John Woo

Book excerpt: The first edition of John Woo: The Films (McFarland, 1999) was the earliest English-language volume to address the motion picture output of the celebrated Hong Kong director. The book dealt with Woo's film career from his professional beginnings in 1968 through his first three Hollywood releases (Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Face/Off), situating his work within Asian and Western cinematic and cultural traditions. This second edition offers a wealth of additional information, including treatment of John Woo's Hollywood productions Mission: Impossible II, Windtalkers and Paycheck. Also featured is material on Woo's epic Red Cliff, filmed in China. A new foreword is provided by Tony Williams, author of John Woo's Bullet in the Head. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.