A Better Tomorrow (1986) User Reviews

A Better Tomorrow starts today...

[fmarkland32 · 8/10 · 3 September 2006]

Two brothers (One a cop played by the late Leslie Cheung, the other a thief played by Ti Lung) become enemies after the death of their father while Chow Yun Fat plays a crippled assassin who teams up with Ti Lung to help protect Cheung from the mob boss that is looking to do him in, while at the same time try to redeem himself in the eyes of his police officer brother. A Better Tomorrow is often reported as the best movie John Woo has done and while it is certainly a superior staple on his resume, the movie's tone is a little off and although the movie is very well done the movie gets a tad too melodramatic at times. However that minor flaw aside A Better Tomorrow provides an unusually rich story that details a rocky relationship that seems to never be forgiven. Indeed even at the end, we doubt whether the brothers will ever be as close as they once were. Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung are very good in their roles but it really is Chow Yun Fat that sells the movie and his performance as an out of work assassin provides a tragic figure that is far more tragic than the relationship between Lung and Cheung. As noted the acting is flawless with Cheung turning in a flawless 180 degree turn in his character. A Better Tomorrow while not the best movie from John Woo, is still a rewarding tale.

* * *1/2 out of 4-(Very good)

the start of a trend

[rdoyle29 · 8/10 · 20 August 2000]

In the 1980s, Chinese and Taiwanese films stormed into European and American art-house theatres, while for less fastidious audiences, Hong Kong provided cult action films, first Kung Fu pictures then gangster flicks. John Woo became the Crown Colony's hottest director through his kinetic crime flicks that filtered the lyrical violence of Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, and Walter Hill through an Asian sensibility and re-exported it to the States where Quentin Tarantino became a major admirer. Woo's trademarks are the stand-off, where two or more gunmen hold each other at bay, and the ferocious gunfight in which dozens of people are killed and restaurants blown apart as the hero pirouettes and somersaults while blasting away with two automatic pistols to throbbing, synthesized Western music. "A Better Tomorrow" is a characteristic fable of male friendship, stoicism, courage, and men living by a personal code, in which women are marginalized. It made an overnight star of Chow Yun Fat, who appeared in most of Woo's pictures. The handsome, reserved, athletic Chow is the epitome of Hong Kong movie cool, a moral man in an amoral world, his character is much the same whatever side of the law he is on. The movie also introduced Leslie Cheung, who was to become an iconic figure in mainland Chinese cinema.

The Cool & Suave Chow Yun Fat

[eibon09 · 8/10 · 20 April 2001]

John Woo's Ying Huang Boon Sik/A Better Tomorrow(1986) was groundbreaking when first released because of the stylisitc depiction of the action scenes. Its success spurred a new genre in Hong Kong cinema known as Heroic Bloodshed. These films were usually gangster pics which is characterized by outrageous gun battles, heavy action, and high melodrama. Hong Kong cinema in the mid 1980s to early 1990s was in the midst of a gangster film craze similar to Hollywood in the 1930s-1940s, France in the 1950s-1960s, Japan in the 1960s-1970s, and Italy in the 1970s-1980s. A Better Tomorrow(1986) is to Heroic Bloodshed what A Fistful of Dollars(1966) was to the Spaghetti Western.

A Better Tomorrow focuses on the age old themes of honor and loyalty. The characters of Ho and Mark are honorable gangsters in an era of double crosses and mistrust. Ho and Mark are at odds with the changing value system and this puts them as people who are outmoded in their principles. Honor and loyalty in A Better Tomorrow(1986) is greatly emphasized as the marks of a good hearted person. Mark Gor is very honorable and loyal in his personalty compared to Shing who is the opposite.

John Woo's main concern is to place high importance on the idea of brotherhood. According to John woo in this film, the tight bonding between men is something that was lost among youngsters at that time. Brotherhood in the film is complex and emotional. The relationship between Ho and Mark is so strong that there is nothing that can smash it. The scene where Mark tells of his ordeals at a nightclub as a first time gangster is nostalgic and touching.

Famous for the clothes Mark Gor wears as for anything else in the film. Began a trend in fashion around Hong Kong when many people started wearing the same kind of outfit as Mark Gor. Quentin Tarantino loved the look of Mark that for weeks he dressed like him to feel and look cool. In John Woo films there is always focus on the fashion of his characters. Mark Gor was the Rick Blaine of the 1980s.

