A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Also known as

Ying hung boon sik

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A Better Tomorrow starts as an average, late-80s cops-and-robbers crime thriller -- replete with bad synth soundtrack -- but turns interesting when its gangster protagonists Sung Tse-Ho (Ti Lung) and Mark (Chow Yun Fat) are incarcerated and crippled, respectively. The story picks up three years later when Sung Tse-Ho returns to Hong Kong and attempts to go straight. His former associates won't take no for an answer, his cop brother Sung Tse-Kit (Leslie Cheung) blames him for the death of their father, and Mark, now living in abject poverty, is pushing for one last big score.

The action is spectacular and bloody, but for once it's only decoration. A Better Tomorrow is a character-driven affair, and as such it's extremely satisfying.

- Sam - 2007-02-10 13:16:10