Released in 1986, "A Better Tomorrow" was
John Woo's first foray into the
action film genre, after many years as a
director of
comedies and
cheesy kung-fu flicks. First
film to feature the team of
Chow Yun Fat and
Woo,
Hong Kong's version of
De Niro and
Scorsese. The story centers on three main characters: Ho (
Ti Lung), a
career criminal and
counterfeiter; Kit (
Leslie Cheung), brother to Ho and an up-and-coming
police officer; and Mark (
Chow Yun Fat), Ho's best friend and
partner-in-crime. As opposed to
typical action films, "A Better Tomorrow" focuses a lot on
character development and the
relationships that bind them. Themes explored in the movie include
brotherhood,
loyalty,
betrayal, and
revenge. The
movie opened in
Hong Kong to an
amazing reception and for a few years stood as the top
movie in
box office receipts there. Two
sequels were filmed, with the second being
directed again by
Woo, and the third
directed by
Tsui Hark.