A Better Tomorrow(1986) changed the look of action films with the famous use of pistols by Brother Mark in the restaurant. The first of many elaborate gun battles that dominates the films that follows A Better Tomorrow(1986). Although John Woo would film many wonderful action scenes in the next few years, there never would be a scene like this one which is full of energy and freshness. I enjoyed it when Mark Gor places guns inside flower pots as backup because the idea is cleaver and original. This scene is parodied in the climatic portion of Just Heroes(1987).

Ying Huang Boon Sik(1986) gave stardom to an actor known for his roles in Hong Kong television named Chow Yun Fat. Before the film's success, Chow Yun Fat was considered box office poison by Hong Kong theatre owners. His charismatic and suave performance as the tragic Mark Gor broke that reputation. Chow Yun Fat is the best actor to come out of Asian cinema since Toshiro Mifune and Jo Shishido. He is the most flamboyant actor in the world who is better than any actor that was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars.

The motif of sacrifice for redemption is part of Woo's religious beliefs. The heroes in his bloodshed films perform sacrifices to purify themselves within. The death of Mark Gor is a big sacrifice because it makes Ho and Kit Brothers again. What's sad about the death of Mark is its the only way for Ho and Mark to reconcile with each other. This motif also plays big in The Killer(1989) and Bullet in the Head(1990).

The story is simple but compelling. Ti Lung made a big comeback with his role after years of mediocrity. He gives a performance that is deeply emotional and mature. Leslie Cheung also performs well as the headstrong but naive and stubborn Kit Sung. Waise Lee is excellent as the pompous and two faced Triad boss, Shing.

Gunfight at the end of A Better Tomorrow is less high body count and refined than in later John Woo films. Still exhilarating and fun to watch. The shootout is filmed in the spirit of Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone. When Chow Yun Fat comes out shooting like John Wayne, the film is at a high adrenaline level. One of the reasons why I love this movie.

Plot becomes more emotionally intense and less melodramatic with the energetic direction of John Woo. What makes the film work is the large dose of sentlementlty given by John Woo. He films the action and dramatic scenes with much passion and thoughtfulness. He is good at directing Chow Yun Fat and Ti Lung in giving great performances. A Better Tomorrow(1986) made John Woo an action guru after years doing comedies and being known as the king of comedy in Hong Kong cinema.

.....and the rest is history

[bob the moo · 12 April 2003]

Mark and Ho are gangsters for a major syndicate. Ho's brother Kit is unaware of his brother's lifestyle and himself is an ambitious police officer. However when Ho is betrayed by the bosses he is sent to jail and his father murdered, leaving Kit marked within the force and bitter towards Ho. Mark takes revenge on those who set up Ho but suffers severe damage to his leg as a result. When Ho comes out of prison Mark is reduced to cleaning up for new boss Shing. Ho and Mark resolve to move on, but Shing has other ideas and also plans to deal with Kit to stop him investigating. With the police and mob closing in Ho, Mark and Kit are forced to take a stand.

As part of my build up to see Bullet Proof Monk I have been watching some of Mr Chow's HK action movies again - just to remind me how good an actor he is when he is used well. A Better Tomorrow was Chow's big break through from television to movies and also the film that kick started John Woo's career after a couple of commercial failures. The plot is nicely overwrought and has a strong focus on the male relationship of friends and brothers. Honour plays strong in all scenes and it is actually quite involving despite the focus on gun play and action.

The action is good but dated. This is to be expected after about 20 years but it does still stand up well. The action is pretty over the top but also well choreographed to appear even more exciting than it is. Happily the plot stands up by itself and the film has a lot less action than later Woo films The Killer and Hard Boiled. I really got into the lives and destinies of the men involved and the strength of feeling and, perhaps, debts of honour, between them was palatable.

The strong characters are greatly helped by strong actors in all the leads. Chow is particularly good as he has to play two very different stages of his character and does them both very well (although the supercool part must have come easier to him). Ti Lung is clearly the lead here and does good work even if he is a little too righteous and moral to be a gangster. Leslie Cheung is good after a slow start required by his character. Lee Waise plays a good villain and only the female characters are as weak as they often are in these films.

