Because there's always time for romance between killings.
A Taste of Killing and Romance is a 1994 Hong Kong action/romance film starring Andy Lau.
Andy Lau stars as Ko-sau, a hitman, who develops feelings for his protege, newcomer Yu-feng (Anita Yuen). However, if there's anything hitmen movies have taught us, is that hitmen and assassins should not develop feelings, especially for each other, and sure enough their relationship is thrown into jeopardy when their superior, Ice, orders for them to kill each other. The arrival of another ruthless, cold-blooded, elite hitman named Cheung makes everything even more complicated.
Waise Lee plays a badass cop investigating Ko-sau's killings, and inevitably ends up being involved in the mob war.
This movie can be considered as Andy Lau's "warm-up" for Fulltime Killer, another assassin film released 7 years later.
Tropes found in this Film include:
- Assassin Outclassin': More than once in this film. Between Sister Ice and the unlucky hitman sent after her, or between Ko and Cheung constantly trying to one-up each other, or between Ice and Cheung later on...
- The Cavalry: Inspector Tung and the Hong Kong marine police arriving in the climax to battle Cheung and his mooks.
- Concealment Equals Cover: During the final shootout, Ko manage to hide from multiple mooks' rapid gunfire by hiding under an overturned boat. Including hits from a shotgun.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Cheung, after double-crossing Ice, chokes and hangs her in her own gym, using a set of counter-weights to hoist her into the air from her neck.
- Downer Ending: Ko and Yu die together in the finale, before they can confess to each other.
- Faux Action Girl: Yu-feng, despite being promoted as the new elite hitwoman, doesn't hold a candle to the other assassins in the film. She can take on ordinary security guards and office workers in her first assassination assignment, but against Cheung she ends up on the receiving end of a pathetically short Curb-Stomp Battle.
- Fingore: Yu-feng loses her fingers to Cheung's blade near the end of the film.
- Furo Scene: Ice, the assassins' supervisor, had a bath scene when she received Ko's call for her. It was at this time when a rival hitman tries to get the drop on her while she's in the tub, but she expertly kills him quickly enough.
- Genre Mashup: Its an action-rom-com film, just like what the title implies.
- Hate Sink: Cheung, who serves as the villainous Foil to Ko, is ruthless, cold-blooded, sadistic and absolutely devoid of redeeming qualities. Scroll to the bottom where the list says "Would Hurt A..." for more details.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Inspector Fai’s assistant interrogates a suspect bound to a wheelchair like this, repeatedly shaking him and slapping his chin.
- Kick the Dog: Cheung does this a lot, as mentioned in numerous tropes on this page.
- Meaningful Name: Ko-sau, whose name in Mandarin translates literally as "expert". Him being an elite hitman that's normal.
- Pretty Little Headshots: Some of Ko's targets, especially the suspect he shot in the courtroom.
- Smart People Play Chess: Cheung is shown fiddling with a chessboard at one point, to plan his next mission accordingly to how a chess master’s strategies would play it out.
- That Poor Cat: Or dog, in this case. After killing a suspect's entire family, Cheung noticed the suspect's pet Pomeranian barking at him. He grabs said animal and shoves the animal into a washing machine before turning the spin cycle on.
- Together in Death: Ko and Yu in the ending.
- Workout Fanservice: Ice and Cheung working out in a gym, with her in tight yoga pants and him in a tight-fitting singlet that exposes much of his muscles. Although it quickly turns into Workout Fan Disservice when Cheung reveals his intentions to kill Ice, and does exactly just that in a rather graphic manner.
- Would Hurt a Child: In his assignment to Leave No Survivors, a little girl accidentally witnessed Cheung doing his work. So Cheung grabs the poor child and empties a bottle of soap detergent down her throat, choking her to death.
- Would Hit a Girl: Cheung, who is willing to slice off Yu's fingers, shoot her in the shoulder, and steps on her injury making her scream in pain in order to lure Ko out of hiding.
- Would Harm a Senior: Really, every hurting trope can be traced back to Cheung. In the family massacre scene, he's willing to silence an old grandma by smothering her with saran wrap around her face.
