Arrow Video UK 4K UHD Blu-ray Synopsis: Faced with the daunting task of making a sequel to the revolutionary A Better Tomorrow, Woo grabbed the bull by the horns, further improved his stylistic action scenes and combined them with a serpentine and outlandish plot to create one of the most madcap and frenetic crime capers ever put to screen! Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung are back as brothers Ho and Kit, this time working undercover for the Hong Kong police to spy on Ho's former criminal mentor Lung Sei (Dean Shek). Just as they realise that Lung is trying to go straight, he's betrayed by his former Triad gang and flees to New York, where he is taken in by none other than Chow Yun Fat, this time playing Mark's long lost twin brother Ken. Ken must protect Lung from the gang's hired guns while back in Hong Kong, Ho and Kit use all their wits and brawn to bring them down from the inside. Boasting possibly the most exuberantly violent action finale of it's time, A Better Tomorrow 2 joins the ranks of its predecessor in the canon of unmissable Hong Kong action films, presented here in a stunning new restoration and including the film's workprint cut, bringing John Woo's spectacular and uncompromised vision to life. (105/142 Mins)

 

Imprint Asia Australian 4K UHD Blu-ray Synopsis: Jam-packed with explosive, truly over-the-top sequences of balletic violence and courageous bloodshed, the 'A Better Tomorrow' trilogy has been restored from its original camera negatives in Dolby Vision UHD, accompanied by hours of special features, plus an 80-page hardback booklet, all housed in a limited edition hardbox.

 

Shout Factory US 4K UHD Blu-ray Synopsis: The A Better Tomorrow saga continues with this high-impact follow-up, which re-teams director John Woo with actors Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun Fat (the latter playing the twin brother of his character from the original film). The action stretches from Hong Kong to New York City in an adrenaline-fuelled sequel many fans consider superior to it's acclaimed predecessor. (105 Mins)

 

T&G Vision German Mediabook Blu-ray Synopsis: Ho is released on probation after Kit suggests he takes down crime boss Lung (Dean Shek). But Lung is innocent and himself a victim of those around him. When he escapes to New York, he meets Mark's twin brother Ken (Chow Yun Fat). Together they take action against the gangsters... (104 Mins)

 

Nova Media Korean Blu-ray Synopsis: N/A

 

Hong Kong Legends UK DVD Synopsis: From John Woo, the director of Hong Kong movie classics including Bullet In The Head and The Killer comes this explosive sequel to his revered action thriller A Better Tomorrow. Once again, the legendary Chow Yun Fat is called back into action to help out Triad boss, Dean Shek. Along for the bullet ballet is Ti Lung and Leslie Cheung ensuring maximum carnage in a film that easily challenges the body count orgy of any previous John Woo heroic bloodshed movies. This isn't Hollywood Woo, as you'll soon find out from a film that sears the brain with outrageously delivered shootouts. Outstanding amongst the glorious gunplay is Chow Yun Fat, easily the coolest man with a grenade ever to grace the silver screen. Just try to keep up with the blood spray as you witness the true gangster classic that is A Better Tomorrow 2. (100 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Legends Magazine UK DVD Synopsis: Reformed triad Hou is released from prison on the condition that he spies on his ex-boss, Lung Sei, whom the police suspect of running a counterfeit ring. Hou agrees to the deal so that he can protect his younger brother, Jiht, who is already working undercover on the case. Meanwhile, Lung Sei is framed for murder and flees to New York, where he loses his mind. Enter Ken, twin brother of the deceased Mark, Hou's old friend. A fearless fighter, he must nurse Lung back to health while fighting off the mobsters send to kill the exiled boss. (100 Mins)

 

Made In Hong Kong UK VHS Synopsis: The blistering high-octane sequel to the hugely successful “A Better Tomorrow”. Chow Yun Fat is Ken Gor, a former gang boss returning to Hong Kong to avenge the brutal murder of an old friend's daughter. Deploying an incredible arsenal of death-dealing firearms, backed up by reformed mobster Ho (Ti Lung), polce detective Kit (Leslie Cheung) and the grief-crazed Lung (Dean Shek), Ken takes on an army of Triad gangsters in an orgy of retributive violence. Shot with Woo's usual flair for explosive mayhem, and climaxing in perhaps to the bloodiest shoot-out ever committed to film, the movie features another star performance from the charismatic Chow, shades and toothpick firmly in place, guns blazing. (100 Mins)

 

