Le syndicat du crime

In Hong Kong, the gangsters Sung Tse-Ho (Ti Lung) and Mark (Chow Yun Fat) are best friends. Ho's younger brother Sung Tse-Kit (Leslie Cheung) wants to be a police officer and does not know that his brother is a criminal. When Ho travels with another criminal to Taiwan for a negotiation, he is betrayed and arrested by the police. Meanwhile Mark kills the gang that betrayed his friend. After three years, Ho is finally released from the prison and returns to Hong Kong. He finds that Kit hates him and is investigating the Mafia and Mark is limped and in complete misery. But Ho promises that he would not return to life of outlaw and prefers to work as taxi driver. However he is haunted by his past and the need of protecting his estranged brother. .

"Ying hung boon sik", a.k.a. "A Better Tomorrow", is a great crime film directed by John Woo. The good storyline about brotherhood, friendship and loyalty is full of action. The screenplay is tight and Sung Tse-Ho is a nice character incapable to regenerate due to the corrupt system. In the 80's, this movie had a greater impact but it is still a great action movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Alvo Duplo" ("Double Target")

This is the movie that made John Woo the reputation that he has for action films. If you enjoy action films, and in particular other Hong Kong action films then you will enjoy this. Stylistically it is easily identified as a Woo film and doesn't really transcend the action film genre but it does work marvelously within the confines of that genre.

Some consider The Killer or Hard-Boiled to be the better John Woo HK film but I find that while the Killer and Hard-Boiled both have tighter, more elegant action sequences what really makes A Better Tomorrow lead the pack is the plot. It isn't an entirely original plot but it is well acted enough that you really feel for the characters and can understand the motivations. It isn't a typical action movie plot where the script serves simply as a device to create interesting action sequences. You get traditional Chinese themes such as honor, loyalty, and strong family ties.

As always Chow Yun Fat is a pleasure to watch. He is simply one of the coolest action stars in the entire global movie industry. You could search far and wide and not find a more suave action star than the dual-pistol wielding, cigarette-in-mouth Chow Yun Fat. Worth watching for his presence alone. If you only know him from the American films he has done then you are doing yourself a disservice.

In summation: if you like action films you will love A Better Tomorrow. It's that simple. Also check out other Woo HK films like The Killer and Hard Boiled.

This movie kick-started many things. The very fruitful partnership between John Woo and Chow Yun Fat, the successful career for of them, the heroic bloodshed movie (don't try this at home or let kids watch them) and a lot of imitators! So one should be really thankful to Tsui Hark, because it's a really good thing he couldn't direct. Otherwise we most likely wouldn't have any of the above!

But being as it is, you can watch this movie and see how it is done correctly. Replacement Killers eat your heart out! This movie still is superior to imitators such as the named one or a few others. Yes I know that some have argued that it is dated and other movies (such as Matrix) have not only copied some of it's styles, but improved them. Not for me, they haven't! Because it's not only about copying a slow motion effect here, it's about the story too. And the characters and their believes. And of course the acting!

This film just works!! Besides Woo's top notch action sequences, I was amazed by the great story. Chow Yun Fat is great as Mark and Leslie Cheung is very good as Kit. However, I think the main spotlight is on Ti Lung who is amazing as Ho. The story of loyalty & friendship is the main emphasis here and is essential. Plus, the chemistry between the actors is so apparent, you can see that they must've had so much fun making this movie.

I can see myself watching this again and again...

Two brothers (One a cop played by the late Leslie Cheung, the other a thief played by Ti Lung) become enemies after the death of their father while Chow Yun Fat plays a crippled assassin who teams up with Ti Lung to help protect Cheung from the mob boss that is looking to do him in, while at the same time try to redeem himself in the eyes of his police officer brother. A Better Tomorrow is often reported as the best movie John Woo has done and while it is certainly a superior staple on his resume, the movie's tone is a little off and although the movie is very well done the movie gets a tad too melodramatic at times. However that minor flaw aside A Better Tomorrow provides an unusually rich story that details a rocky relationship that seems to never be forgiven. Indeed even at the end, we doubt whether the brothers will ever be as close as they once were. Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung are very good in their roles but it really is Chow Yun Fat that sells the movie and his performance as an out of work assassin provides a tragic figure that is far more tragic than the relationship between Lung and Cheung. As noted the acting is flawless with Cheung turning in a flawless 180 degree turn in his character. A Better Tomorrow while not the best movie from John Woo, is still a rewarding tale.

* * *1/2 out of 4-(Very good)