For over 50 years, the cinematic language of visionary Hong Kong filmmakers john woo It influenced the action film genre around the world. His classics from the East include: murderer and hard boiled The genre proved to have stories as intense and emotional as gunfights and bloody spectacle. Wu’s signature slow-motion action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and dual-gun play evolved the genre as a Hollywood director in the ’90s. robert rodriguez and michael bay I incorporated his visual style into my work.
Many in today’s audience may remember Wu best for his Hollywood hits. face/off, Mission: Impossible 2and his latest theatrical release, Silent Night. If it weren’t for the blockbuster hit of the 1986 crime thriller Toward a better tomorrowHowever, it is very likely that Wu’s influence did not reach the West. It was the first film in which he had creative control. Mr. Wu’s Toward a better tomorrow The beginning of the action subgenre of “heroic bloodshed” and turned into an actor chow yun fat establishing itself as a cultural icon for years to come.
What is “A Better Tomorrow”?
before making Toward a better tomorrowWu specializes in martial arts paintings. jackie chanComedies in the style of studios like Golden Harvest. However, his real desire was to create a crime thriller that looked like this: jean pierre melville‘s red circle and martin scorsese‘s mean street. With the cooperation of the producer, Tsui HarkWoo overcame rejection from multiple Hong Kong studios. Toward a better tomorrow Produced by Cinema City. With almost no restrictions, Wu was able to make the films he wanted and implement the film style that would become his signature for years to come.
The story is Ho (Ti Lun) and Mark (Yun-Fat) are Hong Kong triad members who specialize in counterfeit money laundering. Ho is at odds with his younger brother Kit (Leslie Cheung), an aspiring police officer cadet who knows nothing about his business. At the same time, the brothers’ sick father encourages Ho to quit the criminal life for good. A bad deal with a rival gang results in Ho being sent to prison, his father being killed by the Triads, and Mark being shot in the leg and permanently disabled. After three years, Ho is released from prison and starts a new life as a taxi driver. Kit and former Triad colleague Shin (Wise Lee) Take full control of your gang. With help from the helpless but rebellious Mark, Ho vows to destroy the Triad, and Kit does so alone.
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The premise seems like an episode of a soap opera; Toward a better tomorrow This film was the first in Wu’s career to emphasize the values of family, friendship, and loyalty.. very similar godfatherThe film depicts how families are torn apart by crime, and how one man is torn between loyalty to his family and his partner. Ho’s love for his brother Kit is as strong as his bond with Mark throughout the story. Kit wants justice for her father’s death, while Mark wants the power he lost as a member of the Triad, making Ho a difficult tightrope to walk. But through all the difficult relationships and violence, all Ho wants is to fulfill his father’s wish to start over with his life.
‘A Better Tomorrow’ turns Chow Yun-Fat into an international superstar
Toward a better tomorrow‘s initial focus was on former Shaw Brothers star Lung and pop star Chung as brothers on opposite sides of the law. But the real standout in the film was Yun-Fat, who played the charismatic gangster Mark. At the time, he was primarily a television star and did not perform well at the Hong Kong box office. However, Woo saw positive values in Yun-Fat and hoped that would be translated into Mark. Although he loves excessive money and power, Mark’s true wish was to never feel helpless again.. Early in the film, Mark tells how he and Ho were forced to drink urine at gunpoint during their first contract 12 years ago. Such shocking moments in Mark’s life only made him resort to violence as a means of self-preservation.
The film’s signature moment that turned Yun-fat into a star was when Mark eliminates the men responsible for Ho’s fraudulent transactions at a restaurant. Between Wu’s slow-motion camerawork and Mark’s gunshots as he shoots his enemies with two pistols, Yun-fat’s acting exudes charisma reminiscent of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.. Continue Toward a better tomorrow” was released in 1986, Yun-Fat became an overnight superstar as young Chinese sought out his character’s duster trench coat and Alain Delon sunglasses in stores. He would become Wu’s frequent collaborator in subsequent films as well. better tomorrow II, I used to be a thief, murdererand hard boiled.
Complex relationships, heartbreaking emotions, and early heroic bloodshed made Wu’s work all the more appealing. Toward a better tomorrow It ushered in a dramatic change in action films in the years that followed. If you’re a fan of the genre and want to understand how action movies transitioned from the muscular films of the ’80s to the more artistic and emotional action films of today; john wick, Toward a better tomorrow It’s a great place to start.
A Better Tomorrow is a Hong Kong action film about two brothers, one a respected police officer and the other a reformed criminal. Their loyalty and family ties are tested as they face off against a powerful criminal organization.
- release date
- August 2, 1986
- runtime
- 95 minutes
Toward a better tomorrow Not currently available to stream in the US
