The Killer (1989): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1989, The Killer is an action, thriller, drama and crime film directed by John Woo, running about 110 minutes. “One Vicious Hitman. One Fierce Cop. Ten Thousand Bullets.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right.

Who’s in it. The Killer stars Chow Yun-fat as Ah Jong, Danny Lee Sau-Yin as Insp. Li Ying / Little Eagle, Sally Yeh as Jennie and Paul Chu Kong as Sidney Fung, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.6/10, The Killer has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $2.4M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on fuboTV and Criterion Channel and rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Killer page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Killer tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.