Ying hung boon sik III jik yeung ji gor (1989)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Hark Tsui

Writers:

Yiu Ming Leung (screenplay)
Foo Ho Tai (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | War

Plot:

At the end of the Vietnam war, Cheung goes to Saigon, intent on bringing his uncle and cousin back to Hong Kong...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Hong Kong | Vietnam War | Love Triangle | Female Criminal

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Mark Gor (as Chow Yun Fat)
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Cheung Chi-Mun
Anita Mui	...	Chow Ying-Kit
Kien Shih	...	Mun's father
Saburô Tokitô	...	Ho Cheung-Ching / Tanaka
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wai Lun Cheng	...	Pat
William Cheng
Maggie Cheung Ho Yee
Ling Nam Lam
Wah Yeung		(as Andrew Kam)

Also Known As:

A Better Tomorrow III (Hong Kong: English title)
A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (USA)
Ying xiong ben se III tzu yang tsu gor (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Runtime:

105 min | Germany:85 min | UK:111 min | Germany:112 min (extended version) | Taiwan:130 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

English | Vietnamese | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA | Malaysia:18PL | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) (2004) | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Vietnam

Company:

Film Workshop

Trivia:

John Woo (director of the first two films in the series) wrote the original screenplay for this third installment, but he never got to direct this third entry due to having had artistic differences with producer Hark Tsui during the filming of Ying hung boon sik II (1987). Instead, John Woo took his screenplay and made it into the film Die xue jie tou (1990). Hark Tsui himself would direct his his own version of Ying hung boon sik III. The two films have many parallels, most notably, both being set in the Vietnam War.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the subtitled version, Ho reveals that his real name is "Tanaka". However, later in the film he refers to his name as being "Tokito". The role was being played by 'Saburo Tokito'.

Quotes:

Mark Gor: Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring.

Movie Connections:

Follows Ying hung boon sik (1986)

The best of the series...

ABTIII is easily the best of the entire series. While loyal John Woo fans (like myself) may feel offended that a sequel was done without his involvement, this film stands alone as a true masterpiece of Tsui Hark's. Anita Mui is fantastic and lends real credibility and sensitivity to this film as the woman who teaches Yun Fat's "Mark" how to both "be cool" and use 2 guns at once. This film also doubles as a sensitive portrayal of the Vietnam conflict from "the other side", a view most Americans are unfamiliar with. A superb, compelling film with excellent performances, ABTIII is a real treasure for those willing to give it a look.