The Killer (2024 film)

Film by John Woo

The Killer

Release poster

Directed by| John Woo
Screenplay by|

* Brian Helgeland
* Josh Campbell
* Matt Stuecken

Based on| The Killer
by John Woo
Produced by|

* Charles Roven
* Alex Gartner
* John Woo
* Lori Tilkin deFelice

Starring|

* Nathalie Emmanuel
* Omar Sy
* Sam Worthington
* Diana Silvers
* Eric Cantona
* Saïd Taghmaoui

Cinematography| Mauro Fiore
Edited by| Zach Staenberg
Music by| Marco Beltrami

Production
companies

* Universal Pictures
* A Better Tomorrow Films
* Atlas Entertainment

Distributed by| Peacock

Release date

* August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23)

Running time

| 126 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| English
French
Budget| $30 million
Box office| $318,618

The Killer is a 2024 American action thriller film directed by John Woo. It is a remake of Woo's 1989 film. The film stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Omar Sy, Sam Worthington, Diana Silvers, Eric Cantona, and Saïd Taghmaoui.

It was released in the United States by the streaming service Peacock on August 23, 2024.

## Plot

[edit]

Zee is a professional hit woman living in Paris who is regularly employed by Finn, an Irishman working for crime lord Jules Gobert, to eliminate Gobert's rivals in the drug business. Her violent lifestyle has left her with few things to enjoy, including the friendship of an old high-class tailor named Tessier, who provides her with disguises for her jobs, keeping a goldfish, and solving crossword puzzles. In the underworld, she has become infamous as the Queen of the Dead.

Finn contracts Zee to kill the members of a drug gang from Marseille partying in a local nightclub where a young American singer named Jenn Clark is performing. At about the same time, a police inspector named Sey and his partner Jax try to arrest Jenn's drug-dealing boyfriend "Coco", but Coco escapes, injures Jax and takes a hostage, forcing Sey to kill him. At the time of his death, Coco was listening to a demo recording of one of Jenn's songs, leading Sey onto Jenn's trail. In spite of the gangsters receiving texts that Coco has been killed, Zee eliminates them all, but in the carnage Jenn hits the back of her head in a fall, causing her to go blind. Although obliged to kill all present, Zee spares Jenn as an uninvolved "civilian". Upon learning this, Finn sends her to the hospital Jenn is kept in to finish the job.

Posing as a vice-consul from the US embassy, Zee gains access to Jenn's room but again spares her. Just then Sey enters to take Jenn's statement about the nightclub murders, but due to her traumatic shock, Jenn remembers little. Sey becomes suspicious of Zee.

Sey connects Gobert to a recent theft of a large load of heroin from Arabian prince Majeb Bin Faheem, who is dealing with Gobert. However, his investigations are stymied by his superiors, who fear its impact on their careers, especially since some of the gangsters involved in both crimes were dirty cops working for Gobert. Additionally, it is revealed that Finn is responsible for the heroin theft since he intends to corner the Paris drug market for himself.

Before Finn's thugs can assassinate Jenn at the same hospital where Sey is visiting Jax, Zee arrives to take her to safety. During the resulting shootout, killing multiple staff and patients, Zee and Sey briefly meet face-to-face before Zee escapes and takes Jenn to her apartment. After Jenn identifies Zee as the killer from the night club, she reveals that she is not an uninvolved "civilian", as she and Coco have stolen Bin Faheem's heroin shipment from its original thieves, thus having set off the subsequent string of murders. Zee meets with Finn and lies that she has eliminated Jenn, but Finn later learns the truth. Sey tracks Zee down and has her arrested, and while questioning her, he learns that she was involved in one of his earlier cases against another drug dealer, thereby saving his life. Zee escapes custody, only to find that Jenn has been kidnapped by Finn's men, and learns from Tessier that he was coerced by a cop to inform him when Zee contacts him.

