A Better Tomorrow

A Better Tomorrow (Chinese: 英雄本色; lit. 'True Colors of a Hero') is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed, co-written, and co-produced by John Woo; co-produced by Tsui Hark; and starring Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun-fat. The film had a profound influence on Hong Kong action cinema, and has been recognised as a landmark film credited with setting the template for the heroic bloodshed genre, with considerable influence on both the Hong Kong film industry and Hollywood.

This article is about the original Hong Kong film. For the South Korean remake, see A Better Tomorrow (2010 film). For the Wu-Tang Clan album, see A Better Tomorrow (album). For the 2018 remake, see A Better Tomorrow 2018.
A Better Tomorrow can also refer to branding used by British American Tobacco for their sponsorship with McLaren Formula One team.

A Better Tomorrow
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese英雄本色
Simplified Chinese英雄本色
Literal meaningTrue Colors of a Hero
Hanyu Pinyinyīngxióng běnsè
Jyutpingjing1 hung4 bun2 sik1
Directed byJohn Woo
Screenplay by
  • John Woo
  • Chan Hing-ka
  • Leung Suk-wah
Produced by
  • John Woo
  • Tsui Hark
Starring
CinematographyWong Wing-hang
Edited by
Music byJoseph Koo
Production
companies
Distributed byFortune Star Media
Release date
  • 2 August 1986 (1986-08-02)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
Box officeHK$34.7 million (US$4.8 million)

Produced with a tight budget and released with virtually no advertising, A Better Tomorrow broke Hong Kong's box office record and went on to become a blockbuster in Asia. The film is highly regarded, ranking #2 in the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures. Its success led to a sequel, A Better Tomorrow II, also directed by Woo, and A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death in Saigon, a prequel directed by Hark. It has been remade several times.

The film was Chow Yun-fat's breakout role and launched him as one of the top superstars in the Hong Kong film industry. Chow's character "Mark Lee" has been imitated by many fans even decades after the film's release. Following this film, Chow went on to make several more notable films with Woo.

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