The Killer

Friday, August 15 - Thursday, August 21, 2025

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

“The most famous of all Cantonese-language movies concerns a hired assassin (Chow Yun-fat) who accidentally blinds a nightclub singer (Sally Yeh) during what was to have been his final job. Danny Lee plays the disgruntled cop who tries to track down the killer through the singer, whom Chow has befriended in order to right his wrong. When a power-crazed former client tries to kill Chow in order to silence him, the hit man and the cop find themselves on the same side.” – Fredric Dannen, Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider’s Guide to the Hollywood of the East

“The best Scorsese/Melville homage ever made.” – Tony Rayns

Screening as part of our Hong Kong Cinema Classics series

See more and save! Get a Hong Kong Cinema Classics 3-Ticket Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any 3 shows in the retrospective.

  • Country Hong Kong
  • Language Cantonese with English subtitles
  • Year 1989
  • Running Time 111 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Shout! Studios
  • Director John Woo
  • Cast Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Chu Kong, Kenneth Tsang
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.