Gobert demands of Finn to have Zee assassinate Bin Faheem for his failure to deliver, but Finn has Gobert killed instead. Then he arranges for Sey to be framed, forcing him to go into hiding, and tasks Zee with eliminating him, promising her and Jenn's freedom in return. However, when Zee sees Sey meeting Jax at the appointed place and one of Finn's assassins waiting to kill her after her hit, she realizes the set-up, kills the assassin, exposes Jax as being on Finn's take, and teams up with Sey to bring Finn down. They retrieve the heroin Jenn had stolen and arrange an exchange of the drugs for Jenn at an abandoned church.

The meeting results in a violent fight between Zee, Sey and Finn and his assassins, during which the drugs are destroyed by an explosive charge set by Sey and Jenn recovers her sight. As Finn prepares to kill Zee, she distracts him with a silly question, allowing Sey to slide her a gun which she uses to shoot Finn. After secretly watching Jenn being reunited with her mother, she calls Sey, telling him that she is planning to change her life, and they share a light-hearted goodbye.

## Cast

[edit]

* Nathalie Emmanuel as Zee
* Omar Sy as Sey
* Sam Worthington as Finn
* Diana Silvers as Jenn Clark
* Saïd Taghmaoui as Prince Majeb Bin Faheem
* Angeles Woo as Chi Mai
* Eric Cantona as Jules Gobert
* Tchéky Karyo as Tessier
* Grégory Montel as Jax
* Hugo Diego Garcia as Coco
* Michaël Erpelding as Serge
* Aurélia Agel as Juliet

## Production

[edit]

In 1992, American filmmaker Walter Hill and David Giler wrote a screenplay for Tri-Star Pictures titled The Killer that was dated 6 April 1992.[1] The press release for this remake stated the script was written for actors Richard Gere and Denzel Washington.[1] In June 1992, it was announced Walter Hill and Giler were writing a script titled Hong Kong based on The Killer with Hill directing.[2] The producers had difficulty with the relationship between the two main characters in the script as they felt that American audiences would interpret it as a homoerotic one. Producer Terence Chang, who worked with Woo on several productions, suggested to the American producers to have Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh play the role of the police officer to resolve any homoerotic reading of the film.[3] A year later, screenwriters Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. were hired by producers Charles Roven and Robert Cavallo to write a screenplay based on The Killer for Tristar, writing a third draft of the script dated on 23 August 1993 which featured a story of a Caucasian hitman living in Hong Kong. This screenplay moved the focus from the pairing of the hitman and the police detective characters to the characters of a blinded nightclub singer and the hitman.[4]

In October 2007, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a remake of The Killer was announced with Korean-American director John H. Lee directing. The remake would take place in Los Angeles's Koreatown, Chinatown, and South Central. Lee named The Killer as one of his favorite films and said he was excited to make his own version of the film.[5] Lee's version was set to be produced by Woo, and star Jung Woo-sung and shot in 3D.[6] Seven Stars Film Studios was slated to finance the production with a screenplay by Josh Campbell.[7] Sarah Li was initially cast to play the role of the blind singer.[7] Woo spoke about the remake in October 2015, stating that Lee's film was in development for some time and Lee eventually took on other projects.[8] Woo commented in 2015 that he would return to Hollywood after filming Manhunt (2017) in order to make an American adaptation of The Killer.[8] Universal Pictures was announced to be developing the film with a script written by Eran Creevy based on drafts by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, with additional contributions by Brian Helgeland.[9] Actress Lupita Nyong'o had been cast for the lead role.[9] Woo said that filming would begin in January 2019.[10] About the decision to flip both the gender and race of the lead, Nyong'o remarked that she "did not see it coming, either", stating that she had received, read and liked the script without having seen the original movie.[11] However, Woo told Deadline in November 2019 that Nyong'o had left the film due to scheduling conflicts as a result of a script rewrite.[12] In May 2022, it was announced that the film would be directed by Woo, produced by Universal, and released exclusively on Peacock.[13] In August 2022, Universal announced that Omar Sy would lead the film as the cop character.[14] In March 2023, Nathalie Emmanuel was cast in the lead role.[15] Woo returned to work on The Killer following a multi-month hiatus on shooting the film in Paris due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[16]

