A Better Tomorrow II
"I won't give you nothing, man; I give you shit," sneers charismatic superstar Chow Yun Fat, speaking English (with a De Niro accent) in his role as a New York restaurateur who won't knuckle under to the (Italian) mob. Chow plays the twin brother of the character he played in the original Tomorrow, the ultraviolent, ultraromantic ultrapopular Hong Kong gangster melodrama. And the blatancy of that device is a fair indication of the sequel's shortcomings--and of its screwy charm: this is a film that knows no shame. The bond between the natural siblings played by Ti Lung (as a reformed mobster) and Leslie Cheung (as a hot shot cop) still resonate tellingly. As a good-guy ex-thug driven batty by the slaying of his only daughter, real-life Cinema City studio chief Dean Shek gets to play a garishly extended "mad scene," foaming at the mouth, chewing on soup bones. A later episode in which a dying man crawls to a phone booth to call his wife (and newborn daughter) in the hospital must also be some kind of lurid first in the soap sweepstakes. The final 15 minutes could be the bloodiest single shoot-out sequence ever committed to celluloid. The story line hasn't been shaped to any particular purpose here, but the images have a golden Godfather-like glow, and this faintly anachronistic, all-stops-out wish-fulfillment approach to moviemaking still has a lot of power. --David Chute
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Last updated: October 31, 2009, 9:40 pm
A Better Tomorrow II Cusomter reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 42
(morgoth, 2007-06-06) The movie starts out showing Ti Lung in jail. He is given an offer to go undercover to bring down a counterfeit money operation. He says no, but immediately changes his mind when he finds out his brother (Leslie Cheung) is working on the case. The crime boss that Leslie Cheung is after is played by Dean Shek who gives a great dramatic performance. Dean Shek is best known for playing very goofy characters in Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog. When Shek is framed for murder, he must hideout with a friend in New York. Leslie Cheung and Ti Lung also head to New York when they find out Mark (Ti Lung's friend from the last movie) has a twin brother. If you have seen A Better Tomorrow, then you know that Mark (Chow Yun Fat) couldn't come back for this movie, so they just say he has a twin brother. This would be fine if it was the only part of the story that seemed to be hastily glued together, but there are too many things that fall into place unnaturally. Some scenes must have been cut out and the movie is just a mess. There are a few good action scenes and the end is very exciting, but sadly this is not one of John Woo's better efforts. 3/5 Picture and sound quality on the Anchor Bay DVD are good. Subtitles are well written and there is also a really bad English dub.
(Melanie Cato, 2007-01-29) I ordered A Better Tomorrow II on DVD and received it so fast that I just couldn't believe it. I bought it as a gift and it was extremely well received. The quality was so good that it has been played over and over again. Thank you for your prompt and contientious response to my order.
(lee, 2004-03-06) This movies is cool. I like the scence when chow yun fat is about to shoot a man in the head if he does not eat the rice.The last 40 or 30 minutes is when it start to get good. If you love voilence as much as I do buy this movie. The one I brought is not in english but it has subtitles. There is to parts where chow yun fat speakes in english in this movie. I like when he take the shotgun and start blow the men all away. then he takes the pistols slides down the stairs shooting a man. There are two good action scence but they last for 3o minutes. The last 15 minutes will have you supised it is the best part of the movie.That about all.
(Jason Pumphrey, 2003-12-30) This is another one of John Woo's finest films!!! This is the second volume of the Better Tommorrow series and it's action packed!!! Will make a great companion to volume 1!!! Anchor Bay's DVD of this clasic Hong Kong film is awesome!!! 16:9 widescreen,2 trailers,multiple language tracks,great subtitles and production notes round out this grea DVD!!! A+
(Anonymous, 2003-12-18) The Hong Kong Godfather. Without a doubt this movie proves that John Woo is the best action director of all time, the vision, style, and the sher genious that he (Woo) uses in the direction of this movie is what sets it apart from and american action movie ever made. The action in this movie plays out like a ballet, a dance with bullets and blood. So put down those typical american action movies and pick up the movie that they want to be. You will not be dissaponted by this movie, one of if not the best hong kong action movie.