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Bullet in the Head ()

Dip huet gai tau (original title)
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When three close friends escape from Hong Kong to war-time Saigon to start a criminal's life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever.
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23 photos | 1 video

Cast

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Ben / Siu Bun (as Tony Chiu Wai Leung)
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Frank / Fai Jai
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Paul / Sau Ming
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Luke / Lok
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Sally Yan Sau Ching
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Mr. Y.S. Leong
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Jane / Siu Jan
Kan-Wing Tsang ...
Jane's father
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Jane's mother
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Policeman
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Ben's mother
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Paul's father
San-Yan Siao ...
Mr. Shing
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Ringo (as Tin Hung Yee)
Yun Pei ...
Frank's mother
Kwong Lam Tsui ...
Frank's father
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Fatso
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yee Cheng ...
Ringo's man
Siu Cheung
Kwok-Keung Choi
Kwok Chung Kwan
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Mr Kwai's Thug (as Wah-Fan Lam)
Chi-Ho Lau ...
Viet soldier
Shung-Fung Lau ...
Mr Leong's Thug
Raymond Lee ...
Mr Kwai (as Wai-Man Lee)
Yiu King Lee ...
Mr Leong's Thug
Bo-Jing Leung
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Mr Leong's Thug
Therdporn Manopaibool
Siu Hung Ngan
Hiu-Sang Pang ...
Ringo's man
Somsak Saengvilia
Thirasak Sinsoongsud
Damrongphandhu Sudrak
Wai-Man Tam
Suchai Thilua
Yu Ting
Wei-Ho Tu
Kowit Wattanakul
Wai Shun Wong ...
Ringo's man
Wai-Fong Wong
Wing-Tat Woo ...
Mr Leong's Thug
Hsiang Lin Yin
Jonathan Isgar ...
Bomb squad member (uncredited)
Ernst Mausser ...
Bar Pianist (uncredited)

Directed by

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John Woo

Written by

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Janet Chun ... ()
 
Patrick Leung ... ()
 
John Woo ... ()

Produced by

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Wan Allen ... associate producer: Thailand
Catherine Lau ... associate producer
Patrick Leung ... associate producer
John Woo ... producer

Music by

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Sherman Chow

Cinematography by

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Wilson Chan
Ardy Lam
Chai Kittikum Som
Wing-Hang Wong

Editing by

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John Woo
David Wu

Editorial Department

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Simon Broderick ... colorist
Jing Lan ... post-production coordinator
Chan-Kuen Pang ... assistant editor

Production Design by

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Wah-Sang Leung ... (as James Leung)

Art Direction by

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Wah-Sang Leung ... (as James Leung)

Costume Design by

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Bruce Yiu

Makeup Department

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Hoi-Loy Chan ... hair stylist
Fung-Ping Cheng ... makeup artist
Wai-Fong Cheng ... hair stylist / makeup artist
Yun-Ling Man ... makeup artist
Yau-Shing Wong ... hair stylist

Production Management

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Ying-Fai Chan ... assistant production manager
Chi-Sum Chow ... assistant production manager
Chi-Ho Hui ... production manager
Penny Kanjanapinchote ... production manager: Thailand
Kwong-Hing Ngan ... assistant production manager
Heung-Yeung Tsim ... assistant production manager
Yuk-Ling Wong ... assistant production manager
Deanne Yew ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Kai Keung Lai ... second assistant director
Chedpong Laoyant ... second assistant director: Thailand
Kwok-Wai Lee ... second assistant director
Chi-Ming Leung ... first assistant director
Charlie Sungkawess ... first assistant director: Thailand
Chung-Kan Tang ... first assistant director
Wing-Fai Wong ... first assistant director

Art Department

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Kwok-Wing Chong ... assistant art director
Yee-Fung Chung ... assistant art director
Rachane Schunhasri ... props foreman: thai unit
Yin-Wai Wong ... set designer (as In-Wai Wong)
Shi-Cheng Yang ... props

Sound Department

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Kwok-Kwong Chan ... sound effects editor
Wai-Leung Chan ... sound effects editor
Hsueh-Yui Feng ... dubbing editor: mandarin (as Suet-Yeu Fung)
Wai-Tak Ho ... sound effects editor
Ching Siu-Lung ... sound effects editor
Tin-Lung Tang ... sound effects editor
Yu Ting ... dubbing editor: cantonese

Special Effects by

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Arthur Wai Kit Lau ... special effects

Stunts

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Bruce Law ... car stunt coordinator
Hiu-Sang Pang ... stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department

