Final Reflection
The first session of the film reflects the traditional Hong Kong film culture where, mostly, movies were centered on crime, fights, and bloodshed. Sang Tse-Ho is engaged in criminal activities of making and distributing fake U.S currency (“Better Tomorrow 1986, 2016”). Ho leads a secret life that eventually causes his brother Kit and father to be arrested when his coworkers betray him. His father is murdered, and Kit is bitter because of Ho’s secret life that he had concealed all the way. However, when Ho is released from Jail, he and Kit contemplate to move on with an honorable life that is free of crime.
The title of the film, A Better Tomorrow is a reflection of the change in the film where gangsters transform to become honorable people. However, after the death of their father, the two brothers are more distanced, and it is unlikely that they would ever get close again. Ironically, honorable people like Ho’s father that had long reprimanded Ho for his crime life are killed in the line of crime. Eventually, the two brothers Kit and Ho reconcile, and Ho pays loyalty to Kit. He does this by handcuffing himself and presenting himself to Kit and notes that he has always admired the upright life that Kit adopted (“Better Tomorrow 1986, 2016”). This confirms a better tomorrow where Ho and Kit would live together despite their initial differences.
By the time the film was produced, film cinema halls were common in China and in Hong Kong, and teenagers would flock into the hall to watch Joseph Woo's film. The medium used to convey the movie was relatively effective as it allowed teenagers to watch the film as a group and consequently, to comprehend it an even imitates their favorite actors. With the development of the social media, the film’s availability has been enhanced as people can watch it irrespective of their geographical locations.
The film had a great impact on the culture of Hong Kong, which manifested in the life of the young generation. For instance, teenage boys would wear light, loose-fitting clothes commonly known as dusters as worn by Chow’s characters in the film. The light, lose coats also acquired the name “Mark Gor Lau” which literally interpreted would mean the coat of Mark’s brother. In addition, some characters in the film wore sunglasses and afterwards, teenagers begun buying and wearing sunglasses in large numbers. The cultural implication of this is that sunglasses were associated with a sense of victory and loyalty that came to manifest by the end of the film.
A better Tomorrow also shows that place specific cultural legacies have great influence on popular culture. Ideally, Hong Kong was colonized by British and during the period of bondage, mistrust, hatred, and double crosses were major elements of the people of Hong Kong (Canagarajah, 1999). While the British expected the residents to warrant them unquestioned honor and loyalty, revolutionists were determined to fight for their freedom and right. The British colonizers would frequently punish and even kill people that did not show loyalty to them. Such a culture is evident in the film as an attempt of revealing secrets of the gang would cause one to lose their life or that of a close relative. For instance, when Ho was arrested, and the Triad gang feared that he might reveal their secrets to the police, the gang kidnaps his father and brother and ends up killing the father. This shows the culture of mistrust and double crosses that had existed in Hong Kong during the colonial era so that one would hardly trust his associates.
A movie that is filled with freshness and energy is no doubt going to cross bounders. This is particularly when the film in question is different from films in the same genre that have been produced in the past. A Better Tomorrow is such a film filled with originality and hence, the reasons it was celebrated not only in Hong Kong but also in the world.
In conclusion, A Better Tomorrow served as a game changer in the Hong Kong film industry. Previously, action movies were characterized by gunfights, bloodshed, and deaths of the characters. Joseph Woo’s film is different as A Better Tomorrow is characterized by reconciliation, freshness, and humility. For instance, towards the end of the film, Ho handcuffs himself and presents himself to his brother Kit for disciplinary. This is a sign of humility that is not common in action movies.