More DVD Insiders

DVD Insider An offbeat look at a new release

"Hard Boiled"

A former gun lobbyist targets John Woo's ammo-heavy 1992 action drama as a real blast.

The Plot
This stylish shoot-'em-up directed by John Woo tells the story of Tequila (Chow Yun-Fat), a Hong Kong cop who enjoys playing bluesy saxophone but really excels at firing a heavy-metal Uzi. His gunslinging skills come in handy when he joins forces with an undercover agent to fight a Chinese triad trafficking in illegal armaments.

Our Insider
Richard Feldman was regional political director for the National Rifle Association and lobbied for the firearm industry's trade group in the 1990s. Author of the forthcoming "Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist," he is now a consultant. He's also an avid collector, with more than 100 weapons in his personal arsenal.

OVERVIEW "'Hard Boiled' is violence personified, and the screen just lights up with cordite. There are firefights going on in Iraq right now that probably use less firepower than this movie has in one scene. It's not a suitable film for an 8-year-old child, but I'm a real action junkie, and I thought it was a great combination of 'Dirty Harry' and 'Bullitt.'"

BANG BANG, SHOOT SHOOT "If you're a gun enthusiast, there are things you'll love and hate about this film. John Woo's slow-motion photography is beautiful, especially the scenes in which the brass casings are ejected and fly through the air. But the shootouts are pure fantasyland -- you'd need cases and cases of ammo to load and reload all those guns. You see the characters change clips a few times, but not nearly enough. All the shootouts are action-packed, especially the early scene in which Tequila slides down a stairway banister, firing away with guns in both hands. I enjoyed watching it; it's fun, but it's not the real world."

GUNS 'N POSES "There are other, um, holes in the plotline when it comes to the guns. For instance, the triad sells rifles and shotguns, but most criminals won't use those kinds of weapons because they're not easily concealed. Then, there's a scene where a shotgun blast hits a motorcycle, blowing it up into a ball of flame -- pure hokum. And there's a killing in a library with a low-end, frequently malfunctioning gun called a Davis 32 that's been outfitted with a costly silencer; only a poor street thug would do that, not a professional gunrunner or hit man."

GREATEST HITS "The climactic hospital scene was pretty dramatic, with all these guns going off in a tight, tiny space while patients on crutches and in wheelchairs scrambled out of the building. But my favorite scene occurs when the two heroes point guns at each other's heads in what's known as a 'Mexican standoff.' When the film was made, semiautomatics were replacing police revolvers all over the world, so it reminded me of that old gun lovers' saying: 'Peace through superior firepower.' "

-- Jeffrey Ressner