Views: In return for an early release, jailbird Ho (Ti Lung) has been encouraged (forcefully) to work undercover for the police on an important case. Unbeknownst to him, his brother Kit, who is now a mature police officer, has been placed undercover on the same case also. That case just happens to involve Uncle Sei (played with conviction by the wonderful Dean Shek), the man who taught Ho everything he knows. To get close to Uncle Sei, Kit feigns love for his daughter Peggy – although his pregnant wife gets wind of it and expects the worst. While attending a large party for Sei, the brothers finally get the chance to meet – their first since Lung's arrest after taking down Shing. At the same time, they let each other know of their positions, in a bid to help crack the case sooner. At the same time, Uncle Sei is double-crossed by his right-hand man Ko, with the planned assassination of Triad boss Wong leading to more murders at the party. As the shock and confusion mentally destroy him, Ti Lung quickly removes Sei amidst the panic, and takes him to hide at Ken Tsang's taxi company. In no time at all, they get Uncle Sei on a ship to New York where he can hide and clear his name. Unfortunately, the following day, his daughter Peggy is gunned-down at the family home, as she looks for her father...

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Enter Ken (twin brother to part one's Mark) – a New York based hard-ass that runs the Four Seas restaurant, and takes no shit. You'll get what I mean when NY gangster Louis Roth (Drunken Master 2) complains about his fried rice, and tries to hustle Ken for protection money. Still one of my favourite scenes from any Hong Kong film! Uncle Sei soon finds shelter with an old friend, who is now the minister of a NY church, and soon calls home to let his men know where he is. Of course, this reveals his location and before he knows it, trouble very quickly follows. As his close friend, church-goers and children get murdered around him, Uncle Sei loses the plot completely. Ken soon gets word that Sei is locked in the local madhouse and still under threat, and sets out to rescue him. As Ken goes to some extremes to try and break Sei's child-like mentality, some pissed-off gangsters launch an attack on him, blowing up his restaurant and shooting up his home. This continues soon after, as the two hideout in a rundown hotel, only to be tracked down by more gunmen. Its a scene that kicks-off one of the best action sequences of the film and pulls Uncle Sei out off his dispair. At the same time, back in Hong Kong, the shit really hits the fan as Kit gets ahead of himself, trying to infiltrate Ko's gang. With his cover blown, Ko has his Kit's brother step-up to the mark and put a bullet in him. Its a harsh moment for the brothers, but a powerful scene. An emotional reunion brings Ken and Sei back to Hong Kong, where they meet up with Ho and (a now healed) Kit, where they next plan their attack on Ko and his men. It all leads to a beautifully shot finale which is launched by the lump-in-the-throat moment of Kit's last minutes on the phone to his wife, just after she has given birth to their baby daughter. As Ken dons his brothers trademark coat and glasses, sadness turns to excitement as the vengeful friends load-up and let the bullets fly in an incredible, action-packed ending, this time aided by their old friend Uncle Ken!

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Forced into making a fast sequel by Tsui Hark and producers at Cinema City due to the huge success of the first film, John Woo struggled to really get behind this project – arguing that he'd rather do a prequel on the main characters from the first. But it was not to be, and soon, the team were preparing to make this bombastic and ballistic sequel with a promise of more action and Chow Yun Fat (somehow) returning once again. This time though, the focus is on the late Dean Shek who plays the distraught and broken Uncle Sei. Having taken a break from the film industry after a number of defeats and failures as an actor/producer throughout the mid-80s, Shek retreated to North America where he laid low for some time until Tsui Hark and John Woo pushed for his return here, in A Better Tomorrow 2. And I'm glad they did! For me, Shek's performance as Uncle Sei is one of his best ever performances, allowing him to return to the screen with a bang and flex his acting chops like never before. From confident gang boss to a broken shell of a mine, then to vengeful father with a death wish, his addition to the party alongside the already incredible performances from Chow, Lung and Cheung was just perfect. Drawing his inspiration and energy from Tatsuya Nakadai's performance as Hidetora Ichimonji in Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) – itself, derived from William Shakespeare's King Lear – Dean Shek proves his worth, yet was unfortunately robbed of any awards or nominees at the 1988 Hong Kong Film Awards. Leslie Cheung, however, was nominated for Best Actor...

