Directed by John Woo • 1986 • Hong Kong
Starring Ti Lung, Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung
The box-office sensation that established director John Woo as the king of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema and set the standard for the heroic bloodshed genre, this electrifying gangster saga combines the director’s intricate bullet play with operatic emotion as it tracks the explosive relationship between two brothers, one a criminal trying to reform (Ti Lung), the other a cop (Leslie Cheung) who blames his brother for their father’s death. In the first of his celebrated collaborations with Woo, Chow Yun-fat radiates his matchless cool as a hit man who lives by his own code.
Up Next in Hong Kong Action Classics
-
A Better Tomorrow II
Directed by John Woo • 1987 • Hong Kong
Starring Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-fatThe bullets fly even faster and more furiously in John Woo’s sequel to his smash hit A BETTER TOMORROW, which ups the insanely over-the-top action and jaw-dropping body count as two brothers on opposite sides o...
-
A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death i...
Directed by Tsui Hark • 1989 • Hong Kong
Starring Chow Yun-fat, Anita Mui, Tony Leung Ka-faiFor the third installment in the A BETTER TOMORROW trilogy, Tsui Hark—who had previously served as producer on the series—took over from director John Woo for what is actually a prequel to the previous f...
-
Heroes Shed No Tears
Directed by John Woo • 1984 • Hong Kong
Starring Eddy Ko, Lam Ching-ying, Ma Ying-chunIn this explosive precursor to his breakout film A BETTER TOMORROW, director John Woo displays the genesis of his trademark hyperkinetic style. Chan Chung (Eddy Ko) is the leader of an elite Chinese commando f...
