Director John Woo (b. 1946) reinvented the modern action movie and helped open the door for Asian filmmakers to the Western world. His hyper-violent, highly choreographed style made him a box office powerhouse, a respected auteur, and a revered figure among fellow directors.

First discovered by Western audiences through his Hong Kong films “The Killer” and “Hard Boiled,” Woo introduced the world to a new brand of psychologically frenzied action film. After coming to the United States in the early 1990s, Woo produced a trilogy of hard-charging action films—”Broken Arrow,” “Face/Off,” and “Mission: Impossible II”—that were both popular and critically acclaimed. But Woo’s signature bullet ballets, his kinetic, blood-spattered action sequences, represent a dichotomy in the director’s philosophy. “John Woo: Interviews” reveals a peace-loving, devoutly religious man at odds with his reputation as the master of cinematic violence.

Unprecedented access to the director helped editor Robert K. Elder create in John Woo: Interviews the first authoritative English-language chronicle of Woo’s career.

Woo himself had this to say about the book: “I feel so honored. I feel like I don’t deserve it…I never go back and watch my own movies. But it’s nice to hear what my true friends have to say about them, the good and the bad. Thanks to Rob and my friends, your perspective helps me know myself better.”

Interesting fact: Mad magazine published an excerpt from “John Woo: Interviews” in issue #462 (American Idol cover).