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Les Larmes d'un héros

Original title: Ying xiong wu lei
  • 1984
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Eddy Ko in Les Larmes d'un héros (1984)
Gun FuActionDramaWar

The Thai government hires a group of Chinese mercenaries to capture a powerful drug lord from the Golden Triangle. The mercenaries manage to capture the drug lord, but soon find themselves p... Read allThe Thai government hires a group of Chinese mercenaries to capture a powerful drug lord from the Golden Triangle. The mercenaries manage to capture the drug lord, but soon find themselves pursued by his forces, and the forces of a bitter Thai officer. The Chinese mercenaries are... Read allThe Thai government hires a group of Chinese mercenaries to capture a powerful drug lord from the Golden Triangle. The mercenaries manage to capture the drug lord, but soon find themselves pursued by his forces, and the forces of a bitter Thai officer. The Chinese mercenaries are vastly outnumbered, and as their numbers begin to dwindle, their desperation pulls them i... Read all

  • Director
    • John Woo
  • Writers
    • Peter Ho-Sun Chan
    • Leung-Chun Chiu
    • John Woo
  • Stars
    • Eddy Ko
    • Ching-Ying Lam
    • Philippe Loffredo
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Woo
    • Writers
      • Peter Ho-Sun Chan
      • Leung-Chun Chiu
      • John Woo
    • Stars
      • Eddy Ko
      • Ching-Ying Lam
      • Philippe Loffredo
    • 23User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos27

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    Top cast24

    Edit
    Eddy Ko
    Eddy Ko
    • Chan Chung
    Ching-Ying Lam
    Ching-Ying Lam
    • Vietnamese officer
    Philippe Loffredo
    • Louis
    Cécile Le Bailly
    • French girl
    Yuet-Sang Chin
    Yuet-Sang Chin
    • Chin
    Kam Kong Chow
    Kam Kong Chow
    Yo-Sim Ha
    Lee Hye-suk
    Lee Hye-suk
    Jang Il-shik
      Geun-Bo Im
      Doo Hee Jang
      Ho Kon Kim
      Chau-Sang Lau
      Chau-Sang Lau
        Ying-Chun Ma
        Il-Gwon Park
        Yun-Chiang Peng
        Yun-Chiang Peng
        • Soldier
        Naetado Sakaodue
        Kuo Sheng
        • Director
          • John Woo
        • Writers
          • Peter Ho-Sun Chan
          • Leung-Chun Chiu
          • John Woo
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

        User reviews23

        6.31.5K
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        Featured reviews

        Samoan Bob

        A Rhyming Review

        There was a film that I saw

        Just the other day

        And I sat there in awe

        As it blew me away.

        It was made by John Woo

        Who is now a sell out

        His fans he does screw

        As the cash they shell out.

        So get a six-pack

        Full of cold, frosty beers

        And then sit back

        For Heroes Shed No Tears

        Watch with devotion

        This huge action feast

        With enough blood to fill an ocean

        To say the frickin' least

        Our heroes in this tale

        Are a group of Mercs

        Who blast folks all to hell

        'Specially drug lord jerks

        There's fighting, there's stabbing

        There's nuking, there's looting

        There's biting, there's grabbing

        There's puking, there's shooting

        Punches are thrown

        Black soldiers are eaten

        Eyeballs are sewn

        Children are beaten

        A fight goes on

        With nails and a tire

        Our hero loses his son

        Almost in a fire

        There's tons of dying

        But where the film falters

        Is all the damn crying

        Like it was Barbara Walters

        When our hero does cry

        It gets really lame

        For the movie does lie

        With its very own name

        But please do not fret

        It does little harm

        And I'll make you a bet

        About the scene with the arm

        If you do not jump

        When the dude gets the spears

        Shoved straight up his rump

        You've drunk too much beers

        And if you don't find it nice

        When the hut does explode

        After the role of a dice

        Then you're a humorless toad

        So get off your fat ass

        And get the hell out of here

        Cuz you'll have a damn blast

        With Heroes Shed No Tears
        6Jeremy_Urquhart

        Flawed, but still worth a watch

        I can suspend a lot of disbelief, but not unlimited disbelief. Some of the things done by good and bad guys alike here just went a step too far.

        That being said, if you're looking for plenty of John Woo shoot-em-up action presented within a fairly short runtime, I think Heroes Shed No Tears delivers. It's very direct, and quite scrappily made in parts, but a good deal of the big set pieces prove to be visceral and engaging.

