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.

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Plot Keywords:

slow motion scene | shot to death | shooting | friendship | blood | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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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

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 scene where Mark gets brutally beaten by Sheng's men was initially toned too violent. But John Woo went all out to ensure that the scene remained intact within the film. Woo discussed it with the people at the censorship board that he felt it was important to show just how far gangsters are willing to go.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Shing: There's nothing better than having one of your own on the force.

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Alternate Versions

German TV and Video-Versions are heavily cut for violence. The full uncut version was re-released by Astro-Video (Screenpower) and features all the violence. The Laserdisc-Release is also uncut

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Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: The Arrival of Multiplexes and Asian Mainstream (2011)

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Soundtracks

Several Blast and Rain
Performed by Roman Tam

User Reviews

the start of a trend

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.