Allegory and symbolism in John Woo's cinematic arts: Themes and aesthetics

This thesis evaluates director John Woo's film, Hard Boiled, as an excellent cinematic example of his unique film auteur style. Woo combines his artistic character development and distinctive aesthetic visual cinematography in this film, and thus establishes himself as an action auteur.;Redemption is the main theme that Woo examines in Hard Boiled. He interprets the conflicts and the dilemmas from different aspects of morality in his cinematic world. The redemption of honor of Hard Boiled's main characters creates dynamic propulsion for character and plot development.;Visual style is also another vital aspect of Woo's cinematic arts. The highly orchestrated action scenes demonstrate an artistic approach to Hard Boiled's filmmaking. There is a consistency in the powerful kinetic representations of Hard Boiled's three major action scenes action that clearly establishes John Woo as the preeminent action auteur director.