IMDb > Ying hung boon sik (1986)
Ying hung boon sik
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Ying hung boon sik (1986) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 5 NEW)
Ying hung boon sik (1986) -- A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Ying hung boon sik (1986) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Ying hung boon sik (1986) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
Ying hung boon sik (1986) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)
Ying hung boon sik (1986) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   7,031 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Woo
Writers:
Hing-Ka Chan (written by) &
Suk-Wah Leung (written by) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Ying hung boon sik on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 August 1986 (Hong Kong) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The movie that began it all......... more
Plot:
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
4 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Actor Leslie Cheung Commits Suicide
 (From WENN. 1 April 2003)

User Comments:
John Woo: Simply The Best more (72 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Lung Ti ... Sung Tse-Ho (as Ti Lung)

Leslie Cheung ... Sung Tse-Kit

Yun-Fat Chow ... Mark Gor / Mark Lee (as Chow Yun Fat)
Emily Chu ... Jackie
Waise Lee ... Shing (as Lee Chi Hung)
Fui-On Shing ... Shing's right hand man

Kenneth Tsang ... Ken

Hark Tsui ... Music Judge (as Tsui Hark)

John Woo ... Inspector Wu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chi Fai Chan ... 'Little' Wang
Kwok Leung Cheung
San Nam Hung ... Triad Member
Hing Ying Kam ... Mr. Mok
Shung Fung Lau
Ming Leung
Patrick Leung
Yangzi Shi ... Mr. Yiu
Feng Tien ... Father Sung
Wei Ho Tu
Hsieh Wang ... Mr. Wang (as Hap Wong)
Sai Gwan Yeung ... Triad Member in Parking Lot

Stephen Chow ... Taiwanese Triad (uncredited)
Gregory Snegoff ... Sung Tse-Ho (voice: English version) (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Woo 
 
Writing credits
Hing-Ka Chan (written by) (as Chan Hing Kai) &
Suk-Wah Leung (written by) (as Leung Suk Wah) &
John Woo (written by)

Produced by
Hark Tsui .... producer (as Tsui Hark)
John Woo .... producer
 
Original Music by
Joseph Koo 
Ka-Fai Koo 
 
Cinematography by
Wing-Hung Wong 
 
Film Editing by
Ma Kam 
David Wu 
 
Production Design by
Chi Leung Lui 
 
Art Direction by
Bennie Lui 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cylon Or .... action director
 
Editorial Department
Simon Broderick .... colorist
 
Other crew
Hark Tsui .... presenter (as Tsui Hark)
Wei Tung .... action director
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
A Better Tomorrow (Hong Kong: English title)
Gangland Boss
Rapid Fire (Philippines: English title)
The Essence of Heroes (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
Ying xiong ben se (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
more
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Hong Kong
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
Hong Kong, China more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Mark Gor is based on a character (the "wandering knight") from a previous Woo film, Last Hurrah for Chivalry. more
Quotes:
Inspector Wu: Once a thief, it's not easy to turn your life around. more
Movie Connections:
Remake of Ying xiong ben se (1967) more
Soundtrack:
Several Blast and Rain more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful.
John Woo: Simply The Best, 9 November 2000
9/10
Author: jhclues from Salem, Oregon

The relationship between two brothers on opposite sides of the law, and the loyalty of friends is explored in `A Better Tomorrow,' an action/drama directed by John Woo. As with any Woo film there's plenty of action here, but at the heart of the film is the story itself; and that's what sets Woo apart from all other so-called `action' directors. Woo frames the drama with some astoundingly intricate and well choreographed action sequences (gun play and hand to hand fighting), but integrates the story seamlessly, which raises this film, as with all of his films, levels higher than the average action movie. In this one, older brother Ho (Lung Ti) is a high ranking member of a crime syndicate specializing in counterfeit money; his younger brother, Kit (Leslie Cheung) is beginning his career as a detective. Complicating matters is the death of their father (Feng Tien) and the involvement of Ho's best friend and colleague, Mark (Chow Yun-Fat), and Kit's girl, Jackie (Emily Chu). In the end, at the core of the action, it becomes a story of love and loyalty, and the sacrifices sometimes necessary in life to make it work and give meaning to it all. Woo has impeccable timing, not only in the action sequences, but with the drama as well; he knows how to use the camera to heighten the emotional impact of a pivotal moment, and successfully injects a caesura at just the right time, which maintains the perfect amount of tension that extends the drama and serves to hold the audience enthralled. That he can employ these techniques equally within the action and dramatic sequences is why his movies have such wonderful flow and rhythm; it creates a `whole' as opposed to merely a series of scenes strung together to tell a story. Directors of all genres would be well served to study Woo's techniques. Woo gets the most out of his actors as well. Lung Ti gives tremendous depth to the character of Ho, successfully conveying the inner struggle of this man attempting to make amends with the brother he loves, while the charismatic Chow Yun-Fat gives a riveting performance as Ho's closest friend. His screen presence is dynamic and commanding. Woo firmly establishes the depth of loyalty between the two, and skillfully the actors make it convincing and credible, which makes the final heroics all the more believable. An exciting, memorable film, `A Better Tomorrow' is thoroughly entertaining, and a tribute to a truly great director, John Woo, who seems to get better with every film he makes. For a combination of action and drama, there isn't another director in the history of movies that does it better than Woo. I rate this one 9/10.

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