A Singular Director

In response to S. C. Dacy’s letter of Jan. 17 regarding John Woo, I must state that it is totally ridiculous for him to say that “there is the quite solid probability that even Woo himself did not personally direct the majority of any ‘John Woo film.’ ”

As the executive on “The Killers,” the executive producer of “Bullet in the Head,” the producer of “Once a Thief” and “Hard-Boiled” and the co-producer of “Hard Target,” I have had direct experience working with John for more than five years.

While it is true that most Hong Kong action films are made by more than one director, a John Woo film is not your “typical made-in-HK action movie.” It would be hard for a viewer with any knowledge of the cinema not to have seen that.

In the case of John Woo, the only exception is “Just Heroes,” a film made in 1989 by four directors to establish a pension fund for their mentor, Chang Cheh. None of the directors took any fee. Since John Woo is the only “bankable” name of the four, the film was eventually credited by the distributor as “directed by John Woo.”

We have just wrapped “Hard Target” in New Orleans. However, I would be more than happy to invite Mr. Dacy to the set of the next John Woo film, so that he can see for himself how a masterful filmmaker works.

TERENCE CHANG

Toronto, Canada