## Release

[edit]

The film was released on Peacock on August 23, 2024.[17]

## Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 57 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "John Woo recaptures some of his legendary action bravura in this gallic  [sic] reimagining of his very own The Killer, although the kinetic set pieces don't quite compensate for the overall lack of personality."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Heard (1999), p. 79
2. ^ Wells, Jeffrey (June 19, 1992). "Orient Excess". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
3. ^ Heard (1999), p. 80
4. ^ Heard (1999), p. 81
5. ^ Landreth, Jonathan (October 8, 2007). "Woo's "Killer" gets a new U.S. contract". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
6. ^ "John Woo's 'The Killer' to get English-language remake". The Independent. London. February 1, 2011. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
7. ^ a b Cremin, Stephen (May 18, 2012). "Wu backs Woo's Killer". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
8. ^ a b Gallagher, Chris (October 26, 2015). "John Woo keeps aim on 'The Killer' remake". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
9. ^ a b McNary, Dave (April 30, 2018). "Lupita Nyong'o to Star in 'The Killer' Remake With John Woo Directing". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
10. ^ Keeley, Pete (August 24, 2018). "'Hard Target' at 25: John Woo on Fighting for Respect in Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
11. ^ Obenson, Tambay (December 14, 2018). "Lupita Nyong'o Is at the Height of Her Powers, Even Before John Woo's Remake of 'The Killer'". Indie Wire. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
12. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 16, 2019). "John Woo Says Lupita Nyong'o No Longer Attached To 'The Killer' Remake, Talks 'Face/Off' Reboot, Chimes In On Superhero Movie Debate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
13. ^ Petski, Denise (May 2, 2022). "Original Films From LeBron James, Will Packer & John Woo To Premiere On Peacock In 2023". Deadline. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
14. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 4, 2022). "'Lupin's Omar Sy to Lead John Woo's Reimagining of 'The Killer' for Peacock". Deadline Hollywood.
15. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 14, 2023). "'Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel to Co-Star Opposite Omar Sy in 'The Killer' for Universal, Peacock and John Woo". Deadline Hollywood.
16. ^ Bramesco, Charles (November 23, 2023). "The Return of John Woo: 'I Still Know What I'm Doing'". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
17. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (June 21, 2024). "The Killer: Exclusive First Look at John Woo and Peacock's Reimagining of the Action Classic". IGN. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
18. ^ "The Killer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
19. ^ "The Killer". Metacritic. Retrieved August 24, 2024.

### Sources

[edit]

* Heard, Christopher (1999). Ten Thousand Bullets: The Cinematic Journey of John Woo. Doubleday Canada. ISBN 0-385-25731-7.

## External links

[edit]

* The Killer at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films by John Woo

Directed|

* The Young Dragons (1974)
* The Dragon Tamers (1975)
* Princess Chang Ping (1976)
* Hand of Death (1976)
* Money Crazy (1977)
* Hello, Late Homecomers (1978)
* Follow the Star (1978)
* Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)
* From Riches to Rags (1980)
* Laughing Times (1980)
* To Hell with the Devil (1982)
* Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982)
* Run, Tiger, Run (1984)
* Heroes Shed No Tears (1984)
* The Time You Need a Friend (1985)
* A Better Tomorrow (1986)
* A Better Tomorrow II (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)
* Once a Thief (1996)
* Face/Off (1997)
* Blackjack (1998)
* Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
* Windtalkers (2002)
* Paycheck (2003)
* All the Invisible Children (2005, segment "Song Song and Little Cat")
* Red Cliff (2008)
* Reign of Assassins (2010)
* The Crossing (2014)
* Manhunt (2017)
* Silent Night (2023)
* The Killer (2024)

Written only|

* A Better Tomorrow (2010)

Produced only|

* A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon (1989)
* Peace Hotel (1995)
* Somebody Up There Likes Me (1996)
* The Big Hit (1998)
* Bulletproof Monk (2003)
* Blood Brothers (2007)
* Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina (2007)
* Seediq Bale (2011)

