A Better Tomorrow II (1987) [Film Review]

A Better Tomorrow II; or, Milking the Brand

     There’s only one way out and you’re coming with me. If we don’t fight, we’ll both die here. If we win, we’ll start all over again. I know you can do it, come on!

After the overwhelming success of the original A Better Tomorrow in 1986, the release of a sequel was only a matter of time. A Better Tomorrow II not only aspires to be bigger, louder, and more explosive, but also reunites the original cast for another triad tragedy epic. Does the sequel live up to the grandeur of the first movie? Let’s find out.

Release Info

Directed by: John Woo Starring: Ti Lung, Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Deng Shek

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 英雄本色2 Runtime: 104 min

 

Plot

Sung Tse-Ho serves his time in prison after the events from the original film. The police offer him early parole in exchange for doing a spy job on Ho’s ex-mentor, Lung Sei (Dean Shek), who is suspected of counterfeiting. Ho agrees when his brother’s wife Jackie (Emily Chu) tells him that Kit (Leslie Cheung) is working on the case. Ho reunites with his brother and they decide to work together, but soon after, Lung is framed for murder and he flees to New York. Ho and Kit try to protect his daughter, but she is killed by the triads. Upon hearing devastating news, Lung loses his sanity. Meanwhile, it turns out that Mark had a twin brother called Ken... (Chow Yun-fat) who also happens to live in New York. After Ho’s phone call, Ken finds Lung and nurses him back to health while attempting to flee from assassins sent by the triads. Eventually, Ken, Lung, Ho and Kit reunite together in Hong Kong and they decide to take down the man who betrayed Lung and took over his organisation, Ko Ying-pui (Kwan Shan).

 

True Colours of a Hero Fading Out

I have to be honest here, this movie is a real mess. It is not entirely bad, in fact it has many redeeming features, but the visible issue that ruins the whole story is an obvious lack of a coherent screenplay. The original A Better Tomorrow was a perfectly enclosed story and it didn’t need to have a follow-up. Yet, the pressure from the studio (and possibly the producer Tsui Hark) forced John Woo to come up with something that could ensure a lot of action and Chow Yun-fat’s comeback.

 

The plot is the first and foremost disadvantage of A Better Tomorrow II as it has so many twists and turns that it took me quite a while to logically sum it up above. It feels almost as if the film has no leading character. It is Lung? Is it Ken? Is it Ho? Is it Kit? The numerous shifts in tone and focus leave you wondering about this without providing any answer. In the first movie, Ho was the clear protagonist, but the sequel doesn’t dare establish its hero as if being afraid to undermine the dominating presence of Chow Yun-fat.

 

Chow Yun-fat is another issue of the picture. Naturally not the actor himself as he tries to do the best he can with the new material, but the creative decision to bring him back by the lamest excuse ever: Mark Lee had a twin brother (A twist certainly taken from a Brazilian drama). So, what we get to see as the final product is Chow Yun-fat trying not to play Mark Lee... while playing Mark Lee at the same time. A truly dissociative experience which is enhanced further by an unintentional parody of Rain Man as Lung, Deng Shek’s character, goes full retard and Ken has to watch over him even during shootouts and explosions. Bottom line: never go full retard.

 

Another creative decision which I found controversial was (spoilers!) killing off Kit. Getting rid of his character completely contradicts the ending of the first movie which clearly emphasised that brothers should always stick together. Even in the middle of this sequel, there’s a great fight scene in which Ho (while being undercover) has to prove his loyalty to Ko Ying-pui by killing Kit. Of course, everything is done in such a way that Kit survives, but even this scene underlines the bond between Ho and Kit. However, everything is thrown out the window 20 minutes later when Kit gets shot by Vernon Wells’ impersonator in a super cheesy and overly melodramatic showdown.

 

Alas, it is not the end of Kit’s misery in the movie as he bleeds to death in a phone booth, held firmly by Chow Yun-fat, while speaking over the receiver to Jackie who just gave birth to their daughter. Kit names the child Sung Ho-yin (literally: the Spirit of Righteousness) and finally keels over in vain. The scene is so over the top that it could have very well been used in Loaded Weapon 1 (1993). The only positive thing about this moment is Emily Chu’s performance who gets to shine for a brief moment after being underused in the first movie.

 

Now, moving on to the positives. While definitely not being better than the original, A Better Tomorrow is indeed louder, bigger, and more explosive. While the action is kept mostly low-key throughout the first half, it shifts into high gear halfway through the picture. Chow Yun-fat makes killing the baddies almost as easy as mowing the lawn and this is the movie’s primary entertaining factor. In addition, I have to mention the memorable finale in which Lung, Ken, and Ho (with the assistance of the great Kenneth Tsang) kill over a hundred of miserable triad cannon fodder.

 

Also the soundtrack definitely improved in comparison with the first movie. However, Peter Gabriel’s cues from Birdy’s Escape can be heard here and there. Additionally, the visuals and fight choreography headed by Ching Siu-tung are great. Unfortunately, the movie led to a split between John Woo and Tsui Hark, with the latter singlehandedly directing A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon.

 

Recommendations

Summing up, A Better Tomorrow II is only for the hardcore fans of John Woo. If you really want to check it out, I suggest turning a blind eye on the shortcomings which I have discussed in this review and enjoy the movie for the many of Woo’s trademarks and some great action. In my opinion, the story should have gone in a completely different direction, but, in spite of its flaws, what’s left still makes up for a good entertainment. Only for one time view. Now moving on to A Better Tomorrow III!

Overall score: 5/10
[Update: Tsui Hark provides some stories about the making of ABT II in this interview.]