick.
“Bullet for Hire” is a prime example of how different countries and cultures will vary in terms of cinematic structure. In the West, the classic narrative is over three acts. In Hong Kong, it could switch from scene to scene. Here we move from “buddy” comedy to violent action and back again without pausing for breath, and to the uninitiated, it can feel quite strange. Also, this is a film that has no qualms about taking out anyone. For all the aspects of heroic bloodshed and brotherhood on display, these are still hired killers and there is no distinction made in their targets. Here then lies the paradox. The leads are a ruthless killer and one that becomes one. Yet in the true Hong Kong capitalistic fashion of the time, both are portrayed as living an ideal life. The live fast, die young adage is the only variation of the accumulation of wealth ideology that is seen so frequently. Fast cars, women and designer clothes all fit into the glamourization of villainy that was a criticism of the genre at the time. It's only when the plot kicks in and the consequences of their actions hit home that any recognition of the effects of their life does appear. Even then, the actions of one of the characters doesn't quite fit with the portrayal set up previously. It makes engagement with their situation challenging from an outsider point of view.
The narrative itself also has a few loose ends. A tape detailing all the organization's records is set up as a McGuffin in the final third but is never seen again. Nor does Elaine Liu's Interpol agent who appears in three action scenes (including a moment of terrible doubling by a stuntman), sets up the conflict between the characters and then vanishes from the whole thing. The tonal shifts I will confess are part of this era's charms. More recent productions have, for the most part, become more coherent in structure which technically is a good thing. However, it does mean they have lost that “what on earth am I watching” sense of lunacy that keeps you entertained even when the film is falling apart in front of you. “Bullet for Hire” is a classic example. It's not a good piece of cinema, but it's not one that leaves you bored.
For Jacky Cheung, this is not his finest hour. He can be a really good performer but leaves the impression that he is coasting here. Initially, it's almost as if he is in a comedy with his character learning the ropes as a hired killer. When compared to the bloodletting going on around him, it does feel odd. With Simon Yam acting laid back and scolding him for his mistakes, it's as if the profession is just any other job. It just means when it switches to the serious side it's difficult to engage with Shan's situations. Even in the moment where in courting Lan you think he's doing an honourable thing, it is revealed that he wasn't, just didn't have the courage to say so. Simon Yam could do these roles in his sleep which is almost what happens here. This is not entirely his fault, as the character is as shallow as the script he is given to work with. Simon Yam's Hon can be described in one line. A yuppie with a machine gun. It's that contradiction in character we see so often in the genre. A code of honour despite doing an immoral job with no qualms. He seems completely at ease with dispensing death and embraces the lifestyle.
Also check out the Wig in the flashback sequence. It looks absurd and plaudits for Simon Yam in managing to keep a straight face through it! It's Lo Lieh that provides a bit more gravitas. His Ngok is a man running out of time and knows it. He keeps his daughter hidden out of sight as sees what happens when the organization has no more use for people. Like the others, the material is slight, and he at least has a motivation for his actions that seems genuine. Dick Wei looks a lot more distinguished as the unimaginatively named Mr Dick. Only cutting loose with his trademark moves at the end, his is a performance of dignified menace. Never pulling the trigger himself.
When the action comes, it is well shot and edited by future director Marko Mak. The finale is essentially a low budget version of a John Woo film. Not a bad thing but clearly Dick Wei could only afford about 10 henchmen. I liked the fact that just for once, the avengers actually run out of bullets and it creates an added tension which helps. You know that it will ultimately involve a hand to hand fight purely based on casting but at least it's something different. During the movie, we get other brief bursts of action. Some of it quite shocking when we see who the victims are. A brief flurry from Lo Lieh and Elaine Liu is nicely done despite the aforementioned stuntman botch.
This is an average fast-food slice of Hong Kong action that is serviceable if you are in the mood and prepared to accept the moral dubiousness! No pretext to great art but capably handled by Chun Man Yuen. It's a production line piece that passes the time even if that time is instantaneously forgotten the moment the final freeze frame arrives. If you want to watch a good Heroic Bloodshed movie then look elsewhere though.
