by John Woo, 1986.
Starring: Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu, Ti Lung.
Rating: 8/10, 5.5/10.
John Woo’s talent lies in directing very stylish, very violent action thrillers. His American movies include the second Mission Impossible movie, Face/Off, and The Replacement Killers. The style, violence, action, and thrills are all there in A Better Tomorrow, one of his most influential Hong Kong films.
The story revolves around two men, played by Leslie Cheung and Ti Lung. They are brothers, Cheung a young police officer and Ti a jaded gangster, involved in counterfeiting money. Another major character is played by Chow Yun-Fat, Ti’s close friend and partner in the business. There is much involving the issues of loyalty and family bonds, especially once Cheung finds out what his brother’s business really is, and when Chow is injured on a job and his former underlings take over his position, relegating him to a gofer.
But who cares? The film is filled with elegant and very bloody gunplay, and that’s really all there is to it. Some might argue with this assessment, but I say that’s bullhonky. What it boils down to is this: if you like well-made action movies, like I do, then you will probably enjoy A Better Tomorrow. If you don’t, well, then you won’t like it. There’s not much more to say.