Overall this film is regarded as a classic and responsible for the birth of the genre and certainly the genesis of many Hollywood action movies of today (how many multiplex goers who marvelled over the lobby shootout in the Matrix have even heard of this film?). It has dated a little bit but the action is still as outrageous as ever and still as exciting, despite a slight feeling of seeing it bigger somewhere else. The film's main strength to me is simply the male characters' relationships within the plot - they get me involved in the film and make the action even more dramatic.

John Woo: Simply The Best

[jhclues · 9/10 · 9 November 2000]

The relationship between two brothers on opposite sides of the law, and the loyalty of friends is explored in 'A Better Tomorrow,' an action/drama directed by John Woo. As with any Woo film there's plenty of action here, but at the heart of the film is the story itself; and that's what sets Woo apart from all other so-called 'action' directors. Woo frames the drama with some astoundingly intricate and well choreographed action sequences (gun play and hand to hand fighting), but integrates the story seamlessly, which raises this film, as with all of his films, levels higher than the average action movie. In this one, older brother Ho (Lung Ti) is a high ranking member of a crime syndicate specializing in counterfeit money; his younger brother, Kit (Leslie Cheung) is beginning his career as a detective. Complicating matters is the death of their father (Feng Tien) and the involvement of Ho's best friend and colleague, Mark (Chow Yun-Fat), and Kit's girl, Jackie (Emily Chu). In the end, at the core of the action, it becomes a story of love and loyalty, and the sacrifices sometimes necessary in life to make it work and give meaning to it all. Woo has impeccable timing, not only in the action sequences, but with the drama as well; he knows how to use the camera to heighten the emotional impact of a pivotal moment, and successfully injects a caesura at just the right time, which maintains the perfect amount of tension that extends the drama and serves to hold the audience enthralled. That he can employ these techniques equally within the action and dramatic sequences is why his movies have such wonderful flow and rhythm; it creates a 'whole' as opposed to merely a series of scenes strung together to tell a story. Directors of all genres would be well served to study Woo's techniques. Woo gets the most out of his actors as well. Lung Ti gives tremendous depth to the character of Ho, successfully conveying the inner struggle of this man attempting to make amends with the brother he loves, while the charismatic Chow Yun-Fat gives a riveting performance as Ho's closest friend. His screen presence is dynamic and commanding. Woo firmly establishes the depth of loyalty between the two, and skillfully the actors make it convincing and credible, which makes the final heroics all the more believable. An exciting, memorable film, 'A Better Tomorrow' is thoroughly entertaining, and a tribute to a truly great director, John Woo, who seems to get better with every film he makes. For a combination of action and drama, there isn't another director in the history of movies that does it better than Woo. I rate this one 9/10.

One fine film from John Woo

[InzyWimzy · 10/10 · 21 May 2002]

This film just works!! Besides Woo's top notch action sequences, I was amazed by the great story. Chow Yun Fat is great as Mark and Leslie Cheung is very good as Kit. However, I think the main spotlight is on Ti Lung who is amazing as Ho. The story of loyalty & friendship is the main emphasis here and is essential. Plus, the chemistry between the actors is so apparent, you can see that they must've had so much fun making this movie.

I can see myself watching this again and again...

Brotherhood, Friendship and Loyalty

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 7 September 2015]

In Hong Kong, the gangsters Sung Tse-Ho (Ti Lung) and Mark (Chow Yun Fat) are best friends. Ho's younger brother Sung Tse-Kit (Leslie Cheung) wants to be a police officer and does not know that his brother is a criminal. When Ho travels with another criminal to Taiwan for a negotiation, he is betrayed and arrested by the police. Meanwhile Mark kills the gang that betrayed his friend. After three years, Ho is finally released from the prison and returns to Hong Kong. He finds that Kit hates him and is investigating the Mafia and Mark is limped and in complete misery. But Ho promises that he would not return to life of outlaw and prefers to work as taxi driver. However he is haunted by his past and the need of protecting his estranged brother. .

