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:

Brothers by blood. Enemies by chance. Killers by nature.

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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 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.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Ho Tse Sung: A new girlfriend... I hope this time, it'll last.
Tse-Kit Sung: That depends on how she behaves.

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Alternate Versions

All 5.1 and 7.1 sound mixes found on various DVD- and Blu-ray editions feature added and re-dubbed sound effects, and vary greatly from the original monaural soundtrack.

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Connections

References Mean Streets (1973)

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Soundtracks

Several Blast and Rain
Performed by Roman Tam

User Reviews

One fine film from John Woo

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...