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Yingporn Anaman ... assistant camera: thai unit
Chi-Lap Chan ... lighting assistant (as Chi Lap Chan)
Kam-Chuen Chan ... still photographer
Kim-Kit Chik ... lighting technician
Kei Sheung Chow ... assistant camera
Vimvipa Dtangpaibool ... image director: thai unit
Perry Ho ... assistant camera
Yongsri Pimsornthong ... lighting assistant: thai unit
Tin Yan Wu ... lighting technician
Si-Chan Yeung ... assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Prisana 'Maew' Trachai ... wardrobe

Location Management

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Throngterd Mahasuwan ... location manager: thai unit

Music Department

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Sherman Chow ... music editor
Romeo Díaz ... composer: theme music
James Wong ... composer: theme music
Yolinda Yam ... theme vocals (as Chor-Sin Yan)

Script and Continuity Department

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Janet Chun ... script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Wan Allen ... planner: thai unit
Sing-Hung Chan ... production assistant
Udom Choomleur ... caterer: thai unit
Gam-Ging Fung ... caterer
Catherine Lau ... planner
Yim-Fun Lau ... caterer
Patrick Leung ... planner
Vinita Vattanavarodom ... production secretary: thai unit
Lun-Cheung Wong ... story editor

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, so they leave Hong Kong to avoid the police and the gang. They run black market supplies to Saigon and get embroiled in the war, being arrested as Viet Cong, then later captured by the Viet Cong, and find that their friendship is tested to the limits as they try to escape. Written by Ed Sutton

Plot Keywords
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Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Bullet in the Head (Hong Kong, English title)
  • 喋血街頭 (Hong Kong, Cantonese title)
  • Bloodshed in the Streets (Hong Kong, English title)
  • Bullet in the Head (World-wide, English title)
  • Wild Bullet (Japan, English title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 136 min
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Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $3,500,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia John Woo's original cut of Bullet In The Head was over three hours long. Much like he was forced to do with A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987), Woo reluctantly re-cut the film down to little over two hours long running time. But, as Woo himself confirmed, the version of the movie that was premiered in Hong Kong the day before it was actually released was 2 hours and 35 minutes long. It was decided this version was still too long, so all the prints of the film had to be re-edited and delivered back to the cinemas all over Hong Kong by the next day. Even after all the re-edits that movie already had, many other different cuts of it were made due to local market/censorship, which is why even today there are many different versions of the film with different running times. Since it had been radically cut down, there are some still photos of the film, which indicate that entire subplots have been removed from the film, which aren't even referenced in the final cut. On one such photo, you can see Tony Chiu Wai Leung's face in bandages, his girlfriend standing near him. This is from a subplot in which Ben gets his face burnt with acid by a rival gang. Some of the other cut scenes also include cuts made on some of the more violent scenes in the film. Hong Kong trailer for the film shows some alternate takes and edits of some scenes and three deleted scenes; During the Vietnam protestation sequence one protestor is being clubbed to death on the head by members of the Vietnamese troops while blood is gushing out of his head, infamous deleted scene where Ben, Frank and Paul are forced to drink urine after Mr Leong suspects them of wanting to take Sally away from him (this scene was actually mentioned by Chow Yun Fat's character Mark in A Better Tomorrow), and extra part of the Bolero action sequence where Frank who is armed with two pistols is shooting at a long array of Vietnamese baddies who are standing in the corridor. Some versions of the film also include alternate shorter ending which doesn't ends with Ben chasing Paul in the car and two of them having a shootout, but instead in this alternate ending Ben kills Paul in the boardroom after he shows him Frank's skull and tells him what happened to him. John Woo secretly hoped that as soon as he got to Hollywood, he would acquire the rights to his old films (including Bullet) and put back in all the things that he was once forced to cut. But when he tried to do so, he was told that all the material he had cut, hadn't been preserved, but instead wandered straight into the garbage bin. However, some time later Woo created what would become known as "the festival print" which was the longest version of the movie seen since the original Hong Kong premiere and was 136 minutes long and it included the infamous urine drinking scene. It has been illegally released on a bootleg VHS. Another 135 minute version released on DVD has been sold to the public legally. It is distributed by Joy Sales; this ultimate 2 disc-set edition has seamless branching which can be shown in its Theatrical Version, Alternate Ending version and the Festival Print version but the deleted scenes maintain a blue tint (possibly from the chemicals of the film reacting badly) and also frame jumping (film preservation done too late by the director himself). See more »
Movie Connections Featured in A Better Tomorrow (2015). See more »
Soundtracks I'm a Believer See more »
Quotes Ben: Mr Leong. I think think you're mistaken. When we were in Hong Kong we admired Miss Yen. We like listening to her sing. We were all staring at her just now, as we were wondering... wondering why she had changed so much. She's not pretty any more.
Paul: Ah Bee!
Ben: She's lost her innocence. She's not happy any more. I wonder who was responsible for that?
Y.S. Leong: You're criticizing me? Not many people would speak to me like that. Young man, you've got balls. Bring me wine!
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