Hard-Boiled is the last film directed by Hong Kong director John Woo before his arrival in the US. This 1992 thriller is widely seen as one of his best Hong Kong films.

Chow Yun-Fat portrays a maverick cop nicknamed "Tequila" whose partner is killed in the chaos of a restaurant gunfight with a small army of gangsters. It is soon revealed that one of the mob's high-ranking assassins is Tony (Tony Leung), an undercover cop who, despite his badge, is dangerously close to the edge. Tequila and Tony must team up in a tense partnership.

Their common pursuit of a vicious crime lord results in a brilliantly elaborate climax in a hospital, where the heroes must rescue newborn babies from the maternity ward while fighting off dozens of the mob.