A Better Tomorrow (Limited Steelbook) [1986]

This is a review of the 2007 Region 2 DVD from Studiocanal’s ‘Optimum Asia’ label. It plays in 16:9, Mono sound, and has apparently been digitally restored and remastered. The film is, for the most part, in its original Cantonese with good English subtitles.Obtaining Hong Kong films in a satisfactory version is tricky. We experienced appalling dubbing on a version of ‘Hard Boiled’, and some editions look little better than pirated VHS videos. The initial quality of the original film is possibly also questionable. Overall, the quality of Studiocanal’s edition of ‘A Better Tomorrow’ is good. The colour looks a little washed out, the image quality is not particularly sharp, but it is perfectly watchable. The subtitle option is superior to dubbing. Here, there were a few conversations with Europeans that were dubbed, unpersuasively, into English. However, they are short, and just at the start of the film, so did not spoil things.This 90 minute Hong Kong film from 1986, following two Triad gangsters trying to go straight, has proved to be profoundly influential on both local cinema, and also film world-wide. And marking the first collaboration between director John Woo and one of the lead actors, Chow Yun-fat, it was instrumental in turning them both into major stars.John Woo was born in Guangzhou, China, but his family fled to Hong Kong when he was 5. He was raised in a Triad-controlled slum, but received a Christian education and developed a life-long love of French cinema. He began work in the local movie business, directing Martial Arts films. Chow grew up in a poor Hong Kong family, but answered an advert for a job on TV, and became a considerable star. But his attempts to move into film were financial disasters, as were Woo’s mid-80s films.However, Woo had a personal project, based on a script he had co-written ~ ’A Better Tomorrow’. He received backing, and Chow joined the cast. Despite a tight budget, Woo’s script, direction and vision, coupled with Chow’s performance, created a kind of alchemy. With virtually no advertising, the film broke Box Office records locally, and across Asia. When the Hong Kong Film Awards unveiled their list of 100 Best Chinese films in 2005, to celebrate a century of Chinese cinema, ‘Tomorrow’ came 2nd.Besides its seismic effect on the careers of both Woo and Chow, importantly, the film popularised the perspective offered by the film to Triads specifically, crime film characterisation and the portrayal of violence. It founded an entire genre in Hong Kong called ‘Heroic Bloodshed’. These are films that contain: masses of action (often highly stylised); huge amounts of gun play and gore; ‘ethical’ gangster heroes helping bad gangsters’ victims; an emphasis on 'brotherhood'; and buckets of emotion. ‘Tomorrow’s’ approach is quite ‘comic book’, and the start, particularly, is self-consciously ‘hammy’. However, the story is exciting, the excellent action sequences unrelenting, and everyone participates with enormous gusto. What’s not to like!

My comments are for this MIA release rather than the StudioCanal 2007 release which I understand has a very different soundtrack tacked on. This MIA release has the original soundtrack but picture quality is just okay depending on the kind of TV one has. On mine, I can adjust the picture that upgrades picture quality a tad. I have the MIA Special box edition VHS and had to get this on dvd despite poor comments regarding picture and sound quality.On this MIA label release, the sound quality is great and uses the original soundtrack. Picture quality is just okay depending on whether you can adjust the picture on your TV.Had to remove one star as this film should have been released with better picture quality in this day and age and it is a crying shame that such a classic piece of Hong kong cinema should not have been so upgraded for better viewing pleasure!Am not a gun play movie fan, but this film has a really great story that packs quite an emotional punch. All fans of gun play heroic bloodshed and/or the gangster genre should include this gem in their collection. It was this film that led me on to Woo's classic 'The Killer', 'Once a Thief', 'Hard boiled', and 'Face-off'.

Now, this is one of my all time favorite films. It has great balance between its character development and their friendship to eachother. There is so much violence yet so much more to see. The film itself gets my highest recommendation.As for this DVD, it was released in 1999 and seems to be a master used for the VHS-release of the film. It's fully watchable but far from perfect. However, what makes this edition shine in comparison to the 2006 re-release is the soundtrack. The re-release had a new soundtrack from Forrest Gump, making it impossible for me to watch. However, this one is 100% true to the original making it a big improvement over the later releases to me. The picture isn't very sharp (letterboxed with burned-in subtitles as well) and the sound is a bit noisy throughout the film, but I can't see any reason for me to prefer the later edition because of the mess-up with the music.So if you aren't picky with picture-quality and want the original soundtrack, I'd say this is a good choice. If you think an anamorphic transfer with sharper picture is more important than the music, go for the re-release.

Great movie. However not the best in the trilogy in my opinion. Looking forward to number 2 when I get it, but the favourite one would b number 3.Packed with absolutely brilliant extras and insights.It's the film I've been told that's made John Woo and Chow Yun Fat. However, I don't think it's the best they've done.

An OK Woo heroic bloodshed movie from the mid 80s. It's very dated though. However, how on earth can the DVD be called 'Ultimate'. The print of the movie is an old European copy - it's very soft in places and some scenes just look horrible on the eyes. If you're used to the superb 'Hong Kong Legends' titles this isn't a patch on them. Extra's wise it falls down too. There's a ood Bey Logan commentary on disc one, disc two includes a John Woo documentary - not one specific to 'A Better Tomorrow' - it's not that good either spending a lot of time on Woo's Hollywood career. And there's a couple interviews. Not so much Ulimate as the 'That'll do for now' edition. However, the movies enjoyable enough and we're unlikely to see a better copy in the near future. There's just a lot of better examples of this kind of movie out there.

A better tomorrow is an early john woo film starring chow yun fat. Its a great film and the action scenes are really well choreographed. The DVD itself is standard and apart from the main film just contains a trailer. The picture quality of the film is very poor, it's like it's been copied from a VHS tape. Would give extra star if picture wasnt so bad.