A Better Tomorrow

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A Better Tomorrow

In Theaters Mar 1

1h 35m

Action

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A Hong Kong policeman (Leslie Cheung) blames his reformed-gangster brother (Chow Yun-Fat) for the death of their father.

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In Theaters Mar 1

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John Woo

Director

Ti Lung

Sung Tse-Ho

Chow Yun-Fat

Mark Gor

Leslie Cheung

Kit Sung

Emily Chu

Jackie

Waise Lee

Shing

Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Nov 11

An opera of sorts whose elaborate gunfights are its arias.

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Jan 27

4/5

Released in 1986, this first iconic collaboration between writer-director John Woo and actor Chow is a gripping action drama that set the template for an entire genre.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 22

3/4

The movie -- and, subsequently, the entire genre -- would be defined by its melding of melodramatic storylines and riveting action sequences.

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Pat Padua

Spectrum Culture

Nov 11

Such fevered shootouts have become de rigueur ... and Woo was its prime mover, a mild-mannered personality whose fever dreams ignited a big bang whose reverberations are still viscerally felt in 2025

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Anushka Halve

Film Companion

12/11/2023

John Woo's A Better Tomorrow not only set the gold standard for intense corridor shootouts, but also laid the foundation for a stylistic template that would resonate throughout Woo's illustrious career.

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Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

08/04/2005

3/5

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Stephen C

@bob25009 16h

Success in 1 hour and 35 minutes.

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Luca D

@JoeCamel7 Dec 25

Don't watch the dubbed version please. It's on plenty of free sites with subtitles just watch those the dubs suck. The movie is your classic Hong Kong action movie. Cops vs robbers, except everyone is friends and someone gets betrayed. Easy to watch, never gets boring. It's a pretty straight to the point movie. Only gripes would be the cheesy soundtrack, but theyre all pretty much the same in these types of movies up until the 90s, plus by the end of the movie Mark suddenly can run and jump at full speed on his bum leg? I guess the director overlooked that. Other than those two small gripes it's a good movie if you're into cheesy 80s crime thrillers from Hong Kong. Would definitely recommend and watch again.

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Jason H

Oct 21

The music score is very cheesy and melodramatic.

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Leprechaun K

@LeprechaunKing Feb 27

The OG that started it all. The one movie that made John Woo and Chow Yun Fat. Great cast that included Leslie and Ti Lung.

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Oscar

@Mr.1take Feb 11

The originator of Gun-Fu

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Dick C

02/05/2025

It's an marvellous motion picture with great actors with good scripts...

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Synopsis

A Hong Kong policeman (Leslie Cheung) blames his reformed-gangster brother (Chow Yun-Fat) for the death of their father.

Director: John Woo
Producer: John Woo, Hark Tsui
Screenwriter: Chan Hing-Kai, Leung Suk-Wah, John Woo
Production Co: Cinema City Film Productions, Film Workshop
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1986, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Mar 1, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 9, 2016
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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