The Killer (喋血雙雄) is the 1989 action film from director John Woo that stars Chow Yun-Fat as an expert assassin who finds himself conflicted with his work after accidentally blinding a female singer during one of his jobs. Danny Lee co-stars as the Hong Kong Police Force inspector determined to catch the assassin and take down the organization that employs him. The Killer gained numerous international accolades for Woo and its influence can be seen in countless action films in the following decades including in the movies directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
The following weapons were used in the film The Killer:
The Beretta 92FS is frequently seen in the hands of Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat) as in many John Woo films. However, according to the movie's lead armorer/gun coach, they only had access to one Beretta 92FS during the shoot, so the Brazilian Taurus PT92 was used in many scenes as a substitute. The armorer has also confirmed that the weapon was a Beretta 92FS of Italian manufacture and not the earlier Beretta 92F seen in previous HK productions. The weapon was purchased brand-new at the production's request by Props Company, Ltd. for use by Chow Yun-Fat in the movie.
A number of Taurus PT92s are used by Ah Jong and Fung Sei. They are also used by many Triads, and a stainless model is used by the syndicate killer. These weapons are frequently used as substitutes for the Beretta 92FS, since the movie's armorers only had access to one Beretta for most of filming. Whenever Ah Jong is seen firing two pistols, he typically uses the blued Taurus PT92 with black grips in combination with his Beretta 92FS. The rubber grips on the blued Taurus were emblazoned with a fake Beretta logo in order to make it look like the 92FS, though this modification is usually not visible in the finished film.
Also note that there are a number of continuity errors in which the Taurus replaces the Beretta (or vice-versa).
Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaurus PT92 9x19mm with stainless steel finish & wood grips.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaurus PT92AF - Earliest Model with no Decocker, the lever is only a Safety and does not turn downwards like the later models - 9x19mmError creating thumbnail: File missingA Taurus PT92 stainless with wood grips (note lack of slide-safety) and a Browning with plastic grips sit on the glass table in Ah Jong's apartment.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA gun case holds a Taurus stainless with wood grips, an early model .44 Desert Eagle with wood grips, a Beretta 92F, a Browning with plastic grips, and a first generation Glock 17.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAh Jong examines the Taurus stainless before releasing the slide.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA good clear shot of the Taurus highlighting the wood grips and lack of slide mounted safety.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFung Sei (Chu Kong) grabs Ah Jong's Taurus PT92 to shoot him only for it to be unloaded. Note Made in Brazil on the slideError creating thumbnail: File missingJennie (Sally Yeh) points a Taurus PT92 at Inspector Li Ying. She has a very good two-handed grip for someone who is supposed to be almost blind. Note how the Taurus she's holding as a stainless guide rod, which is another way to distinguish the Taurus from the Beretta when the safety isn't visible.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe syndicate killer uses a Taurus stainless to shoot at Ah Jong. The lettering on the slide is faintly visible.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLi Ying fires the Taurus PT92 after Jennie dropped it due to the ambush.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA close-up of Ah Jong's PT92 at the end of the movie.
Walther PPK
The Walther PPK is used by Ah Jong in his apartment as a backup alongside his Beretta, previously held in his left sleeve. The Walther PPK used in this scene was actually an 8mm German-made blank replica, because the armorers were unable to acquire a real PPK when the scene was filmed. Aside from the Umarex GPDAs used by the Triads and a replica Desert Eagle seen in the gun case, this is the only gun in the film that is fake. (Concealing a pocket pistol in the jacket sleeve is a common John Woo move, as it's also seen in Just Heroes and Blackjack).
An Umarex GPDA9, a blank firing replica of the Browning BDA, is used by several Triad members in the nightclub shootout. Shortly after, it is used once again by Triads, Wong Tong (Wong Kwong-Leung), and Li Ying (Danny Lee) at the gun deal scene and the bus chase. The GPDA continues to be used by Triad members throughout the movie. Near the end, Fung Sei (Chu Kong) briefly commandeers one in his attempt to retrieve Ah Jong's (Chow Yun-Fat) money from Wong Hoi (Shing Fui-On). This also appears to be used with a suppressor by a Triad assassin who attacks Ah Jong at his apartment.
Wong Hoi (Shing Fui-On) uses an Auto-Ordnance M1911A1 at the very end of the film, in addition to an unidentified snub-nosed revolver in his other hand.
