Violence as poetry, rendered by a master-brilliant and passionate, John Woo's "Hard Boiled" tells the story of jaded detective "Tequila" Yuen (played with controlled fury by Chow Yun-fat). Woo's dizzying odyssey through the world of Hong Kong Triads, undercover agents, and frenzied police raids culminates unforgettably in the breathless hospital sequence. More than a cops-and-bad-guys story, "Hard Boiled" continually startles with its originality and dark humor.