A Better Tomorrow

A Better Tomorrow
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Directed by	John Woo
Written by	Chan Hing-Ka, Leung Suk-Wah, John Woo
Starring	Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung
Distributed by	Anchor Bay Entertainment (In America)
Release date	1986
Running time	95 min
Languages	Cantonese, English, Mandarin

A Better Tomorrow (英雄本色; pinyin: yīngxióng běnsè, Cantonese: ying1 hung4 bun2 sik1; literally True Colors of a Hero) is a 1986 Hong Kong action movie which had a profound influence on the Hong Kong movie-making industry, and later on an international scale.

Directed by John Woo, it stars Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung. Although the movie was made with a tight budget and was relatively unknown until it went on screen due to virtually no advertising, it broke Hong Kong's box office record and went on to become a blockbuster in Asian countries. This success also ensured that two sequels would be released: A Better Tomorrow 2, also directed by Woo, and A Better Tomorrow 3, a prequel directed by producer Tsui Hark.

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From riches...

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...to rags.

Overview

A Better Tomorrow depicts mob violence in a romantically surreal fashion. Not only did the movie make Woo and Chow international stars, it started a whole new genre of films which followed its unique style of romanticized violence. One of its most famous followers is Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, whose portrayal of the mob (e.g. Pulp Fiction) bears the distinctive John Woo trademark.

The plot is one that resonates well with audiences, especially in China. Two friends lead a carefree, immoral life, until suddenly it all comes crashing down. The two friends then take different paths, but ultimately they find that they must come together to set things right again. Despite its criminal content, A Better Tomorrow resounds with messages about morality, family, shame, responsibility, and forgiveness.

The film is a standout in a few ways: first and foremost, for the exceptional performance by the actors. In particular, Chow's portrayal of Mark Lee goes through a dramatic transformation from a stylish, cynical crook (Hong Kong teenagers took up the circular-shades-and-duster-jacket look for years) to a shamed, broken man with a dream to regain his dignity. His performance at times elevates the film from a pulp crime story to an emotional quest for understanding and dignity.

Secondly, it was the film that introduced most of Asia to the John Woo style, which includes tightly-choreographed violence and gunplay. It contains one of film's all-time great gun battles, one that is similar to a music video in style and concept.

Although 20 years have passed from the time A Better Tomorrow was made to the time of this writing, one can still find traces of its influence in Hong Kong action movies, even though Woo and Chow have long gone on to Hollywood for further advancement in their careers.

Cast and roles include

• Ti Lung - Ho Tse Sung
• Leslie Cheung - Kit Sung
• Chow Yun-Fat - Mark Gor/Mark Lee
• Emily Chu - Jackie
• Waise Lee - Shing
• Shing Fui-On - Shing's right hand man
• Kenneth Tsang - Ken
• Tsui Hark - music judge (cameo)

Box Office

A Better Tomorrow grossed a massive $34,651,324 HKD at the Hong Kong box office, ensuring that sequels and imitators would not be far behind.

Trivia

• John Woo (cameo), the director, is the Taiwanese police chief walking along the corridor of the bloodshed restaurant in slow motion.
• Chow Yun Fat's entrance to the restaurant before the shoot-out is John Woo's homage to Mean Streets.
• This film has been called "the film that launched a thousand remakes" due to the wave of triad pictures that followed.
• After the film, teenage boys in Hong Kong wore long dusters in emulation of Chow's character even though the climate was sub-tropical.
• Woo's film was partially inspired by the 1967 Lung Kong film Ying xiong ben se (Story of a Discharged Prisoner), which is #39 on the Hong Kong Film Awards list of the Top 100 Chinese Films.
• Reportedly John Woo cast Chow Yun-Fat because he felt he did not look like an action star.

See also

• Cinema of China
• Hong Kong in films
• Heroic bloodshed

External links

• A Better Tomorrow at IMDb
• Fresh Visual Review
• A Better Tomorrow Review at b-movies.gr (Greek)