Review of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow.

A Better Tomorrow is a 1986 Action Crime-Drama directed by John Woo and stars the likes of Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, and Chow Yun-Fat. The film follows a reforming ex-gangster (Lung) as he tries to reform his relationship with his estranged cop brother. (Cheung)

I would, first and foremost, credit my friend Tyrone for picking the film. I pulled up 3 films from my watchlist and asked him which film I should watch, and he picked A Better Tomorrow because it looked cool. It did.

This is a legendary film, it helped kickstart John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's careers, helped define the heroic bloodshed genre, and overall redefined Hong Kong cinema as a whole as John Woo would do more bullet operas like The Killer and Hardboiled in the coming years.

Unlike The Killer, this film is a lot less tragic and full of action and rather focuses on the reformation of Ho and trying to connect with his brother Kit, alongside Mark's new life after getting his leg crippled.

I really enjoyed the story of this film, as it's a lot more happier and upbeat than the absolute depression-fest that was The Killer. And I think Lung and Cheung's performance really made this film's plot as good as it was, as you can just feel the tension when Lung and Cheung are onscreen together.

But what ties it all together though, would be Chow Yun-Fat's performance as Mark. If you've seen the Chinese Beaver meme, you know where this going. Chow Yun-Fat has incredible versatility as his performance as a struggling Mark is more than just the best part of the film, it almost is the film. Without his role in the film, A Better Tomorrow would be so much more empty and you would just know this film is missing something. 

As this film covers themes of loyalty and male friendship like other John Woo films, you will find many scenes of the leads pouring their hearts out to eachother and it’s an incredible sight to see.

What’s also incredible is the action as it features many of John Woo’s signature techniques, the slow motion, the fast paced shots, the couple thousand bullets flying through the air. And of course, the hundreds of bodies piling up with no end to them. This film is a bullet opera for a reason, it makes both the story and it’s action operatic and has beautiful action sequences.

If you enjoy action films, melodramas, crime films, or even just know this film for the Chinese beaver meme, I would highly recommend you to watch this film. That's all this time, Love and Peace!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