        It's ultimately a little disposable, and I feel like his 1990 film Bullet in the Head scratches a similar itch, but much more effectively. Yet this still delivers for fans of Woo, and honestly rode the line between a 3/5 and a 3.5/5 for me throughout (but I still think I'm going to round down here, at the end of the day).
        8jonahwp

        Hong Kong Action, The Woo Way

        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)
        6bastos

        Strange early John Woo

        This is a strange movie. It starts in what seems like the climax of a movie we didn't see and picks up from there to give us a kind of men in mission movie, where the mission already happened... So this group of Rotten Magnificent Basterds has to escape, and through the journey they pick up a kid and his mother to give us some emotional connection. All of director Woo's trademarks are present with one noticeable exception, no doves! But if you want extreme violence in slow motion, lots of explosions, lots of very forced emotional manipulation with the kid and the girls, and an enormous body count, this is the movie for you. I was kind of surprised with the violence here and there's also a psychedelic sex scene that feels very out of place as John Woo usually stays clear of such scenes, not to mention a very bizarre gambling scene that comes out of nowhere. In conclusion a very raw early movie by John Woo, that has its charm but is very unpolished and remembered more for its oditties than its merits.
        eibon09

        Before Eastern Condors There Was Heroes Shed No Tears

        Ying Xiong Wei Lei/Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) was a pivotal feature in the early 80s for the director, John Woo. This was the first John Woo movie that included heavy use of gunplay. Although filmed in 1984/85, Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) did not get released until after the box office success of A Better Tomorrow(1986). Before this, Woo was mainly known for his comedies and Kung Fu flicks. Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) combines explosive action with some good martial arts.

        Even if the film isn't as great or polish as John Woo's best, its still better then most of the ones that he has done in Hollywood. There are a few terrific set pieces within the movie. One, the opening gun battle with some drug runners. Two, the fight between the mercenaries and the Thai natives. Three, the martial arts fight between Eddy Ko and Ching Ying Lam.

        It was one of the few war films besides Eastern Condors(1987) and Bullet in the Head(1990) to come out of Hong Kong. Ying Xiong Wei Lei(1986) is a precursor to John Woo's Bullet in the Head(1990). The plot of the film is very similar to Eastern Condors(1987) in that both films deal with mercenaries who are sent to Southeast Asia on a secret mission. Heroes Shed No Tears is the most grim and nihilistic of all John Woo movies(that includes Bullet in the Head). Its in the tradition of films like Aguirre:The Wrath of God(1974), The Deer Hunter(1978), and Apocalypse Now(1979).

        Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) is a modern day retelling of the Lone Wolf & Cub comics. The relationship between Eddy Ko's soldier and his son has the same fatalistic bond that was present with Ogami Itto and his son, Daigoro. Its the closest thing that John Woo has ever come to doing a Lone Wolf & Cub feature. There is a scene that's right out of Lone Wolf & Cub(involves a child who covers himself in a mudhole in order to avoid being burned alive in a fire). The big influence for the one sequence is a similar sequence from Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart in Peril(1973).

        Ching Ying Lam is very convincing as the cruel and sadistic Vietnamese officer. The torture scene involving Eddy Ko is the most brutal one ever done by Woo. Heroes Shed No Tears(1986) has many traits that would become part of the Heroic Bloodshed genre in Hong Kong. Has its share of fogish atmosphere and stylish cinematography. The fight near the end of the movie would be done again in the terrible Mission:Impossible 2(2000)(there was also a exact scene in Strike of Death{1975}).

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        Related interests

        Keanu Reeves in Matrix (1999)
        Gun Fu
        Bruce Willis in Piège de cristal (1988)
        Action
        Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
        Drama
        Frères d'armes (2001)
        War

        Storyline

        Edit

        Did you know

        Edit
        • Trivia
          To simulate bullet hits on walls, grass, etc., instead of using squibs, spots were marked for snipers to shoot on, even when actors were near. This method (which is common practice in Thailand, where this movie was shot) was used, because the setting up of squibs were thought to be too time consuming. Actor Eddy Ko still has a scar on his chest because one bullet ricocheted and hit him there.
        • Alternate versions
          Although rated "not under 18" German Rental-Video (New Vision) features many cuts to reduce violence
        • Connections
          Featured in Kain's Quest: A Better Tomorrow (2015)

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        FAQ11

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        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • July 26, 1999 (France)
        • Countries of origin
          • Hong Kong
          • South Korea
        • Languages
          • Korean
          • Cantonese
          • English
          • Thai
          • Vietnamese
        • Also known as
          • Heroes Shed No Tears
        • Filming locations
          • Thailand
        • Production company
          • Paragon Films Ltd.
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Box office

        Edit
        • Budget
          • HK$2,833,051 (estimated)
        See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

        Tech specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          • 1h 33m(93 min)
        • Color
          • Color
        • Sound mix
          • Mono
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.85 : 1

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