Due to the popularity of Chow's break-out performance in the previous instalment, he was cast in a new role as the twin brother of "Mark", who was killed in the previous film.[1]A Better Tomorrow 2 is known for its over the top violence, exaggerated blood and gore, and body counts nearing the hundreds.
Film director John Woo and producer Tsui Hark had disagreements over the focus of this film. Tsui felt that the film should focus more on Dean Shek's character. This led to the film being edited by both Tsui and Woo. Their disagreements would lead to a split after this film, with Hark directing A Better Tomorrow 3 and Woo moving on to create The Killer.[2]
Plot
Several years after his arrest, Sung Tse-ho is offered early parole by the police in exchange for spying on his former boss and mentor, Lung Sei, who is suspected of heading a counterfeiting operation. Inspector Wu, the leader of the task force, wants to mark his retirement with the capture of a high profile criminal like Lung.
Though Ho initially declines because of his loyalty to Lung, he eventually changes his mind when he discovers that his younger brother, Kit, who is expecting a child along with his pregnant wife Jackie, is working undercover on the same case. While working the case, the two brothers meet and agree to work together.
After being framed for murder, Lung seeks Ho's help, who is able to help him escape to New York. However, Lung suffers a psychotic break and is institutionalized after receiving news of his daughter's murder and witnessing the death of a friend.
Meanwhile, Ho learns that his deceased friend Mark Lee has a long-lost twin brother, Ken, a former gang member who left Hong Kong as a teenager to travel across America, eventually opening a restaurant in New York City. Ho then locates Ken and enlists his assistance in freeing Lung.
Targeted by both assassins attempting to kill Lung as well as American mobsters looking to extort Ken, Ken and a catatonic Lung take refuge in an apartment building where Ken arms himself. During a shoot-out with their attackers, Ken and Lung find themselves cornered; seeing Ken in trouble snaps Lung out of his stupor, and he kills the last of their pursuers.
The two return to Hong Kong and regroup with Ho and Kit. The group discovers that one of Lung's employees, Ko Ying-pui, is responsible for attempt on Lung's life and has since taken over the organization in Lung's absence. Lung decides that he would rather destroy his organization with his own hands than let it fall into dishonor and ruin, and the group starts planning to act against Ko.
After scouting out Ko's mansion alone, Kit is fatally wounded, but is rescued by Ken, who attempts to rush him to the hospital. Knowing that he will not make it however, Kit persuades Ken to stop at a phone booth to call Jackie, where he manages to name his newborn child Sung Ho-yin ("the Spirit of Righteousness") before succumbing to his wounds.
After attending Kit's funeral, Ho, Ken, and Lung take revenge on Ko by attacking his mansion during a meeting with a counterfeiting client. The three manage to kill Ko and several of his men following an intense shootout, but are all critically wounded in the process. Following the shootout, the three men sit down in the mansion and are surrounded by the police forces led by Inspector Wu. Upon seeing the condition of the men, Wu orders his men to stand down, while Ho remarks against Inspector Wu's retirement, as there is "much work left for [him] to do."
After the success of A Better Tomorrow many imitators at other Hong Kong studios attempted to copy the film's success. As a result of the film's endearing popularity, a sequel was commissioned with John Woo returning as director as part of the reason Woo wanted to make the film was to give his friend Dean Shek a big part in the film to help alleviate financial troubles he was having at the time.[5] As with the original film, Woo and producer Tsui Hark's working relationship was timultuous with the two fighting about everything from the script to the editing with Woo delivering an initial cut of two hours and forty minutes which the studio reacted with ire and demanded the film be trimmed down within a week to under two hours.[5] Woo largely disowned the final version calling it "uneven" and "unsatisfying" but does remain proud of the film's final gunfight.[5]
The film was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 17 December 1987. In the Philippines, the film was released by First Films as Rapid Fire on 25 August 1988, with free sunglasses, jackets, and watches distributed on opening day.[6]
Anchor Bay Entertainment released the film on DVD in the US in January 2001.[7] Extras include the trailer and biographies.[8] In June 2004, HKflix.com released it again on DVD along with its two sequels in a boxed set.[9]Hong Kong Legends released a special collector's edition in the UK in September 2006.[10]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 83% of six surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 7/10.[11]
Writing in Sex and Zen & A Bullet in the Head, Stefan Hammond and Mike Wilkins describe the film as "gorged with Woo's trademarks" and "a funhouse exaggeration of its central motifs".[12]
A Better Tomorrow is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed, co-written and co-produced by John Woo, co-produced by Tsui Hark, and starring Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun-fat. The film had a profound influence on Hong Kong action cinema, and has been recognised as a landmark film credited with setting the template for the heroic bloodshed genre, with considerable influence on both the Hong Kong film industry and Hollywood.
Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong filmmaker. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), the Once Upon a Time in China film series (1991–1997) and The Blade (1995). Tsui also has been a prolific writer and producer; his productions include A Better Tomorrow (1986), A Better Tomorrow II (1987), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Killer (1989), The Legend of the Swordsman (1992), The Wicked City (1992), Iron Monkey (1993) and Black Mask (1996). He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema and is regarded by critics as "one of the masters of Asian cinematography".
Bullet in the Head is a 1990 Hong Kong action film written, produced, edited and directed by John Woo, and starring Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee and Simon Yam. The film incorporates elements of the action, war, drama, and crime film genres.
A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon is a 1989 Hong Kong action drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Tsui Hark. It is a loosely based prequel to John Woo's A Better Tomorrow and A Better Tomorrow II.
Shek Wing-cheung, better known by his stage name Shih Kien, Sek Kin, Sek Gin or Shek Kin, was a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. Shih is best known for playing antagonists and villains in several early Hong Kong wuxia and martial arts films that dated back to the black-and-white period, and is most familiar to Western audiences for his portrayal of the primary villain, Han, in the 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon, which starred Bruce Lee.
Just Heroes is a 1989 Hong Kong crime film, directed by John Woo and Wu Ma. The film stars Danny Lee, David Chiang and Stephen Chow.
Tiramisu is a 2002 Hong Kong romantic fantasy film directed by Dante Lam. It stars Nicholas Tse and Karena Lam in their first film collaboration.
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 1978.
The Legend of the Book and Sword is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Book and the Sword. The series was first aired on TVB in Hong Kong in 1987.
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New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. The series was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 1986.
The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. The series was released overseas in 2000 before broadcasting on TVB Jade in Hong Kong in 2001. It has the record for most TVB Best Actress winners, including Charmaine Sheh (2006/2014), Gigi Lai (2004), Michelle Yim (2008), Tavia Yeung (2012), and Kara Wai (2018).
The Duke of Mount Deer is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Deer and the Cauldron. It was first aired on TVB in Hong Kong in 1998.
The Story of a Discharged Prisoner, also called Upright Repenter, is a 1967 Hong Kong film directed by Patrick Lung Kong.
Cinema City Enterprises Ltd also known as Cinema Capital Entertainment and Cinema City Entertainment, formerly Cinema City and Films Co. and Cinema City Company Limited was a company that specialized in Hong Kong Cinema. The company had a small catalogue of only 88 films. Their library covers genres including drama, comedy, horror.
Police on the Road is a 1991 Hong Kong action police procedural television series produced by TVB and starring Gallen Lo and Wan Yeung-ming. With a total of 13 episodes, the series contains a different story in each of the episodes. Originally aired from 5 October 1991 to 1 February 1992 on TVB Jade, the show had a rerun on the channel, TVB Classic, from 4 to 12 June 2015 as a part of the special, Our... Gallen Lo (我們的...羅嘉良), that ran from 20 March to 12 June.
Two on the Road, also known as Fearless Dragons and The Fearless Jackal, is a 1980 Hong Kong comedy-themed martial arts film. It was directed by Lei Chiu and starring Bryan Leung, Philip Ko and Wang Lung-wei.
↑ "Grand Opening Today". Manila Standard. Standard Publishing, Inc. 25 August 1988. p.16. Retrieved 14 January 2019. Free Jackets, Shades, Watches and More on Opening Day!
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