John Woo

• Chinese director, born in 1946 in Canton.

  John Woo grew up in Hong Kong and started out as a production assistant at the famous Shaw Brothers studios, before directing his first feature film, The Young Dragons (1974). Influenced by the ancient Chinese values of chivalry, he directed several martial arts films, including Hand of Death with Jackie Chan. In 1983, he had a landmark meeting with director Tsui Hark, who produced his box-office sensation, the A Better Tomorrow trilogy. He later directed The Killer (1989) and Bullet in the Head (1990), which earned him international fame and the admiration of Tarantino and Coppola. Moving to Los Angeles, he produced his first American film, Hard Target, in 1993. The thriller Face/Off (1997) starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage and Mission Impossible 2 (2000) were to follow. John Woo has since alternated between Chinese and American productions. 

• The Young Dragons (1974) – The Dragon Tamers (1975) –Princess Chang Ping (1976) – Hand of Death (1976) – Money Crazy (1977) – Follow the Star (1978) – Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) – From Riches to Rags (1980) – Laughing Times (1980) – To Hell with the Devil (1981) – Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982) –   The Time You Need a Friend (1985) –Run Tiger Run (1985) – A Better Tomorrow (1986) – Heroes Shed No Tears (1986) – A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987) – The Killer (1989) – Just Heroes (1989) – Bullet in the Head (1990) – Once a Thief (1991) – Hard-boiled (1992) – Hard Target (1993) – Broken Arrow (1996) – Face/off (1997) –Mission: Impossible II (2000) – Windtalkers (2002) – Paycheck (2003) – Red Cliff (2008) – Reign of Assassins (2009) – The Crossing (2014) – The Crossing 2 (2015) – Manhunt (2017) – Silent Night (2023)