Before Broken Arrow hit the silver screen with John Travolta, and Christian Slater, there was this wonderful gem to come out of Hong Kong. Chow Yun Fat, was his absolute best when he starred in this gritty, and action filled segment about the criminal underworld. Two brothers... one a cop, the other brother is part of an organization that deals in counterfeiting, as well as drugs, and weapons. Lung Ti who plays the corrupted prince is betrayed, and sent to prison in Taipei for dealing in counterfeiting by one of his own men behind the curtains. Released after... he decides to try, and patch things up with his younger brother who had graduated from the police academy but things do not go to plan.Ostracized Sung Tse Ho tries to adapt back into the social status as a cab driver to make an honest living, but the dregs led by the new head of the criminal underworld (Waise Lee) or Shing who had betrayed him wants Ho back into the fold. Marred by his past Sung finally realizes his worth by protecting his brother at all costs by stopping Shing with damming evidence which he hands off to his younger brother. Mark (Chow Yun Fat) helps him regain his dignity through some heavy fire fighting, as well as taking a severe beating by Shing and his gang.For nineteen eighty six this was one of the most emotional films to date to come out of china. Nearly every movie that does hold a monotonous amount of one dimensional Kung Fu battles or gun fights to outweigh the story line. I found none of that nonsense in this rare movie. Chow, Lung, and Leslie Chung all had great parts to play. A trio in fantastic ranges of acting that made this wonderful tale one of my favourites. It then led on to other films for which Chow Yun Fat became as classic icon using his body style, and gracious persona to coat the silver screen with his incredible talent.For those who love good cop stories this one is it. Betrayal, deep bonding friendship, corruption, action, and emotional baggage for the more intellectual mind can appreciate in a great story. Ten out of ten stars.

I had already fallen in love with Chow Yun Fat from seeing the incredible Hard Boiled, Full Contact, The Killer and many others back in the early 90's. So I was quite late in seeing the film that really helped launch him as the heroic bloodshed action star!An absolute gem of a film that will always be remembered and loved by many fans of Asian (and non-Asian) films. From the first time I watched it, right up until the last, A Better Tomorrow stands proud as a classic piece of entertainment. Action packed, fun, gritty and beautifully directed – this film is recognized as the one that put Chow Yun Fat on the action map, and it's easy to see why…His stunning performance as 'Mark' gave cinema one of its most memorable characters, which paved the way for a collection of tributes and spoofs from other HK film-makers that still runs to this day. The awesome Ti Lung (I find) doesn't usually receive the same amount of credit for his role, yet plays his part flawlessly, delivering beautiful action to lump-in-the-throat drama, as he carries the story between his best friend (Mark) and his brother, played by the late, Leslie Cheung.At first, I wasn't too keen on Leslie Cheung as Kit – but after warming to him in other movies, and repeated viewings of ABT you soon see that Woo and Hark made the right choice in putting these 3 together on- screen. This is, without a doubt, one of John Woo's finest moments, and one of my all time favorite movies.It should be one of yours too!

A BETTER TOMORROW sees director John Woo single-handedly inventing the 'heroic bloodshed' genre that was to flourish in Hong Kong for the following decade. It's a tough, atmospheric and ultra-stylish story of gangsters and betrayal, of brotherhood and pain, and it's also not quite up there with his famous later efforts.Okay, call me spoilt; I think HARD-BOILED and THE KILLER are the two greatest Woo/Yun-Fat collaborations out there, and A BETTER TOMORROW is slightly weak in comparison to those movies. For starters, it's not an action film like those two; there are a few amazing scenes, but that's all you're going to get. Instead, there's a fair bit of overwrought melodrama instead, familiar for anyone acquainted with Hong Kong cinema. The beginning is quite slow, although you get drawn into the story before long and once it has you, it has you.The film is widely advertised as being a Chow Yun-Fat movie, but the actor plays only in support, although it's a great role that tests the limits of his acting. The real lead is the great former Shaw Brothers star Ti Lung, excellent as always and finding a new lease of cinematic life here. Leslie Cheung completes the trio as the upstanding cop. Avoid the terrible quality British DVD of this movie, which spoiled my enjoyment of it the first time I saw it; the Hong Kong import is the way to go.

Unfortunately John Woo has never done another Hard Boiled. A Better Tomorrow was a big disappointment for me, because I had expected a real stylish action packed film but it was not. The director is John Woo, it has Chow Yun Fat and the hype says it is action, but the movie was too slow paced again (like The Killer) and the action scenes (if it has any real one!) were not that great or unforgettable like the master's some other movies. The attack to the restaurant scene and the final part were remarkable, but that's all. The restaurant scene was pretty stylish, John Woo style, but it was too short. What about the high rating then? Well, I don't know. Unfortunately, the problem is not only lack of action, also the movie was not stylish as I had expected, the cinematography was just OK and I am sorry to say that, but it was not neither a first class film, nor an entertaining B movie. It was like a third class TV movie. Some people say that A Better Tomorrow and The Killer are John Woo's best movies and they are also "art". Simply, I disagree with that opinion. However, I am still hopeful that John Woo will be back one day and make movies like Hard Boiled.