A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon

Though people have been saying how much of a disappointment this prequel is, I watched it anyways, being a fan of the first two movies. And to be fair, it wasn't a bad experience at all.

I can see how people would be frustrated going in expecting more of the same and getting an action/drama movie instead, but I was told that it was less action and more romance beforehand. So I was prepared to take it for what it is worth. Which is an above average movie overall.

The Good: Chow Yun Fat returns to his character from the first film, which is great. Imagine the movie without him. Can you? Anita Mui plays her part very well and at times you really believe that she is upset or frustrated. The storyline is decent, and done pretty well. No, there are no scenes like the finale of A Better Tomorrow 2, but come on, did you really expect that kind of scene again? The ending of A Better Tomorrow 2 is so spectacular, can you blame the prequel for not trying to top it and go elsewhere instead? The chemistry between Chow Yun Fat's Mark and Anita Mui's Kit is great, especially with Kit. The viewer really feels for her. Great job.

The not so good: Many people accuse John Woo's films of totally ignoring women. But when it comes to A Better Tomorrow, many people criticize part three for placing a woman in the mix. It's supposed to be a story of brotherhood and friendship. In a way I agree. There should be more women representation is some of John Woo's work, but with this series, many fans prefer a team of friends, guys, more specifically Ho, Mark, and Kit from the first in the series. I would rather have had part three be a true sequel picking up where the second left off [with Ho and Mark's brother Ken (also played by Fat)] and tell about there struggles and how they are getting over the events of the last movie. Then you can put Anita Mui in the storyline somewhere and have her help them out in some way.

Overall, A Better Tomorrow 3 is pretty good. Not much like the first two, but an alternative that strays from the formula and may be accpted by some, and not by others.

There are two great heroic bloodshed films by John Woo, and this irksome slog of a prequel.

Mark (Chow Yun Fat) owes everything to Anita Yuen- his shades, gunmanship, matchstick & trench coat- Anita is too amazing... she can fire a machine gun with one arm,pointing wildly around the room yet still mow down dozens of inept military personnel who just run into rooms. Her skills derive from being a nightclub singer, as they would.

The direction is clunky, editing laboriously bad , the dialogue cringeworthy. The love triangle is mawkish and feeble. The action scenes are uninvolving & predictable.

I watched this film not long after its release and actually enjoyed it mildly (though overall was disappointed) due to CYF's typically charismatic performance. I watched it again recently & it was an utter chore & bore to get through.

Its just far too contrived. Everything is a bit daft... eg- Opening scene- Mark has a cigarette in his mouth & the passport control admin points to a no-smoking sign. Mark hides the cigarette in his mouth, but could have just put it in his top pocket. Moments later he coughs up the now soggy mess of the cigarette for comic effect.

The is also a perfect leitmotif for the rest of the film-It is a soggy mess.

Others may claim this is a masterpiece, even the best of the series, I would seriously disagree and could list 50 films off the top of my head that were similar, yet far better made between the mid 80s to 90's in HK.

This isn't A Better Tomorrow. It's a love story. A cliched love story at that. The love story was just as confusing as their one-handed machine gun wielding spraying, missing all of their targets (yet somehow still landing) .. Action plot was a mess, whoever gave Hark Tsui a go on this movie instead of John Woo should be fined .

The main actress was gorgeous though , with that - 5/10

ABTIII is easily the best of the entire series. While loyal John Woo fans (like myself) may feel offended that a sequel was done without his involvement, this film stands alone as a true masterpiece of Tsui Hark's. Anita Mui is fantastic and lends real credibility and sensitivity to this film as the woman who teaches Yun Fat's "Mark" how to both "be cool" and use 2 guns at once. This film also doubles as a sensitive portrayal of the Vietnam conflict from "the other side", a view most Americans are unfamiliar with. A superb, compelling film with excellent performances, ABTIII is a real treasure for those willing to give it a look.

A Better Tomorrow 3 takes place during the Vietnam war and goes back to show how Mark became the professional killer that he is. Cool action scenes, but low on the gore from the other films. The story is very well done for an action movie adding a romantic aspect to it. Excellent.

***1/2 out of ****