Three friends want out of Hong Kong and make it big overseas. After a beating turned murder they get their wish and must flee to Vietnam. The war is happening and there's anarchy on the streets , the only way to gain power is through a gun. With the help of Luke , the three friends get lots of guns, do big heists, and play Romeo in their spare time . But when a crate of gold falls in one of the friends lap , things get messy between the friendship .Some say this is the true A Better Tomorrow 3 , but I say this is John Woo's cry out to Hark Tsui for hijacking his franchise and jeopardizing their friendship. This is definitely his heaviest movie , like pressing a weight on your soul.

Bullet In The Head is John Woo's most personal film. I don't know why that is, but this movie is definitely the most grueling, brutal, and certainly the darkest movie of John Woo's entire career. The harrowing events that take place on screen will make even those with strong stomachs squirm. And it's not really even the gore that is disturbing, it's the stuff that our three lead characters are put through, the true hell of what war can be. In case you didn't know, Bullet In The Head is a story about three very close friends, Ben (Tony Leung), the natural leader of the group, Frank (Jacky Chung), the friendly one who will do anything for his friends, and Paul (Waisse Lee), the one who tends to give in to his darker impulses. All these characters are played superbly, I've always liked Tony Leung, and Jacky Chung was just brilliant. Out three main characters travel to Vietnam during the 60's to escape from the law and hopefully earn a bit of profit from the war going on. Things start going wrong very quickly, and eventually our leads are flung into a world that they have never experienced before, and they all adapt quite differently. Bullet In The Head is about how even the closest of friends can be torn apart, and it offers none of the hope that is seen in most John Woo films. This movie is greatly depressing, and as I said, usually very hard to watch, and at the end you'll be emotionally exhausted by what you have just seen. But this is why Bullet In The Head is so great. John Woo is famed for his action, so I guess I should mention how BITH holds up in that department. Obviously, very well. I hadn't really heard much about the action in this movie as I had about the depressing story, but it's just as good and the quality is just as high. When Chow Yun-Fat is nowhere to be found, Simon Yam is your go to guy, and he plays the ice cool character of Luke to perfection. The action is explosive and impressive, just what you would expect from Woo. The acting is all awesome, as is the pacing. There's some cheese here and there, especially at the beginning when we see 3 grown men jump rope together and ride bikes... yep... Other than that, Bullet In The Head is perfect and highly recommended to any action fan, John Woo fan, or anyone who wants to see some of the most intense and sad events ever put on film.

John Woo's "Die Xue Jie Tou" of 1990 is a great and intense action film that definitely keeps what its international a.k.a. titles "Bullet in the Head"/"Bloodshed In The Streets" promise. This must be one of the most blood-soaked, ultra-violent and tough-minded action flicks of the 90s, and even though I personally liked Woo's earlier films "A Better Tomorrow" and "The Killer" even more, "Bullet In The Head" is also a great film that lovers of violent action and uncompromising cinema can not allow themselves to miss! "The Killer" and "A Better Tomorrow" were not exactly Disney flicks either (more precisely, they are exceptionally violent films too), but "Bullet In The Head" even surpasses them in means of brutality, and is easily the most violent film by John Woo, who wasn't exactly known for his tame films back in his Hong Kong days.After an incident in Hong Kong in which a person is killed, three friends decide to go to Vietnam in order to get rich as quickly as possible. The time is 1967, and the war-torn country is pure hell, but also a promising opportunity for people looking for nothing but a quick fortune...All three leading men, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung and Waise Lee are great in their roles, especially Leung is outstanding. The supporting performances are also very good, Simon Yam is especially worth mentioning. Both the story itself, and the graphic depiction of violence is uncompromising and exceptionally brutal. But "Bullet in the Head" is not only recommended for its brutality. This is raw, stunning Action cinema in its purest form, and no lover of cinema can afford to miss the brilliance of John Woo's Hong Kong cinema. John Woo truly is an exceptional director of action cinema. None other than Horror genius Sam Raimi has once stated, that Woo is for Action cinema, what Hitchcock was for the Thriller, and, regarding the Hong Kong-produced films I agree. Sadly, John Woo is mostly associated with silly blockbusters of the "MI 2" kind since he went to Hollywood, but the films he made back in Hong Kong, such as "Bullet in the Head" still shine out as true gems of cinematic greatness!

when i first saw this movie i wasn't all that excited, since i had already seen ABT and the killer and i heard That Chow wasn't in it but it all changed. I was amazed of how good the acting in the movie was, especially Tony leung. The movie is about 125 min long but you never feel bored because this is one hell of a ride. This is arguably Woo's best movie. Waise, Jackie and Yam they all give top quality acting.The movie goes more deeper and is more brutal than any of Woo's movies so far. People say it's a ripoff from the Deer hunter, but it really isn't, it just has the same war in the background.It has very emotional scenes like the one where Tony kills Jackie, really breathtaking, i actually got tears. The scene where they make them drink the whole bottle of whiskey was also very cool since they referred to Chow yun fats story in A better tomorrow.I give this movie a 10 and that's what it deserves and nothing less then that. A bullet in the head still stand as Woo's best movie even today. Will ever get a movie like this...... i don't think so, it's one of a kind. MASTERPIECE