"Ying hung boon sik", a.k.a. "A Better Tomorrow", is a great crime film directed by John Woo. The good storyline about brotherhood, friendship and loyalty is full of action. The screenplay is tight and Sung Tse-Ho is a nice character incapable to regenerate due to the corrupt system. In the 80's, this movie had a greater impact but it is still a great action movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Alvo Duplo" ("Double Target")

Will these two brothers find...A Better Tomorrow?

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 24 June 2004]

A Better Tomorrow (1986) was the gangster film that made John Woo one of the top directors in the Hong Kong film industry during the mid to late 80's. This one also made Yun-Fat Chow into a superstar and it revived the career of former Shaw Brothers star Lung Ti and boosted the career of pop singer/actor Leslie Cheung. A tragic tale about true friendship and loyalty. Yun-Fat and Lung co-star as two gangsters who are also the best of friends. They have been through a lot together. But a simple twist of fate changes their lives for ever. Leslie Cheung stars as the younger brother of Lung Ti, a straight edge cop who learns about his brother's secret life. Waise Lee and John Woo also appear in this one as well.

A ground breaking film. Not only did it make Producer Tsui Hark and Cinema City Ltd. a lot of money, it also spawned two official sequels and countless of knock-offs. A number of triad inspired movies were produced after the success of this film. It also started a fashion trend in Hong Kong. Great stuff.

Highly recommended.

A

Followed by A Better Tomorrow II and A Better Tomorrow III: Love and death in Saigon..

One of your better trilogies.

Nobody does it better.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 17 December 2022]

Nobody does heroic bloodshed like John Woo. 'A Better Tomorrow (1986)' is considered to be Woo's first foray into the genre and it's one heck of a initial attempt. Although 'The Killer (1989)' and 'Hard Boiled (1991)' would refine his approach to the genre by distilling it down to the dove-laden, acrobatic action extravaganza everyone expects when they hear his name, this movie lays the foundations of what's to come and holds up even if you've seen those later pictures first (as I did). Mixing the melancholic poetry of Wong Kar-Wai with the explosive violence of Sam Peckinpah, the piece tells the tale of a high-end criminal who comes to blows with his policeman brother after the death of their father. It's essentially about the criminal's attempts to leave his old life behind and prove to his kin that he's a new man, but of course that life proves exceptionally difficult to get away from. The core of the movie isn't a duo, it's a trio; the lead's best friend and brother-in-arms goes to great lengths to honour the silent code that exists between them. The conflict between these characters and those on both sides of the law who seem incapable of letting sleeping dogs lie drives the narrative forward. It's paced almost like an epic, with large stretches of time passing by in montage to craft an overview of the large internal journeys the characters go on. It's the same sort of tragically romanticised stuff that makes both 'The Killer (1989)' and 'Hard Boiled (1991)' so distinct, except here there's a slightly more serious tone. That tone gives the movie a melodramatic, arguably more traditional atmosphere but it also makes the central character drama resonate rather deeply. The bonafide drama would work well enough even if the flick didn't escalate into all-out relentlessness during its cool-as-cucumbers yet chaotic set-pieces. In a way, the violence seems to serve the story more than act as entertainment in and of itself; what I mean is that the film isn't so much an action movie as a movie with action in it. Yet, when the action does arrive, it's easily some of the best of its kind. While it isn't as outlandishly entertaining as that which Woo would deliver later, it's as fast-paced and exciting as you'd expect. It's truly brilliant stuff that just keeps getting bigger and bolder as the piece nears its inevitably explosive finale. Ultimately, this is a really solid slice of cinema that uses the potential tonal dissonance between its melodrama and its mayhem to craft a poetic yet muscular affair that's as relentless as it is touching.

Still holds up

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 6 April 2007]

This movie kick-started many things. The very fruitful partnership between John Woo and Chow Yun Fat, the successful career for of them, the heroic bloodshed movie (don't try this at home or let kids watch them) and a lot of imitators! So one should be really thankful to Tsui Hark, because it's a really good thing he couldn't direct. Otherwise we most likely wouldn't have any of the above!

But being as it is, you can watch this movie and see how it is done correctly. Replacement Killers eat your heart out! This movie still is superior to imitators such as the named one or a few others. Yes I know that some have argued that it is dated and other movies (such as Matrix) have not only copied some of it's styles, but improved them. Not for me, they haven't! Because it's not only about copying a slow motion effect here, it's about the story too. And the characters and their believes. And of course the acting!

