Reviews::Main

Director: John Woo Year: 1986 Language: Cantonese (English Sub) Country: Hong-Kong

John Woo's 1986 "Heroic Bloodshed" drama A Better Tomorrow was set to create a partnership between the Director-Auteur and actor Chow Yun Fat which was to leave it's mark on Hong-Kong cinema forever.

Ho and Mark (Chow) are a pair of gangsters, making a living by selling counterfeit money to American gangs in Taiwan. Ho's younger brother Kit (Leslie Cheung) is a cop in the Hong-Kong police who is unaware of his brother's criminal involvement.

When Ho is set up in Taiwan, he ends up doing time, in the 3 years that he is away, Mark falls from grace and a new gang boss takes over their business. Kit finds himself restricted in his police work due to being the brother of a criminal and begins to resent Ho. When Ho is released from prison, he looks to go straight, but things come to a head. To be resolved, the situation demands help from Mark and Kit as the film winds its way to the finale.

There's no denying, A Better Tomorrow looks like an 80's Hong Kong film, but behind that slightly dated exterior is an amazing plot, with a number of twists and a feel which echoes more modern Cop vs Triad films like Infernal Affairs. The strong themes of brotherhood and family are present throughout and there is a lot of great action in there too. Stand out moments include Chow Yun Fat's shoot out in a corridor and the huge finale which is just non-stop action until the end.

All in all, A Better Tomorrow is a classic which has surely shaped Hong Kong cinema in the years since its release.

Dave W - 7th February, 2010 - 10:22