Mixed review here. Mostly because I got bogged down in the writing style. This is thriller/noir/speculative fiction set in what feels like 1950s NYC. It wants to read like a hard-boiled Raymond Chandler detective novel. But the writing isn’t as snappy (gold stars for some very “bottom 10% of words used” poetics). Thankfully, it wasn’t the other extreme — it’s still a tight, 235 pages. The notion that there was a branch of the timeline that could have had the elevator bureau as one of the most powerful organizations in the country feels a bit contrived. The analogue is obvious: elevation is not just height, but social and civil status. Bearing that in mind, it’s an entertaining allegorical work about sexism and racism. Putting the contrivances aside, the story peels away slowly and reveals a zinger at the center of the onion and it’s perfect. There may be others that use this theme (trying to avoid a spoiler here), but it’s the first I’ve read it laid out like this. I cannot believe they’ve not made a movie out of this.
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#colsonwhitehead #theintuitionist #speculativefiction #elevators #racism #sexism #hardboiled #ex_libris_jz

@IanMoore3000

I might have to watch it again to check. Always good to have an excuse to rewatch Hard Boiled

#JohnWoo #HardBoiled

Also my recollection of the chit chat in the opening scene is that the two cops explicitly reference Hong Kong's then approaching return to rule by mainland China as reasons why they might emigrate, something that did not feature in the version I saw last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fcwFheTLdE

#HardBoiled #JohnWoo

Hard Boiled (1992) ORIGINAL TRAILER [FHD]

YouTube

I saw John Woo's Hard Boiled last night. still brilliant. But are the subtitles and perhaps even some of the dialogue different to when I saw it in the early 1990s? Memory is unreliable, but I recall the line "Your piss has saved my life" featuring.

#HardBoiled #JohnWoo

Hardboiled Film Noir Mood Happy Valentine’s Day #hardboiled #film #noir #ValentinesDay #FilmNoir #cinema #FilmSky 📽️♥️🍁💕🎬💘

a black and white photo of a w...

#BookTour: The Fatal Saving Grace, by Jim Nesbitt @partnersincr1me #TheFatalSavingGrace #JimNesbitt #hardboiled #crime #western #SpottedMulePress #excerpt #giveaway #PICT

THE FATAL SAVING GRACE by Jim Nesbitt February 9 - March 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour Synopsis: ED EARL BURCH HARD-BOILED TEXAS CRIME THRILLER MAYHEM WITH A BADGE After wandering the peephole wilderness of a private detective for two decades, defrocked Dallas homicide detective Ed Earl Burch is finally…

http://booksramblingsandtea.com/2026/02/11/booktour-the-fatal-saving-grace-by-jim-nesbitt-partnersincr1me-thefatalsavinggrace-jimnesbitt-hardboiled-crime-western-spottedmulepress-excerpt-giveaway-pict/

#BookTour: The Fatal Saving Grace, by Jim Nesbitt @partnersincr1me #TheFatalSavingGrace #JimNesbitt #hardboiled #crime #western #SpottedMulePress #excerpt #giveaway #PICT

THE FATAL SAVING GRACE by Jim Nesbitt February 9 – March 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour Synopsis: ED EARL BURCH HARD-BOILED TEXAS CRIME THRILLER   MAYHEM WITH A BADGE After wandering the peep…

Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Oooh one of my favourite films is on at the #BFI in March - #HardBoiled!

#cinema

#Movies #ActionMovies #HongKongMovies #KungFuMovies

I watched the 4K re-release of #JohnWoo's #HardBoiled (1992) last night at my local #AMC.

I had forgotten how violent the genre of Hong Kong action movies can be but the action is SO ridiculous that I view it as a parody that can't be taken seriously.

Viewed historically, this genre of films is a modern extension of the earlier Hong Kong #KungFuMovie genre where the heroes faced off with hundreds of combatants bare handed & killed or defeated all of them.

Hard Boiled is just like an old kung fu movie but the combatants use guns & explosives instead of their hands & feet.

Frankly, I got bored with all of the killing/combat after awhile because there was too much of a sameness to it all but various plot twists, played seriously & for comedic effect kept me interested.

It's not for everyone but in the genre of Hong Kong action movies, Hard Boiled is considered important & worth watching if you have an interested in them but not if you don't. 🤷‍♂️

Movie TV Tech Geeks #Exclusives #TonyLeung #ChowYunFat #HardBoiled John Woo's Hard Boiled: Explosive 4K Blu-ray Release & Exclusive Trailer http://dlvr.it/TQdnD6