A Better Tomorrow (1986)

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

Hing-Ka Chan (as Chan Hing Kai), Suk-Wah Leung (as Leung Suk Wah)

Stars:

Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Yun-Fat Chow

6 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lung Ti	...	Sung Tse-Ho (as Ti Lung)
Yun-Fat Chow	...	Mark (as Chow Yun Fat)
Leslie Cheung	...	Sung Tse-Kit
Emily Chu	...	Jackie
Waise Lee	...	Shing (as Lee Chi Hung)
Feng Tien	...	Father Sung
John Woo	...	Inspector Wu
Yanzi Shi	...	Mr. Yiu
Kenneth Tsang	...	Ken
Fui-On Shing	...	Shing's right hand man
Hsieh Wang	...	Mr. Wang (as Hap Wong)
Chi Fai Chan	...	'Little' Wang
Ming Leung	...	Uncle Chan
Hing-Yin Kam	...	Mr. Mok
Pierre Tremblay	...	Interpol Officer

Storyline

This story is the tale of two brothers: one a successful counterfeiter and the younger a fledgling graduate of the HK police academy. The plot revolves around the split when the younger brother learns the other is a criminal and the efforts of the criminal brother to reform. Along the way are plenty of heists, double-crosses, and shoot outs.

---

Plot Keywords:

shot to death | friendship | taxi | loyalty | slow motion scene | 

---

Taglines:

The movie that began it all.........

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin English

Release Date:

2 August 1986 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

A Better Tomorrow

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,999,517

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema City, Film Workshop

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby (5.1 Surround Sound) DTS (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1) (Blu-ray release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The English title, "A Better Tomorrow", is the translated title of the song sung by the two school kids (in Mandarin) in the middle of the movie. It's a New Year's Eve song, usually sung by large groups.

---

Goofs

The cello playing at the "audition" (c.11 minutes) is inaccurately mimed.

---

Quotes

[as Ho and Shing are surrounded by police, Ho attempts to shoot Shing, but runs out of bullets]
Shing: Out of bullets? I guess I'll go surrender. I'll be okay. You on the other hand... You see, I have money. A few days in court, and I'll be a free man. If you have money, you can turn black to white. This, I learned from you. I pity your brother. Because of you, his white has become black, and it's your fault.

---

Alternate Versions

2 DVD versions released, one with original music and the other with substantial changes to music soundtrack.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Action Movies that are Surprisingly Artistic (2017)

---

Soundtracks

Birdy's Flight
Written and performed by Peter Gabriel

User Reviews

A groundbreaking movie, but it has been surpassed

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