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A Better Tomorrow (1986)


A Better Tomorrow (1986)


7/10


Starring
Ti Lung
Leslie Cheung
Chow Yun-fat


Directed by John Woo


This movie does not spare bullets. It’s action-packed, and as you would expect in a John Woo film, the action is dialed up to the max.

The movie has a hypnotic power that holds your gaze, making it hard to look away. Even at the start, when everything seems too rosy and you suspect things will turn, the screenplay is crafted so well that you’re still fully engaged.

A Better Tomorrow was the movie that brought Chow Yun-fat into the public eye. His performance is flawless. When he plays the man on top of his game with little care for the world, he’s magnificent. When he turns ruthless, he’s terrific. He even had to play a crippled man who was down on his luck, and still, he was fun to watch.

Ti Lung was the lead in this movie, but it’s still Yun-fat’s character that goes through the most dramatic changes. These changes required him to pull off some incredible performances that draw you into the film.

The movie is about a criminal organization involved in big-money dealings, including counterfeiting. Ho (Ti Lung) is one of their top men. He and his partner Mark (Chow Yun-fat) go about swindling people out of their real money for counterfeit bills.


We get to know Ho more, meeting his brother Kit, who is on his way to becoming an officer (but doesn’t know what Sung does), along with Ho’s father and soon-to-be sister-in-law. One of the deals Ho was supposed to complete doesn’t go as planned, and Mark wasn’t with him. Ho gets arrested. The other party involved attacks Ho’s home in revenge, resulting in a tragedy.

Ho goes to jail, and his brother holds a grudge. Mark goes rogue, which leads to him being crippled.

Three years later, Ho is out and wants nothing to do with the business anymore, but he still has to deal with the people he left behind. His brother is hell-bent on bringing Ho and his organization down. Mark is tired of being a nobody and wants him and Ho to get back into the game. Lastly, the members of the organization have their own plans, which also involve Ho. Ho is torn between all these players and must find a way to deal with everything before it all blows up.

The movie was both a critical and commercial success, and I’d advise you to go see it.

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