Bullet in the head is one of the finest John Woo movies from his peak Hong Kong output. It is the story of three friends in a street gang who decide to flee the country to avoid the police after a rival of theirs is killed during a fight. They are provided with an opportunity to do this by agreeing to transport a case of penicillin to vietnam at the height of the vietnam war. As with most such stories, things do not go as planned and soon the friends are caught between the gangsters, businessmen and soldiers that run the war. The film is full of characteristic John Woo style and action but this is toned down far more than in his other efforts. This is the John Woo movie where action plays second fiddle to a good script, great performances and engrossing character development and he proves he is a director that can handle these deftly.
All the players excell in this drama but Tony Leung as the central protagonist is deserving of special mention. Though he is the central protagonist his character is far less meaty than the other friends. His performance, however, elevates it to the point where we not only witness his pain but experience it with him. For those that have seen him in Hong Kong blockbusters such as Hard bolied and Infernal affairs, this will be no suprise. For those more used to his art house movies such as cyclo, this movie is the opportunity to see why Leung is as comfortable in commercial ventures as he is in those with a more artistic intention.
It is difficult to find negatives in such a solid piece of work but if pushed, the art direction occasionally suggests a low budget and does not really stand up to modern Hong Kong standards.
The movie works as an action film, a character driven drama, a comment on frienship and a war movie. It's message may be both less than original and simple-War is hell and this hell manages to change allegiences, lives and frienships- but getting there has rarely been so engrossing.