John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow” is one of my favourite films, while it may not be the best example to illustrate his action artistry it illustrates his skill as a filmmaker and storyteller perfectly. The story itself is a classic emotional tale of gangster redemption: Mark and Ho are partners in crime, gangster bosses and best friends. Life is great (Ho even managing to conceal his profession from his cop brother Kit) until one day a job goes foul, Ho is banged up in prison and Mark gets crippled trying to avenge him. One prison montage later and Ho is released to find his father topped by rival gangsters, his brother hates his guts, and his best friend Mark is working for peanuts downtrodden by the same gang he was once a boss of. Now the two of them must get out and play it straight, but will the gang let them go and will Kit ever forgive Ho?
Oh yes, what a great set up – and it delivers, as what follows is one of the greatest tales of gangster redemption to hit the big screen. At times (and coupled with the now dated, melodramatic soundtrack) it borders on cheesy, but the best possible kind of cheesy, the kind of cheesy that made fans chant “ROCKY! ROCKY!” at the first screenings of “Rocky Balboa” in London. Performances are strong all round but Chow Yun Fat outshines his competition, proving he is a fantastic actor, with an amazing and powerful performance (something he isn’t often given the chance to do in his frequently typecast Hollywood outings).
Most importantly for a story like this the action is top notch, while, as I said, Woo has since outshined the film in terms of action “A Better Tomorrow” still delivers some exciting and memorable action scenes (see the revenge scene, supposedly a very famous sequence in the world of action choreography, and the final shoot out). It’s fast, blood and bullets fly, stuff blows up – everything does as it should and more. In conclusion, if you are looking for Woo’s best action film you might be better off with “Hard Boiled” or “The Killer”, but if you are looking for his best film give “A Better Tomorrow” a try.
