HARD BOILED: a thread on 13 seconds of film.

1/ Did you ever notice that Tequila does not seem to actually pull the trigger at the end of this scene? Plus, the shell casing is nowhere to be seen. HE SPITS HIS TOOTHPICK SO HARD, HE HEADSHOTS THAT GUY WITH IT.

2/ The idea of using flour came from Chow Yun-fat. It's a bloody brilliant idea in concept and execution because it makes him suddenly transform into a ghostly figure straight out of Chinese opera, giving him an otherworldly supernatural aura, thus explaining the unlimited ammo.

3/ The teahouse this scene was shot in was demolished a couple days later. Thing is, it was completely ripped to shreds WHILE they were shooting it, so there probably wasn't much demolition involved.

The cops were called for the noise but were like,"It's John Woo. You shut up."

4/ Tequila's movements also make him a supernaturally endowed gunfighter. His trajectory is top-left to bottom-right. He descends upon his enemy as would a god on a mortal. His movements are kinetically charged and yet, he stops gliding exactly when he needs to.

5/ In the words of the great David Bordwell, explaining how the burst/pause/burst pattern heightens this action climax: "Tequila’s roll and dive form a virtually abstract surge of rightward energy before braking to an instant halt, hitting a pose of diagrammatic clarity:

two men, one with the advantage. The pose is prolonged in order to throw the decisive acts—spat-out toothpick, bloody execution—into relief."

- Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment