Ten Thousand Bullets: The Cinematic Journey of John Woo

M. Wayne Cunningham is a past executive director of the Saskatchewan
Arts Board and the former director of Academic and Career Programs at
East Kootenay Community College.

Ten Thousand Bullets is an interesting and revealing overview of John
Woo’s life as a filmmaker in Hong Kong and the United States.

Woo grew up in Hong Kong, in an area where “people were murdered
right outside [his] door all the time.” He was captivated by the
silver screen at an early age. His cinematic vision was shaped by
foreign filmmakers such as Franзois Truffaut, Michelangelo Antonioni,
Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, and especially by Jean Pierre
Melville’s 1967 film noir classic, Le Samourai. Heard traces the ups
and downs of Woo’s association with Hong Kong’s Cathay Studios, Shaw
Brothers Studio, and the Golden Harvest film production corporation and
examines his later career in the United States. While Woo’s film
career is the focus of the book, there are interesting sidetrips
involving actors, directors, choreographers, and writers associated with
Woo and his films. Particular emphasis is placed on the friendship
between Woo and actor Chow Yun-fat.

Woo’s films are famous for their fast-paced action and stylistic
violence. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the films and
their influences (including poetry and music and the director’s
lifelong fascination with Le Samourai). We learn about Woo’s influence
on Quentin Tarantino and about the boundless obsession with detail Woo
exhibits while working on a film project.

Heard’s discussion of soundtracks in Woo’s films includes a telling
remark from Chow Yun-fat: “He loves the sound of bullets firing.” In
fact, Woo will be remembered for more than the violence in his films. As
the author of this captivating study notes: “Woo helped touch off a
new renaissance within the American movie industry, introducing a
stylishness that hasn’t been seen since the end of the sixties.” An
interview with Chow Yun-fat appears as an appendix, and there is a
filmography of Woo’s projects.