A Better Tomorrow 2: The long lost workprint has been found & will be on the 4K set
Shout Factory is truly doing the lord’s work these days, with their Hong Kong Cinema Label currently touring several 4K remastered hits, including John Woo’s The Killer, Hard-Boiled, Bullet in the Head, and more. Most of these titles have only been released digitally so far, but today Shout Selects announced a deluxe 4K Blu-ray boxed set for the Better Tomorrow trilogy. A Better Tomorrow was the movie that officially established John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat in Hong Kong, with it revolving around an aging Triad gangster (played by Shaw Bros vet Ti Lung) who attempts to leave his life of crime behind when his beloved younger brother (Leslie Cheung) joins the police force. He’s betrayed by his former confederate, but has one ally, Chow Yun-Fat’s trench-coated assassin, Mark Gor, who is his ride-or-die, and then some.
It was followed by a sequel, A Better Tomorrow 2, and a prequel, A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death in Saigon. While the Blu-ray set includes 4K remasters, it also contains the longer workprint of A Better Tomorrow 2, which has been highly sought after by fans. You see, Woo’s original cut of A Better Tomorrow 2 was re-edited by producer Tsui Hark, who himself went on to direct the third film in the series. As a result, Woo has always spoken less than fondly of the sequel, even if he remains proud of the climactic gun fight, which ranks as one of his best action set pieces.
It will be interesting to see the workprint, although Hong Kong action fans hoping for a lost masterpiece should keep their expectations in check. Even Woo himself admits it was an ill-conceived film. They were forced to scramble to find a way to include Chow Yun-Fat, whose Mark Gor died in a blaze of glory in the first film. The choice was pretty convoluted, with them just giving him a twin brother named Ken who is exactly like him. Even still, it still kicks serious ass.
Here are the full specs for the box set:
A BETTER TOMORROW TRILOGY Bonus Content
DISC 1 – A Better Tomorrow (4K UHD)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
DISC 2 – A Better Tomorrow (Blu-ray)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
NEW “Better Than The Best” – Interview With Director John Woo
NEW “Between Friends” – Interview With Producer Terence Chang
NEW “When Tomorrow Comes” – Interview With Screenwriter Chan Hing-ka
NEW “Thoughts On The Future” – Interview With Filmmaker Gordon Chan
NEW “Better And Bombastic” – Interview With Filmmaker Gareth Evans
Trailers
Image Gallery
DISC 3 – A Better Tomorrow II (4K UHD)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
DISC 4 – A Better Tomorrow II (Blu-ray)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
NEW “A Tumultuous Tomorrow ” – Interview With Director John Woo
NEW “Better Than Ever” – Interview With Film Historian Frank Djeng
Trailers
Image Gallery
DISC 5 – A Better Tomorrow III (4K UHD)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West
DISC 6 – A Better Tomorrow III (Blu-ray)
NEW 4K Scan From the Original Camera Negative
NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
NEW Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West
NEW “Third Time Lucky” – Interview With Screenwriters iu-Ming Leung and Foo Ho Tai
NEW “All Our Tomorrows” – Interview With Hong Kong Filmmaker And Academic Gilbert Po
NEW “Nam Flashbacks” – Interview With Vietnam War Researcher Dr. Aurélie Basha i Novosejt
Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
DISC 7 – Bonus Disc (Blu-ray)
Long-Lost A Better Tomorrow II Workprint Featuring Over 30 Minutes Of Never-Before-Seen Footage!
Better Tomorrow III – Taiwanese Cut
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