An excellent John Woo

[rudymatile · 7/10 · 7 December 2021]

An excellent John Woo, where we find the style of the director. The action scenes are excellent, totally mastered, we take full view, and it explodes in all directions. The film is about brotherhood, friendship and loyalty, all of John Woo's themes are treated wonderfully in this first episode.

Chow Yun Fat's performance hits the screen. This actor has an incredible charisma, particularly in this film where he eclipses the other actors who are also excellent.

The rhythm is very good, the duration of the film also, we do not have time to be bored. Some passages are a bit absurd but it is part of the genre, and we will also forgive the pistols with unlimited ammunition, a great classic.

The staging of the gunfights is less epic than in The Killer or Hard Boiled (two Woo films that I prefer to this one), but are still very good.

In short, if you haven't seen this film and you like Hong Kong cinema, want to discover it, or watch a good John Woo, I recommend it!

One of John Woo's best

[blackmamba99971 · 10/10 · 7 February 2017]

Before Broken Arrow hit the silver screen with John Travolta, and Christian Slater, there was this wonderful gem to come out of Hong Kong. Chow Yun Fat, was his absolute best when he starred in this gritty, and action filled segment about the criminal underworld. Two brothers... one a cop, the other brother is part of an organization that deals in counterfeiting, as well as drugs, and weapons. Lung Ti who plays the corrupted prince is betrayed, and sent to prison in Taipei for dealing in counterfeiting by one of his own men behind the curtains. Released after... he decides to try, and patch things up with his younger brother who had graduated from the police academy but things do not go to plan.

Ostracized Sung Tse Ho tries to adapt back into the social status as a cab driver to make an honest living, but the dregs led by the new head of the criminal underworld (Waise Lee) or Shing who had betrayed him wants Ho back into the fold. Marred by his past Sung finally realizes his worth by protecting his brother at all costs by stopping Shing with damming evidence which he hands off to his younger brother. Mark (Chow Yun Fat) helps him regain his dignity through some heavy fire fighting, as well as taking a severe beating by Shing and his gang.

For nineteen eighty six this was one of the most emotional films to date to come out of china. Nearly every movie that does hold a monotonous amount of one dimensional Kung Fu battles or gun fights to outweigh the story line. I found none of that nonsense in this rare movie. Chow, Lung, and Leslie Chung all had great parts to play. A trio in fantastic ranges of acting that made this wonderful tale one of my favourites. It then led on to other films for which Chow Yun Fat became as classic icon using his body style, and gracious persona to coat the silver screen with his incredible talent.

For those who love good cop stories this one is it. Betrayal, deep bonding friendship, corruption, action, and emotional baggage for the more intellectual mind can appreciate in a great story. Ten out of ten stars.

The very first film with heroic bloodshed

[maxyg18 · 7/10 · 27 July 2006]

This was the movie that got John Woo Famous. It's a beautifully done film, about a relationship between two brothers that goes wrong when one of the brothers Kit (Leslie Cheung), a rookie cop, discovers that his brother Ho (Ti Lung), is a gangster when he is sent to prison. Three years later, Ho gets out of prison and starts a new life that is crime-free, but his brother is unable to forgive him (in other words, hates him) and his friend Mark (Chow Yun-Fat), encourages him to go back to the world of crime. The storyline is rather complicated to follow but this movie has some great stylised action scenes and great acting.

Worth watching.

Early Woo is no better than early anyone else.

[=G= · 5/10 · 17 August 2003]

As much as Woo fans would like to hype "A Better Tomorrow" as a classic, it is just another Hong Kong crime/action flick with all the usual overdone bullets, blood, and silly melodrama. Just as with Jackie Chan, Jet Li and even Bruce Lee, this early Woo flick featuring early Chow Yuen Fat is a turkey made when Woo was cutting his teeth, before he got his rep and the juice to make bigger budget flicks. Just because this film bears the Woo signature, doesn't make it a good film. For Woo fans and action junkies only. (C)

A groundbreaking movie, but it has been surpassed

[action-6 · 15 May 2000]

John Woo was responsible for creating a whole new genre with A Better Tomorrow in 1986: the heroic-bloodshed genre. ABT is a groundbreaking movie, and Hollowood blockbusters like "The Matrix" would never have existed, if it hadn`t been for A Better Tomorrow. Chow Yun-Fat was launched into superstardom, after his flawless role in this movie. CYF plays Mark Gor, a Hong-Kong gangster known for his coolness. The actionscenes introduced John Woo`s famous twingun-action, and the quality of the actionscenes is very high. The film is VERY violent, and is not recommended for young people. Though ABT is getting a bit old, it can still show American action-directors how to get things right. 7,5/10

One of the best Hong Kong action films.

