Third part of the legendary action series finally on Blu-ray uncut – but where the hell is the action masterpiece that started it all?

Yes, “A Better Tomorrow” is also one of many trilogies out there that get off to an excellent start, have a second installment that packs a punch in terms of “epic scope” and then ends in a finale that tapers off significantly. In the case of “A Better Tomorrow III” aka “Hexenkessel Saigon”, this is such a downfall for many fans that they would like to scrap it from the series. In fact, in the FILMSTARTS review, there are only 1.5 stars for the “uninspired” and “effortlessly unrolled” new cast.

The author of these lines, on the other hand, also finds the third part very worthwhile. While the prequel to the first two films is significantly weaker, it still packs plenty of (damn) action show value, a Chow Yun-Fat that’s once again well-staged, and with Anita Mui at his side, a sensational addition to the franchise. There are also much more serious undertones. I can therefore recommend “A Better Tomorrow III” and get the media book, which will be released on June 16, 2023 in two limited cover versions. You can already pre-order it on Amazon.

» “A Better Tomorrow III” on Amazon: Cover A* / Cover B*

But before we talk about the third film, now directed by Tsui Hark instead of John Woo, another topic needs to be brought up. As featured elsewhere, the predecessor “A Better Tomorrow II” has already been released uncut in HD for the first time in a new Blu-ray media book and is already available in stores.

» “A Better Tomorrow II” Cover A* / Cover B* at Amazon

But of course that begs the big question: where the hell is part 1? After all, the action masterpiece is the film that started it all and a must-see for all genre fans. But there is a problem…

“A Better Tomorrow” further indexed

The start of the legendary action series was indexed in 1988 by the Federal Testing Agency for Media Harmful to Youth. When this indexation threatened to end after the usual period of 25 years, it got a sequel in 2013. In the justification available on Schnittreports.com, the responsible committee of the Federal Examination Office explains that “no ratings were found on the Internet that would give the film an artistic value or even a higher artistic value”. However, the justification also sounds like one didn’t really search, because it also says: “Only a few reviews of the film can be found on the Internet (ofdb.de)”. The committee accuses them of “essentially exhausting themselves in the table of contents”.

Of course, “A Better Tomorrow” could also be released despite being indexed, but the very limited sales channels that come with it are probably responsible for only the second and third parts being released now. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until 2038 (!) when indexing goes back to normal. Fortunately, you can also request early removal, which is possible even after ten years through the simplified procedure. At the end of 2023, the film might be thrown off the index after all.

But enough about “A Better Tomorrow”, which we unfortunately have to wait for, let’s get back to “A Better Tomorrow III”, which will finally be released in the summer of 2023.

“A Better Tomorrow III”: Not just a lot of action…

“A Better Tomorrow III” also appeared in Germany as “Hexenkessel Saigon” and was also marketed internationally as “Love & Death in Saigon” as it also works on its own. It is a prequel set during the last days of the Vietnam War.

In 1974, “A Better Tomorrow” star Mark (Chow Yun-Fat) goes to Vietnam to get his uncle and cousin out and bring them to Hong Kong. But together with his cousin Michael (Tony Leung Ka-fai), he first becomes involved with the obscure Kitty (Anita Mui), who introduces them to shady deals and with whom both men fall in love. As a trio, the criminal activity continues in Hong Kong. But her jealous ex shows up and tries to hit the cousins ​​with a bomb that only kills Michael’s father. The thirst for revenge brings the two men back to Vietnam. In the middle of a war-torn city that is about to collapse, after a few more complications and arguments, the big confrontation follows.

Because the two friends John Woo and Tsui Hark fell out during the recording of “A Better Tomorrow II”, they went their separate ways afterwards. Woo took the Vietnam War prequel plan he had already laid out and reworked it into today’s classic, Bullet In The Head. And Hark? He picked up on the Woo idea and made his own prequel about the Vietnam War, which he directed himself – and which is often scolded.

… but also a surprising amount of politics

I think it has a lot to do with it that the prequel doesn’t really feel like an A Better Tomorrow movie because the killing and dying is much more nihilistic, much uglier. Bei Woo died in beauty, it was an act of sacrifice, it served a higher purpose. Here it’s mostly just brutal and pointless – which fits much better. After all, the third part takes place against the background of senseless killing and dying in Vietnam.

“A Better Tomorrow III” is also repeatedly extremely political – especially since Hark uses the 1974 Vietnam War to draw parallels to what happened in his native Hong Kong and mainland China in 1989. While people in China took to the streets for democracy, in Hong Kong there were fears that they would soon fall under the control of the communist regime. The protests that took place in China in the spring/early summer of 1989 and culminated in the “Tiananmen massacre”, in which democracy and student movements were bloodily (and ultimately) crushed, are even addressed directly, although the film plays settled 15 years earlier. There are parallels that are very relevant today.

With Kitty, embodied by superstar Anita Mui, there is also a wonderfully complex character who also gets a lot of beautiful scenes. That Mui, who died in 2003, was one of the loudest performers for the Chinese democracy movement and supported it en masse from Hong Kong, fits this highly political film – but there is of course room for lighter tones as well. In the prequel, we learn how Mark got his cool outfit from “A Better Tomorrow”. — and while that didn’t interest us more than why “Han Solo” is now called “Han Solo,” the passages where Kitty shows Mark how to be cool are still very funny.

Hence: Even if “A Better Morning II‘ is my favorite movie from the series and ‘A better tomorrow” Remains unmatched as an action masterpiece, it’s also worth being significantly different “A Better Morning III” a can. Soon that will finally be possible with a long-awaited Blu-ray release.