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:

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

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chow Yun-Fat	...	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 (as Maggie Ho Yee Cheung)
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

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, Woo took his screenplay and made it into Bullet in the Head (1990). Hark himself would direct 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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Alternate Versions

The cut footage existent in the Taiwanese print is available as deleted scenes on the Korean Fortune Star DVD box set.

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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 sequel/prequel that should have never been made

This isn't A Better Tomorrow. It's a love story. A cliched love story at that. The love story was just as confusing as their one-handed machine gun wielding spraying, missing all of their targets (yet somehow still landing) .. Action plot was a mess, whoever gave Hark Tsui a go on this movie instead of John Woo should be fined .

The main actress was gorgeous though , with that - 5/10

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