Les Larmes d'un héros

After the groundbreaking A Better Tomorrow that put John Woo name into action movie Hall of Fame for single handedly create a new action sub genre: "Heroic Blooshed" and "Gun-fu" action style in which both has become a staple factor in modern action films and before he return with a bigger and louder sequel A Better Tomorrow 2 John Woo directed an action movie called Heroes Shed No Tears that super hard to watch for me not because of the amount of blood and gore but how disgustingly racist this movie is when it represent the Vietnamese in the 80s. Granted, talk about realism in a movie is kinda wack and most of B-grade war action movie are like this back in the day but when it comes to my country representation and one of my favorite director of course I will put my country first. That being said Heroes Shed No Tears still a fun and over the top action movie that every Woo fan and action fan need to check out

Saw this for the first time recently after reading some glowing reviews, esp that of Ba_Harrison. The name John Woo was another factor too but this film is nowhere close to the director's other films. This film doesn't deserve the glowing reviews.

A group of mercenaries capture a drug Lord n r retreating but r met with fierce reciprocation by the drug lord's men, along the way they save a girl n injure a sadistic Vietnamese colonel, thereby creating more enemies on the trail.

The film has tons of action, lots of explosions, bullets, machine guns, grenades, etc but the film is filled with atrocious acting n horrendous editing.

There is a scene where the crime lord keeps throwing pieces of a pendant while being driven in a jeep a la Hansel n Greetel style, where his men somehow catches with him on foot. In one scene a person is seen holding a woman's body then suddenly in another he is busy shooting. Before a grenade hits the ground/target, people jump as if they r blown away. The film has two lousy sex scenes that too directly out of the blue. The child's idea of burrowing himself when engulfed by fire all around is lol. I felt sad for the American soldier who was living peacefully in the middle of nowhere, that too with three beautiful chicks.

Walking into Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles with a bunch of other 18-35 year old males, I had never even heard of the movie that I was about to watch; John Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears. In fact, the only reason I went to the movie at all was because it was selected by Mr Tarantino. Tarantino encompasses the fantasies of the male mind in every movie he makes, and surely, would recommend a movie that has a similar impact on my testosterone levels. With this in mind, I expected a fun Hong Kong action film. What I drew from the movie was more than this mindless action I expected.

The film's plot, as with most films directed by John Woo, is just an excuse to film long action scenes. It follows the campaign of a group of Chinese Soldiers who are tasked with capturing a drug lord and bringing him from China to Thailand. Such an open plot allows Woo to get away with over-the-top action scenes and marvelously ridiculous plot twists.

Yes, I know what you are thinking, "so it is just another movie that is one massive shootout. Might as well go back to watching my 'important' American drama TV series". Sure, this movie does have these scenes, but they are all quite special. First of all, as this is John Woo's first film, he says he was less cautious with the amount of violence and gore. His lack of caution is apparent in the scenes where Chan Chung (Eddy Ko) guns down endless waves of drug dealers. All of these scenes are doused in over-the-top practical effects and unnecessary gore. This gives them a special feel. This is Eddy Ko's unrestricted, pure, and gritty film making style. This style was also an inspiration to some of Tarantino's action scenes, notably, those in the Kill Bill franchise.

Secondly, Woo's action scenes are all entertaining as hell. Whether it is the the acting that is sometimes so bad it's funny or the direction of John Woo that enthralls the audience right into the action, there is rarely a dull moment in the action scene's of Heroes Shed No Tears.

I vividly recall the whole audience bursting out in laughter and joy every time another body exploded or compound was lit on fire by the Chinese Mercenaries. A movie that has this effect on an audience deserves reverence.

While the scenes between action sequences have much to be desired in terms of capturing audience emotion, I am always one to judge a film for what it is. Few people expect the sadness and deep psychological depth of a movie like The Elephant Man in a Hong Kong action flick from the 80's. If you do, well, I am sorry that Heroes shed no tears disappointed you.

The dialogue scenes did a few things nicely, however. Firstly, they provided a nice explanation to the plot that makes the action scenes feel at least somewhat deserved. They also allowed the audience to laugh at some of the blatantly terrible acting that would rarely be permitted in today's cinema. John Woo includes some humor of his own in these scenes as well. I recall a sex scene that Woo takes a comedic approach to. This really hit the audience with a boom. Finally, the dialogue of the characters taught me aspects of Chinese culture and cinema. I can honestly admit that some of John Woo's other films are on my future watch list after being inspired by this film.

