What better contemporary vision to describe early
capitalism than the imprimatur of John Woo's martial arts with automatic
weapons movies, where competition rages among petty capitalists in the
guise of triads? From A Better Tomorrow (1986) to Hard Boiled (1992),
Woo has tackled ethical questions by pitting his hero against a corrupt
world built on the value of a dollar where 'necessity knows no law.' In
these movies, myriad gunplay abounds and high body counts result.
According to the history of capitalism 'weapons were the means of
expansion for commerce and conquest.' From multi-round 9mm pistols to
pump-action double barrel shotguns, Woo's films unleash the destructive
power of an arsenal as internecine feuds erupt between triads over money
and turf and cops battle the underworld.