[TransAtlantyk · 8/10 · 17 January 2012]

This is the movie that made John Woo the reputation that he has for action films. If you enjoy action films, and in particular other Hong Kong action films then you will enjoy this. Stylistically it is easily identified as a Woo film and doesn't really transcend the action film genre but it does work marvelously within the confines of that genre.

Some consider The Killer or Hard-Boiled to be the better John Woo HK film but I find that while the Killer and Hard-Boiled both have tighter, more elegant action sequences what really makes A Better Tomorrow lead the pack is the plot. It isn't an entirely original plot but it is well acted enough that you really feel for the characters and can understand the motivations. It isn't a typical action movie plot where the script serves simply as a device to create interesting action sequences. You get traditional Chinese themes such as honor, loyalty, and strong family ties.

As always Chow Yun Fat is a pleasure to watch. He is simply one of the coolest action stars in the entire global movie industry. You could search far and wide and not find a more suave action star than the dual-pistol wielding, cigarette-in-mouth Chow Yun Fat. Worth watching for his presence alone. If you only know him from the American films he has done then you are doing yourself a disservice.

In summation: if you like action films you will love A Better Tomorrow. It's that simple. Also check out other Woo HK films like The Killer and Hard Boiled.

Why the bad rap?

[cebudden-1 · 8/10 · 11 November 2004]

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. It's obvious that a lot of people only like Woo's films for the action, and that's fine--nobody before or since has come close to equaling Woo's mastery of action choreography when he was in his prime. But if you look deeper, there's also some meaning to his films.

Woo's oeuvre is very much concerned with morality. All of his films deal with issues like the gray area between good and bad, whether loyalty to one's family or one's profession ought to take precedence, the extent to which actions determine one's character, and so on. People criticize his movies for featuring protagonists which leap around in ridiculous ways, shooting endless bullets, never having to reload. They're missing the point, because Woo doesn't care at all for realism. He is more interested in creating a sort of superhero mythology featuring more or less real-life characters that use extreme violence as a means of self-realization and working out moral issues.

Anyway, although A Better Tomorrow doesn't actually feature all that many action scenes (although the ones that are here are really good, especially the scene in the restaurant) it's still somehow my favorite of his Hong Kong films. It has heart, the acting by Chow Yun-Fat is really great, and for some reason I also really dig the music. I can't really offer good reasons why I like this one better than Hard Boiled and The Killer, because the action is technically better in those two. But I prefer this one.

Definitely a Hong Kong action crime classic...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 24 May 2022]

"Ying Hung Boon Sik" (aka "A Better Tomorrow") is one of the very first Hong Kong action movies that I watched back in the day, and director John Woo's impressive and slick style of directing made me start to enjoy the Hong Kong movies way back when. And to this day today, my passion and love for the Hong Kong cinema is unbridled.

The storyline in "Ying Hung Boon Sik", as written by Hing-Ka Chan, Suk-Wah Leung and John Woo is a pretty straight forward storyline that offers a little bit of everything to the audience. The movie have elements of crime, action and drama to it, so there is a good variety to be enjoyed here. And while "Ying Hung Boon Sik" definitely is a good movie, it just isn't as impressiveas the 1987 sequel.

Something that helps carry the movie, aside from the storyline, is the impressive cast ensemble; a cast ensemble that includes the likes of Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Kenneth Tsang, Fui-On Shing, Hing-Yin Kam and lots of other familiar faces. So you certainly are in for a parade of great talents and performances on the screen.

There is a lot of action in "Ying Hung Boon Sik", just as you would expect from a John Woo movie.

"Ying Hung Boon Sik" is a classic among the 1980s Hong Kong action crime movies, and with good reason.