During the weapons deal a thug is seen with a very early Browning Hi-Power. This same pistol is later used in the climax of the film by Inspector Li Ying (Danny Lee). It's noted as by the front sight and finger indention on the slide, and the adjustable sight.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe first version of the classic Browning Hi-Power, developed by John Browning and Dieudonné Saive, and adopted by Belgium in 1935, the FN P-35 - 9x19mmError creating thumbnail: File missingA thug with a the Browning Hi-Power. The finger indentation in the slide is visible here.
Smith & Wesson 39
A Smith & Wesson 39 is seen in a gun case along with several revolvers and a Browning BDA during the weapons deal.
A Taurus Model 85 with pearl grips is used by Ah Jong during his first hit, and is the weapon that results in Jennie's blinding due to Ah Jong firing too close to her eyes, setting up the main plot of the movie.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingTaurus Model 85 (classic Model) in Blued Finish - .38 sp. Note the shape of the ejector shroud as opposed to the newer versions of this same revolver.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA nickel Taurus Model 85 with pearl grips is seen on a card table before being used by Ah Jong.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSince firing a blank in close proximity to a person's eyes would really blind them, this scene was accomplished with visual effects. Note how the muzzle flash doesn't actually exit the center of the barrel but more towards the bottom.
A heavily modified Taurus Model 689 stainless is seen in the hands of Ah Jong in the parking garage scene where he kills several of Wong Hoi's men and at one point shoots Wong Hoi. The squib-filled fake arm used by Shing Fui-On for the scene came off during shooting, making it look like Ah Jong had blown Wong Hoi's arm off. Fung Sei commandeers another Taurus 689 (this one blued) in his final attempt to get Ah Jong's money.
A Remington 870, with a pistol grip in place of a standard stock and fitted with an extended magazine tube, is used by Inspector Li Ying in the church shootout.
A short barrel Smith & Wesson 3000 Shotgun with a pistol grip and the stock removed can be seen in the hands of the bartender at Ah Jong's first hit of the film. Ah Jong uses it during the final shootout.
A Franchi PA3 is used by the syndicate killer at the house and in the church. During the house shootout, it appears to be depicted as a grenade launcher, as anything it hits explodes. It is possible, however, these explosions are just typically over-the-top John Woo shotgun special effects.
One of the assassins at Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat)'s apartment uses an Uzi mounted with a sound suppressor. Several are later used during the church shootout. According to the movie's armorer, the Uzis used in the movie were a mix of original Israeli-made Uzis and Chinese-made Norinco 320 copies.
A Heckler & Koch MP5K with two magazines clamped together is used by Ah Jong in the church, and later handed off to Li Ying. MP5Ks are also used by many of the Triads, including Wong Hoi (Shing Fui-On). At the time of filming, the MP5K was relatively uncommon in action films, having only appeared in Lethal Weapon 2 and L.A. Takedown the same year.
The Hong Kong Police at the Airport are seen carrying Heckler & Koch MP5A3s with slimline hand-guards. The MP5A3s in this scene appear to be airsoft weapons.
The rifle used by Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat) to carry out his assassination plot is a long barreled Chinese Norinco Type 56 assault rifle that was visually modified to look like a SVD Dragunov. The armorers were unable to acquire a real SVD or NDM-86 (the Chinese SVD Clone) for the filming of the scene, so they were forced to visually modify a Type 56 rifle instead. The rifle that Jeffrey drops into the sea was a Japanese airsoft AK-47 that was also modified by the armorers to look like an SVD.
Trivia: Before Ah Jong fires the SVD, he wraps a bandana around his left hand. At the time that this scene was filmed, Chow Yun-Fat was simultaneously working on Tiger on the Beat; on the set of that film, he cut his finger on the front sight of a Sterling MK IV submachine gun during a stunt. Afterwards, he went straight to the set of The Killer to film the assassination scene, with his hand still injured and the bandana wrapped around it. John Woo decided to include this in the film.
The first assassin at the beach that tries to kill Ah Jong (Chow Yun-Fat) after the hit on Wong Dung-Yu uses an M16A1 rifle that has M16A2-style hand guards. The rifle has a scope mounted on top of the carry handle and has a twenty-round magazine.
Colt Model 733's are used by several of the Triad members in the battle at Jenny's beach house. Strangely, all of the M733s in the movie are fitted with the outdated (even for the 1980s) three-prong flash hiders, rather than the M16A1-style "bird cage" flash hider.
A Chinese Norinco Type 56-1 is used in the church shootout by Inspector Li Ying, and by several gangsters throughout the movie. The Type 56-1 used in the film is fitted with an M16A1-style "bird cage" flash hider, most likely taken from a Norinco Type 84.
