7.6/10
17,410
93 user 62 critic

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:

Writers:

(as Chan Hing Kai), (as Leung Suk Wah) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

Watch Now

From $1.99 (SD) on Prime Video

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

Photos

See all 31 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

0 Next »
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
0 Next »
The Killer (1989)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

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.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh
0 Next »
Hard Boiled (1992)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Teresa Mo
0 Next »
Zong heng si hai (1991)
Action | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

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.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Leslie Cheung, Yun-Fat Chow, Cherie Chung
0 Next »
Die xue jie tou (1990)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

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.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee
0 Next »
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.

Director: Hark Tsui
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Anita Mui
0 Next »
City on Fire (1987)
Action | Crime | Drama
    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.

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee
0 Next »
Full Contact (1992)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

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

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater
0 Next »
Dou san (1989)
Action | Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A master gambler loses his memory, and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.

Director: Jing Wong
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Andy Lau, Joey Wang
0 Next »
Sien nui yau wan (1987)
Action | Comedy | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

After a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple.

Director: Siu-Tung Ching
Stars: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang, Wu Ma
0 Next »
Gam yuk fung wan (1987)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Inside a Chinese prison two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside.

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Ka-Kui Ho
0 Next »
Sai yau gei: Yut gwong bou haap (1995)
Action | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Fantasy adventure about the arrival of Buddhism in China. When the Goddess of Happiness tosses the Longevity Monk and his disciples out of heaven (because the Monkey King tried to attain ... See full summary »

Director: Jeffrey Lau
Stars: Stephen Chow, Man-Tat Ng, Kar-Ying Law
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Sung Tse-Ho (as Ti Lung)
...
Mark (as Chow Yun Fat)
...
Emily Chu ...
...
Shing (as Lee Chi Hung)
...
...
Yanzi Shi ...
...
Ken
...
Shing's right hand man
...
Mr. Wang (as Hap Wong)
Chi Fai Chan ...
Ming Leung ...
Uncle Chan
Hing-Yin Kam ...
Mr. Mok
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:

shot to death | shooting | blood | taipei taiwan | cake | See All (200) »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

2 August 1986 (Hong Kong)  »

Also Known As:

A Better Tomorrow  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| (5.1 Surround Sound)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hark Tsui instructed the screenwriters to portray the mobsters as counterfeiters rather than drug traffickers to up the "hero" factor. See more »

Goofs

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

Quotes

Ho Tse Sung: Kit...
Tse-Kit Sung: Don't ever call me Kit again! You will adress me as "Officer!"
Ho Tse Sung: Officer... I'm no longer the Big Boss. I haven't the Big Boss for a long time.
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Spiritual Love (1987) See more »

Soundtracks

Several Blast and Rain
Performed by Roman Tam
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

A groundbreaking movie, but it has been surpassed
15 May 2000 | by – See all my reviews

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
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 93 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Rent or Buy Popular Movies With Prime Video

Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Visit Prime Video to explore more titles