Hard Boiled: The Game

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
John Woo's latest Hong Kong thriller won't be found in movie theaters. The legendary director chose to bring back his beloved character Inspector Tequila from 1992's Hard-Boiled in a video game called Stranglehold, out today for Xbox 360, Sept. 17 for PlayStation 3 (rated M for ages 17-up, $60).

The game is rife with Woo's filmmaking touches: Rolling drumbeats accompany Tequila's movements through the kaleidoscopic settings. Flocks of doves disperse in a flurry of activity. His hero dives and rolls as he fires his dual Berettas.

"To me, games and film are the same. Telling a story and creating beautiful visuals is at the heart of both," Woo says. "Translating stylized action (to games) has been rewarding."

Woo, who e-mailed responses from China, where he is filming the historical battle film Red Cliff, wrote the script for Stranglehold. Then he collaborated with Midway, game developers whose credits include the Mortal Kombat series.

International star Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) reprises his role as Tequila, providing his likeness and voice. The story takes place 18 years after Hard-Boiled, and Tequila, in facing down a crime boss, winds up breaking the law.

"I've always loved that idea of one good man against the odds, and the ends justifying the means in his quest for what's right," Woo says. "Tequila is just such a man."

Directing the game involved some un-filmlike twists. For example, everything in the game, down to the rice bags on vendors' shelves, can be destroyed by players. "I had one scene where we blow up a dinosaur and Tequila fights with the bones instead of guns," Woo says, but "since the dinosaur could be blown up before the scene plays, we couldn't do it."

For Woo — who has a cameo in Stranglehold as a bartender — video games are more than a one-shot deal. Red Cliff will also be a multiplayer online role-playing game. "I have been able to explore a new path," Woo says. "It seems like games can be more cinematic than ever before."