My rating of "Ying Hung Boon Sik" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Things I learned from this film...

[monkeyrebirth · 9/10 · 10 November 2007]

1. The 1980's had some of the most offensive sweaters in history

2. People from Hong Kong give incredibly generous slices of cake

3. An existing permanent leg injury that causes a significant limp can temporarily be relieved by holding two guns

4. Both hardened Triads and fresh-faced young men enjoy pushing, slappy horseplay

5. Women from Hong Kong will still answer a ringing phone despite having a maniac shooting at them

This, light teasing aside, is a classic film and still holds up very well after 20 years. Great stuff.

Once Upon A Time This Was Stunning: Then Woo Got Hard Boiled

[museumofdave · 6/10 · 24 April 2013]

Its odd how some gangster films from the 1970s and 1980s have dated more than those made in the 1930s and 1940s, probably because the pacing and the snappy dialog crammed into 80 minutes wears much better than long stretches of attitude and out-of-date clothes and second- rate music.

The main reason folks seem to watch John Woo is for his grasp of kinetic gun play and maximum explosive violence, and that said, he does it infinitely better in his later films, mainly Hard Boiled, in which the last 30 minutes is absolute dynamite. There are a few scenes in A Better Tomorrow worth wading through in this film, and Chow Yun-Fat is persuasive as a silent gun man with a strong personal code, but you just want to smack the kid brother, whose petulance and whining grows tiresome after about ten minutes, and the final shootout, even though dozens of whirling bodies go flying through the air, is fairly predictable to seasoned viewers. This is a good film to watch to see where Woo was grounded, but I think his mature work shines in comparison

John Woo at his very best

[ewankirkby · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

While at times it can be rather cheesy, to me everything else is near perfect the story is captivating Chow yun fats performance is excellent and the action scenes are some of the very best put on the screen. Also the pacing of the film is amazing fitting so much into the 90 minute runtime. The highlights of the movie though is easily Chow Yun Fats revenge fueled rampage in the Chinese restaurant, the emotional scene on the hill and last but definitely not least the ultra bloody final shootout at the docks. John Woo made a few films that came close to this (Hard Boiled, Face/Off, The Killer and A Better Tomorrow 2 being some) but none of them captured the magic of this genre Final Rating: 9.8.

Brotherhood & Bullets

[longestnite · 7/10 · 11 June 2007]

"A better tomorrow" is filmed in 1986, directed by John Woo, acted by Chow Yun Fat, Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung. The story is about friendship and brotherhood. Ti is a triad boss, he runs his counterfeit money business with his best friend Chow, however, his brother Cheung is a police. After the death of Ti and Cheungs' father, the conflict between them becomes harder.unfortunately, Ti and Chow are betrayed by their subordinate,LEE.Afterward, Ti is sent to jail, and Chow becomes lame. 3 years later,Ti got released,he decides to improve the relationship between Cheung, so he quits the triad, want to be a good man,but Cheung seems doesn't forgive him. Moreover, Chow is waiting for a opportunity to revenge. Lee, who is the new boss of the triad, he forces Ti to co-operate the criminal act,but Ti refuses to do so. During a investigation, Cheung is shot by Lee, this makes Ti understand that he must strike back. Ti,Chow and Cheung decide to spend their rest lives with bullets......

I think "a better tomorrow" is the best film of John Woo ever. the description of their brotherhood is very true, and the gun-shoot scenes are brilliant, even better than nowadays'. The Film won best actor (Chow Yun Fat) and best picture (a better tomorrow) and 9 nominations in Hong Kong film awards in 1987. It also becomes the top-grossing film in Hong Kong for several years.

I love this movie very much because Chow Yun Fat is cool in this movie. His long coat,sun-glasses and are the icons of 80'S. By the way, their is a classic scene at the end of the movie, he is shot by 4X bullets and died which is inspired by Bonnie & Clyde in 1967.

Masterpiece

[jimmyche · 9/10 · 20 January 2023]

I had the chance to re-watch this again a decade later and I have to say that this still holds up in all aspects; it was as good, if not better, than I remember.

