A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989)

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

Writers:

Yiu-ming Leung (screenplay), Foo Ho Tai (screenplay)

Stars:

Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Anita Mui

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yun-Fat Chow	...	Mark Gor (as Chow Yun Fat)
Tony Ka Fai Leung	...	Cheung Chi-Mun
Anita Mui	...	Chow Ying-Kit
Kien Shih	...	Mun's father
Saburô Tokitô	...	Ho Cheung-Ching / Tanaka
Wai Lun Cheng	...	Pat
Maggie Ho Yee Cheung	...	Ling
Yeung-Wah Kam	...	Jimmy (as Andrew Kam)
Ling Nam Lam	...	Bond
Hsiang Lin Yin	...	General with Bond (as Seung Lam Wan)
Chi Wai Wong	...	Bodyguard
Kirk Wong	...	Bodyguard
Wai Tam	...	Bodyguard
Wei Ho Tu	...	Soldier
Chi-Mun Ho	...	Mr. Ho's Board Member

Storyline

At the end of the Vietnam war, Cheung goes to Saigon, intent on bringing his uncle and cousin back to Hong Kong. In Saigon, Cheung meets beautiful gangleader Chow, and relies on her help for their safe return. A love triangle develops between the cousins and Chow Further complicating matters, Chow's lover Ho, a gang leader, appears Ho deports the cousins, and kills their uncle. Cheung and his cousin return to Vietnam seeking revenge, while Chow and Ho also become entangled with a local vietnamese warlord. Chow tries to stop the battle, but the warlord kills Chow and Ho. Just before her death Chow gives the cousins the last two air tickets with which to leave Vietnam

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Plot Keywords:

woman with a gun | saigon | vietnam | vietnam war | hong kong | 

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Genres:

Action | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English Vietnamese

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon

Filming Locations:

Vietnam

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Princess Film Production Limited, Film Workshop

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 112 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Woo (director of the first two films in the series) wrote the original screenplay for this third installment, but he never got to direct this third entry due to having had artistic differences with producer Hark Tsui during the filming of A Better Tomorrow II (1987). Instead, John Woo took his screenplay and made it into the film Bullet In The Head (1990). Hark Tsui himself would direct his his own version of A Better Tomorrow III. The two films have many parallels, most notably, both being set in the Vietnam War.

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Goofs

In the subtitled version, Ho reveals that his real name is "Tanaka". However, later in the film he refers to his name as being "Tokito". The role was being played by 'Saburo Tokito'.

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Quotes

Mark Gor: Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring.

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Connections

Follows A Better Tomorrow (1986)

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Soundtracks

Sunset Song
(uncredited)
Performed by Anita Mui

User Reviews

A Better Tomorrow: The prequel. An underrated masterpiece.

A Better Tomorrow III:Love and death in Saigon (1989) is an underrated masterpiece. The film takes place during the final days of the Vietnam War. Mark Go (Yun-Fat Chow) and his friend (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) are in South Vietnam on a business trip and also to meet Leung's father. The two have a rough time getting into the country until they meet a mysterious gangster's moll (Anita Mui). Awhile later, the three form an unusual friendship. Mark Go learns a lot from Ms. Mui as she teaches him how to survive in a brutal environment.

A great film from the ever reliable Tsui Hark. What I like about his films is that he always has strong female characters. Anita Mui is simply wonderful in this movie. She also shows her vulnerable side (she's not always hard as steel). Mark grows up quick in war torn Saigon. Tony Leung Ka-Fai is good as well (serious for a change instead of playing his usual goofy gigolo persona). The action scenes are staged very well (they don't dominate the film). And what's a film starring Anita Mui without those skinny jokes (yes, a movie with Anita is not complete without a couple of skinny jokes at her expense. The movie was knocked in many ways because it's so different than the first two. I say,"So what!" The film is an essential action film from the master Tsui Hark.

Highly recommended.

Anita Mui also performs the songs in the film. Especially the haunting theme song heard in the middle and during the end credits of the film. A fitting song in so many ways.