Released seven years before his career-making A Better Tomorrow, Last Hurrah is a solid example of John Woo’s emerging style ’n’ theme one-two combo. This period revenge tale demonstrates his preoccupation with honour amongst men of violence; though this is somewhat diluted by stock fu-action stereotypes.
Clichés aside, the film delivers almost non-stop action; often, as in the memorable ’sleeping Buddha’ sequence, brilliantly choreographed. An unusual melancholic air and the occasional slow-mo flourish clearly marks this out as Woo, though not quite at his brooding, bruising best.