The action scenes are just as outstanding and looking back, this is so much better and it puts all the high budget CGI action scenes we see today to shame. I don't feel any emotion when watching today's action scene, despite all the fantastical design, I still feel a sense of detachment because I know this can't be real.

This movie have so much style. I hope Chow Yun Fat and John Woo makes a comeback and do another movie similar to this, bringing along their experience and wisdom. I hope to live to see that day.

More a sign of greater things to come from Woo.

[oneguyrambling · 6/10 · 14 November 2010]

John Woo was making films for a full 20 years before he decided on a plot device that he has revisited again and again over the more successful phase of his career as an "action first / plot second" writer-director.

That wrinkle was to have a good guy and a bad guy exist alongside one another, and indeed even team up at times, so that the audience could see that they might not really be that different, and to lead to several stand-offs and situations where they are in close proximity.

The first notable time that occurred was in this film made in 1986, but of course Woo went back to the well with The Killer, Hardboiled and Face/Off, among others.

This film also showed that Chow Yun Fat is a cool cat regardless whether he is playing a good or a bad guy. (His presence alone made me watch Bulletproof Monk not once, but TWICE.) In A Better Tomorrow, Yun-Fat is Mark, a small time gangster of little significance who piggybacks the success of Ho Sung, both are intimately involved in an operation counterfeiting US currency.

(Mark is cool because he wears sunnies inside and he always has a toothpick hanging out the side of his mouth, even while he is smoking.) Ho Sung's little bro Kit is graduating from the Police Training Academy and entering the force, and their Dad's dying wish is that Ho Sung go straight and not allow Kit to find out what a bad guy he really is.

Ho-Sung agrees, after one last job… Of course the "one last job" goes bad, and Ho Sung ends up in prison after his young new protégé Shing sells him out to the cops. After finding out that Ho is in da' joint Mark puts a hit on the bad guys, and is he himself shot in the leg. ( I might add here that even if it wasn't the first time he did it, Woo was already a fan of allowing his characters to shoot 77 rounds from a pistol without reloading.) Fast forward 3 years >>>>> Ho is out of prison and Kit is now a senior cop. Having copped a little grief from his peers and superiors at having a crim for a brother Kit wants nothing to do with Ho, who only wants to prove that he is true to his word and is in fact going straight.

Ho gets a job and does go straight, and when he comes across Mark he is saddened that he is now nothing more than a limping dogsbody for his new gang-boss Shing, the very guy who sold Ho out just 3 years prior.

That is a lot of stuff, apparently 3 years is a very long time in Hong Kong.

From this point the film becomes a tug of war: Ho wants nothing more than to show Kit he's a good boy now, Shing wants Ho back in the business, as does Mark who will not be allowed in without him, and Kit just wants to bust the whole lot of them to prove he is a supercop with no family bias.

Given all that, it's hard to see this ending happily.

The usual Woo signature flashes are present, the slo-mo violence, the generous and effective use of blood-packs and squibs to show the spurts created by some of the 77 rounds fired from each magazine, and in the Big Shootout at the end of the film Mark gets to use two pistols at once, something that he then did in every film he ended up doing with Woo.

A Better Tomorrow doesn't hold up well unfortunately despite being seen as a genre-setting film at the time, and being namechecked by everyone and his Tarantino as being influential. It is momentously cheesy at times (see below), has some obviously clumsy direction as Woo worked on his chops and just a terrible soundtrack, somehow though it manages to be a passable flick if nothing better is available. The problem is that nowadays there should always be something better available, namely almost everything that Woo did after this, for example.

Final Rating – 6 / 10. A Better Tomorrow showed signs of what was to come without ever making me Woo-zy, and it never really reaches any heights.

If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

Not all that.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 1 November 2003]

It's one of John Woo's earlier efforts, and it's pretty clear that he hadn't perfected his cinematic techniques yet; his work here is alternately stylized and just plain crude. The story isn't very interesting; the score often gets melodramatic and pushy; and the appallingly bad dubbing job (if you're unlucky enough to find yourself watching a dubbed version) renders the movie nearly unwatchable. I'd say skip it altogether and go watch "The Killer", which is LIGHT YEARS AHEAD of this, IF it weren't for Chow Yun Fat's astonishing, moving performance. You do need to see this movie after all...if only to realize how much more than simply an "action star" he really is. (**)