So, is it worth taking time out of your busy schedule to watch Heroes Shed No Tears? Firstly, be quiet, your schedule is not that busy. Second, if you are in the mood for a radical, over-the-top Hong Kong action film that brings the charm of John Woo's direction to the floor, watch it. If you are in the mood for a funny film that delivers both witty and deadpan humor (while sometimes not doing so purposely), watch it. If you are interested in what Hong Kong action films are like, this movie is a good reference. I reiterate, however, this is a movie filmed on a limited budget in the 1980's so it will not deliver the special effects or great acting expected in today's films. It is a fun film to be watched by a non-critical eye. Basically, watch the film if you can have any fun and do not mind subtitles!

Grade: B+ (7.7/10)

Heroes Shed no Tears was filmed in 1984/1985 but was released only when the huge success of his next film, A Better Tomorrow, was born. Heroes Shed no Tears is not as philosophical and personal as Bullet in the Head (Woo's most personal film to date, set in Vietnam war), but it is no less fierce. A group of mercenaries is sent to get one drug smuggler, kidnap him and deliver to court. They kidnap him, but get an angry league of the drug boss' men after them in the jungle and so the savage chase and fight for life has begun.

The usual elements of Woo are not as primary as in his more recent films, like A Better Tomorrow 1-2, The Killer and Bullet in the Head, but there are similar scenes and segments in this early film, too. Men get killed "with honor" and there are couple of "heroic bloodshed" scenes, too, like the human bomb, for instance. One important element not found too often in Woo's films is that there are many female characters in this film and they are depicted very warmly and lovingly, so Woo definitely can direct females, too, if he wants. The brief love making scene between male and female at one point is very emotional and erotic as the female is so full of love and emotion, and that really tells something about Woo's ability to direct his characters and give them charisma.

This film is pretty close to Japanese Babycart samurai films Lone Wolf & Cub from the 1970's. The main character in Heroes Shed no Tears has a son and their relationship is very similar to Ogami Itto's and his son Daigoro's, in Lone Wolf & Cub. I don't think this is any rip off of these Japanese films, but it is obvious that Woo had seen these Japanese films and found inspiration from them. After all, Lone Wolf & Cub films are pretty close to Woo's films in their content and philosophy.

The adrenaline amount in Heroes Shed no Tears is incredible as it is hard to think a film more fierce and angry than this. The action scenes are totally unbelievable and Ultra violent, and I was totally stunned at the fight scene near the water/lake/river at the first part of the film. The mayhem is so over-the-top and something never found in Western film. Fast paced action never lets up during the 80 minutes running time of the film. The camera use in these action scenes and other scenes as well is very professional and it is easy to see what kind of talent was hiding in Woo. This is very violent film and definitely wouldn't get the R rating in US. There are hyper bloody gun battles, head shots, stabbings, impalings, choppings and other acts of violence that truly are savage, but still pretty stylish and symbolic, as always in Woo's films. It tells something about his films' characters' values and moral, even though violence this brutal is not without its consequences in his subsequent films. Woo depicts violence, but that doesn't mean he glorifies it. Violence is always bad in Woo's films and that is left for viewer to interpret and there are no easy solutions in his films. So this kind of cinema would never come from some big studio in Hollywood, I think. This kind of cinema is too challenging for mainstream audience. Still, as I mentioned earlier, this is not as symbolic, deep and polished as Woo's subsequent films and also violence is not as symbolic as in his other films, but this was only the beginning and the director was still inventing his cinematic philosophy.

Heroes Shed no Tears is very great piece of Hong Kong mayhem cinema, and early work of John Woo. I was very surprised when I watched this since I didn't have any expectations even though I of course knew this was Woo's film. The film is little stupid at times (there are some scenes of usual "humor" often found in Hong Kong films), so I give this 8/10 rating, which I feel is the right for this film, but this is definitely not for the casual and mainstream viewer due to its extreme imagery and attitudes! It would get more stars from me if the film had more content and something more to think about, but still I love this early effort of this great director.

The 1980s were the decade when the Americans produced lots of patriotic action films like "Rambo 1-3" or "The Delta Force"-series, for example. Now, John Woo´s version of a mercenary-movie is quite different: of course, there are lots of heavy gunfights and giant explosions, however without being too one-dimensional as the US-movies are! The fast-paced plot is improved by well-developed characters, typical Asian humor and allusions to father and son, friendship and honour without being too pathetic in any way! Maybe not John Woo´s best, but still an action movie far above average!!