7.6/10
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A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Ying hung boon sik (original title)
Not Rated | | Action, Crime, Drama | 2 August 1986 (Hong Kong)
A Better Tomorrow Poster
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) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Yun-Fat Chow | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

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From $1.99 (SD) on Prime Video

ON DISC
6 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

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A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Leslie Cheung, Yun-Fat Chow, Lung Ti
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The Killer (1989)
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A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss.

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Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh
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Hard Boiled (1992)
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A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.

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Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Teresa Mo
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Zong heng si hai (1991)
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A romantic and action packed story of three best friends, a group of high end art thieves, who come into trouble when a love-triangle forms between them.

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Die xue jie tou (1990)
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When three close friends escape from Hong Kong to war-time Saigon to start a criminal's life, they all go through a harrowing experience which totally shatters their lives and their friendship forever.

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Stars: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee
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A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989)
Action | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A man travels from China to Vietnam, on the brink of war with America, to retrieve his uncle and cousin but find complications when he falls in love with a female gangster with a dangerous ex.

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Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Anita Mui
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Dou san (1989)
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A master gambler loses his memory, and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.

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City on Fire (1987)
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    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.

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A respected and well liked gang-boss is betrayed and killed. One of his three adopted sons are to take his place. One of them is the traitor.

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Gam yuk fung wan (1987)
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Inside a Chinese prison two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside.

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Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Ka-Kui Ho
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Sien nui yau wan (1987)
Action | Comedy | Fantasy
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After a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple, where he encounters a ravishing female ghost and later battles to save her soul from the control of a wicked tree demon.

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Full Contact (1992)
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Two disreputable friends get tied in with a group of criminals who turn out to be excessively violent and deceptive.

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Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater
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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 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 Pierre Tremblay ... Interpol Officer
See full cast »
Edit

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. Written by Victor R. Volkman <sysop@hal9k.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

slow motion scene | shot to death | shooting | friendship | blood | See All (199) »

Taglines:

The movie that began it all......... See more »

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin | English

Release Date:

2 August 1986 (Hong Kong) See more »

Also Known As:

A Better Tomorrow See more »

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema City, Film Workshop See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film also contains "Birdy's Theme" (from the film Birdy (1984)) by Peter Gabriel incorporated into the soundtrack. See more »

Goofs

The cameraman can be seen in the reflection of the characters' sunglasses. See more »

Quotes

Tse-Kit Sung: I'm the cop, he's the thief. In the eyes of the law, we're on different paths.
See more »

Alternate Versions

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

Connections

Followed by A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989) See more »

Soundtracks

Love of the Past Years
Composed by Joseph Koo
Lyrics by James Wong
Performed by Leslie Cheung
See more »

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User Reviews

 
One fine film from John Woo
21 May 2002 | by InzyWimzy – See all my reviews

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...
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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