``A Better Tomorrow'' The passion of the men changed the history of action movies!

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2021.07.01Kurei Hibiki

The appearances of John Woo and Tsui Hark enliven the story

I would like to touch on the thrilling action scenes as well as the music that enlivens the men's passionate drama. The theme music and other musical accompaniments are by Joseph Koo, who is known for works such as `` Fist of Fury '' and `` Way of the Dragon, '' so it's only natural that the music will be a hit. Furthermore, the theme song `` Nenjou '', which concludes the end credits with Leslie Cheung's singing voice, is also a ballad composed by Koo, and the lyrics link to the content of the movie directed by James Wong, which will make you cry.

Then, in the second half, a children's choir sings `` Meitenkai Sarako ''. The song was originally released as "Taiwan's version of ' We Are the World '" and was sung by some of Taiwan's leading musicians, but its English title is "Tomorrow will be Better." In other words, this is the basis for the English title of this work, ``A Better Tomorrow.''

Speaking of music, Tsui Hark, who plays the judge in the audition scene for Kit's fiancée Jackie (Emily Chu), is also worth paying attention to, as she makes a huge laugh out of her overreactions. John Woo also plays the role of a Taiwanese police inspector who watches over Ho after he is released from prison, the same role that director Long Gong played in the ``67 original.'' Even in such areas, you can feel the creator's extraordinary commitment.

A series of miracles led to the completion of "A Better Tomorrow," which then spawned two sequels and changed the history of action movies around the world. It goes without saying that it also spawned numerous follow-up works, including the Korean remake " A Better Tomorrow Better Tomorrow " (2010) and " Project Gutenberg: The Counterfeiting King " (2018), in which Chow Yun-Fat played the leader of a counterfeit money production team.

In fact, it is also popular in mainland China, where censorship is strict, and was remade in 2018 as " A Better Tomorrow Reborn ." However, the ending was significantly altered. If the Hong Kong government continues to tighten film censorship in accordance with the National Security Law, it will become impossible to portray members of the underworld as "heroes." Will the film industry be able to protect the "heroic film" that has become a part of Hong Kong society's culture?

Text: Hibiki Kurei

Born in Tokyo in 1971. While attending university, won the quiz show "Cult Q" (a B-grade movie). After that, he worked as a variety show producer and an editorial staff member for Yosensha's ``Eiga Hiho'' before becoming a freelancer. Currently, as a film critic, he contributes to film magazines, information magazines, websites, theater programs, etc. He is also active as a writer in a wide range of fields, and has been writing a serialized culture column for the Hong Kong Post, a local newspaper in Hong Kong, for over 20 years.

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"Men's Elegy"

Publisher: Twin Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

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