* v
* t
* e

Peacock original programming

Current|

| Original|

* We Are Lady Parts (since 2021)
* Hart to Heart (since 2021)
* Paris in Love (since 2021)
* The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip (since 2021)
* Bel-Air (since 2022)
* The Traitors (since 2023)
* Poker Face (since 2023)
* Twisted Metal (since 2023)
* Love Island Games (since 2023)
* Ted (since 2024)
* The Day of the Jackal (since 2024)

|

Continuations|

* Love Island (seasons 4–7; since 2022)
* Days of Our Lives (since 2022)
* Law & Order: Organized Crime (season 5; since 2025)

Ended|

| Original|

* Cleopatra in Space (2020–2021)
* Brave New World (2020)
* Lost Speedways (2020–2021)
* Madagascar: A Little Wild (2020–2022)
* The Amber Ruffin Show (2020–2022)
* The Mighty Ones (2020–2022)
* Trolls: TrollsTopia (2020–2022)
* Saved by the Bell (2020–2021)
* Punky Brewster (2021)
* Rutherford Falls (2021–2022)
* Girls5eva (2021–2022)
* Vanderpump Dogs (2021)
* Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell (2021)
* Dr. Death (2021-2023)
* Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem (2021–2022)
* Top Chef Family Style (2021)
* The Lost Symbol (2021)
* The Croods: Family Tree (2021–2023)
* One of Us Is Lying (2021–2022)
* The Kids Tonight Show (2021)
* The Girl in the Woods (2021)
* Baking It (2021–2023)
* MacGruber (2021)
* DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms (2021–2023)
* Supernatural Academy (2022)
* Killing It (2022–2023)
* Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (2022)
* Take Note (2022)
* Joe vs. Carole (2022)
* Bust Down (2022)
* Below Deck Down Under (2022)
* MLB Sunday Leadoff (2022–2023)
* Angelyne (2022)
* Queer as Folk (2022)
* The Resort (2022)
* Vampire Academy (2022)
* Abominable and the Invisible City (2022–2023)
* A Friend of the Family (2022)
* The Calling (2022)
* Irreverent (2022)
* The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)
* Paul T. Goldman (2023)
* Mrs. Davis (2023)
* Bupkis (2023)
* Based on a True Story (2023–2024)
* Fright Krewe (2023–2024)
* The Continental (2023)
* In the Know (2024)
* Megamind Rules! (2024)
* Apples Never Fall (2024)
* The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024)
* Those About to Die (2024)
* Face to Face with Scott Peterson (2024)
* Mr. Throwback (2024)
* Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (2024)
* Teacup (2024)
* Hysteria! (2024)
* Laid (2024)
* Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2025)
* Long Bright River (2025)

|

Continuations|

* Curious George (2020–2022)
* Where's Wally? (2020–2021)
* A.P. Bio (2020–2021)
* Connecting (2020)
* Archibald's Next Big Thing Is Here! (2021)
* DreamWorks Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky (2021–2022)
* American Ninja Warrior Junior (2021)
* Home Sweet Home (2021)
* The Real Housewives of Miami (2021–2023)

Films|

* Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020)
* Black Boys (2020)
* Psych 3: This Is Gus (2021)
* My Son (2021)
* Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas (2021)
* Meet Cute (2022)
* They/Them (2022)
* Sick (2023)
* Praise This (2023)
* Shooting Stars (2023)
* If You Were the Last (2023)
* Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023)
* Genie (2023)
* Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)
* Bosco (2024)
* Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate (2024)
* Stormy (2024)
* The Killer (2024)
* Gary (2024)

Upcoming|

| Original|

* All Her Fault (2025)
* The Paper (2025)
* The Copenhagen Test (TBA)
* Crystal Lake (TBA)
* The Good Daughter (TBA)
* The Miniature Wife (TBA)
* Ponies (TBA)

|

Continuations|

* House of Villains (season 3; 2026)
* Married at First Sight (season 19; TBA)

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