A Better Tomorrow 2 comes to a close

Finished A Better Tomorrow 2 last night. The end sequence is beyond words. People just get shot and die everywhere. Really, something to behold. The good guys get f'ed up pretty good as well, whether or not they make it is left up to the viewer to decide. Good show by John Woo.

 

I would like to see this done again with better film, sound, lighting, and camera work, but for a movie done in 88 in Hong Kong, not too bad. I can see why many believe that A Better Tomorrow 2 is superior to the first one.

 

That brings us to the third and final installment of the series, A Better Tomorrow 3. This one takes place in 1974 in Vietnam. It follows Mark, who will die 15 years later in a big gun fight, as he attempts to find his "fortune" with his cousin. The quality of the film and sound is much higher, although that may have to do with the quality of the DVD transfer as this is a different company than who did the first two.

 

Chow Yun fat looks good, as does his cousin, although I don't but that they're in 1974 at all. Outside of a bit of file footage of riots back during that time, it looks like something shot in the 1990s, which of course it was. Some of this stuff is simple too. For example, wardrobe. Don't have the main female character dress like something out of Miami Vice. That would go a long way to making be believe they are when they say they are. However, you don't watch a movie like this for details like that.

 

I'm about 30 minutes into the film and the body count is already in the forties, at least. Some great gun fights and the chick is quite tough. Apparently the female lead, Kit, will have some sort of love interest with Mark, although how deep they go into that I can't tell yet. All in all this looks like it will be good blow 'em up shooter as well.

 

-O