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Of course, this was really all about bringing Chow Yun Fat back since the Hong Kong audience fell wildly in love with his character of Mark Gor – and they wanted more! Of course, Mark had been killed at the end of the previous film, so what other way can he be re-introduced other than by playing his twin brother, Ken. As charming as Mark was, Ken is delivered with a little more gusto than his brother, proving to be a bit more boisterous and comedic all-round and perhaps even – a better marksman than his late sibling. From his restaurant in New York to the mean streets of Hong Kong, Ken takes no shit and brings plenty of humour to the pretty serious crew that come together to seek revenge. With that said, I've always thought that Chow's portrayal of Ken is very similar to the character of Tequila in Hard Boiled, which may have just inspired his performance there. Regardless, if you enjoyed Chow in part one, then you'll love him in this. Of course, the great Ti Lung is just as impressive – as always. His continuation as Ho is solid, forced undercover to escape his jail-time and continuing his role as Kit's protective big brother. But this time, his emotions and loyalty are pushed to the limits. This was a strong year for Ti Lung under Golden Princess, with the very fun Legend of the Golden Pearl from Teddy Robin Kwan and superb People's Hero from Derek Yee, availing of his services. Of course, this wouldn't be the last time Lung would star alongside Chow, with the pair joining forces (albeit briefly) in the fantastic Tiger On The Beat and the very underrated City War just a year later. The great-late Kenneth Tsang Kong returns as Uncle Ken, the taxi-rank owner and ally who joins the wild bunch on their mission. Starring in over 220 films from the mid-1950s, this beloved character actor adds to the already powerful cast on offer and gets to join in on the action a little more this time. As with a number of actors in this film, Ken has since left us, passing less than a year after Dean Shek. While Emily Chu returns as Kit's pregnant wife, and Shing Fui On as a different gangster altogether, the cast is fleshed out even more with appearances from stars like Ng Man Tat, Guan Shan, Lam Chung, Peter Wang, Lau Siu Ming, and Regina Kent along with Western performers like Ken Boyle, Louis Roth, Mike Abbott and Wayne Archer. Also, keep an eye out for a young Stanley Tong who makes a brief cameo as a police officer...

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The spectacular action comes courtesy of Tony Ching Siu Tung, who lights up the screen with some fantastic action pieces, plenty of explosions and a massive body count. Of course, this is all under the watchful eye of John Woo who, once again, has delivered one of the best action films to ever come out of Hong Kong. Yet, for some odd reason, I have always felt that something was missing – something that has kept me from rating this as the 5 star movie it should be! Some scenes felt out of place, some situations unexplained, and odd moments of editing had me questioning was John Woo actually in charge here?! Well, it turns out that, the answer was an astounding NO! As it happens, John's first cut was close to 160 minutes, but producer Tsui Hark wasn't keen on such a lengthy action piece for the commercial market. He wanted it cut with more of the focus on Shek's Uncle Sei, while Woo's story was more about Ken and Kit, running at about 120 minutes to allow for more screenings in one day during it's cinema run. But Woo refused to cut it down leading to some major disagreements between the two movie powerhouses, and things just got worse! Behind closed doors, Tsui Hark would secretly re-edit the film to his liking, leading to a total of 5 editors working on the project overall – including the director. But as Hark cut scenes, Woo secretly reinstated certain ones back in. Unfortunately, facing more and more pressure from the studio and distributors, they both agreed to send all the reels to the 'Cinema City Editing Unit' and, split between a number of different editors without any supervision from Woo and Hark, they got to work – cutting things how they saw fit which, in turn, resulted in the officially released version of the film we've always seen.

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Until now that is!

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Recently released by Shout Factory in glorious 4K UHD in a Trilogy box-set as part of their incredible Golden Princess deal, fans now have the chance to see a new 140 minute featuring long-lost footage that even John Woo himself deemed forever gone. Put out on a bonus disc alongside the extended Taiwanese version of A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death in Saigon, this so-called 'workprint' fixes quite a lot of the problems, giving us unseen and extended scenes that help fill in the gaps and give me the excuse to now label this as a 5 star movie! It's just a damn pity that this wasn't presented in 4K also – but I understand. To be honest, watching it really took me back. In the mid-to-late 90s, I was buying a lot of bootleg VHS copies of Hong Kong movies from 'private collectors' (as seen in ads from Impact Action Movie Magazine). They were sometimes second, third or fourth generation copies, and looked just like this – although without looking as sharp via it's Blu-ray presentation – and I felt I was right back there. It was just amazing to be able to see this come to life and truer to John Woo's original vision, so kudos to Brandon Bentley and Harry Weintraub for making it happen. Aside from the stunning 4K restorations and new 'workprint' version that comes with this release, A Better Tomorrow 2 is accompanied by another wonderful audio commentary by James Mudge; a giggling Scotsman who likes to remind us with every project who he is and what he's done in the world of film – much like Frank Djeng – but you can't help but like him. As well as being a fanboy of Hong Kong classics like these, Mudge delivers some insightful facts about the film, it's stars and all involved, of course. John Woo delivers another fascinating (26 minute) interview on the sequel, revealing some home truths and informative facts about the production. In 'Better Than Ever', Frank Djeng gives his thoughts on A Better Tomorrow 2 and the heroic bloodshed genre, while Grady Hendrix returns with another episode of his Hong Kong Confidential which is always fun. There's a couple of lengthy trailers on offer, although the second is actually for part one – yet ends with the title card for this film – and a wonderful image gallery closes it with a great selection of poster art, lobby cards, stills and more. All in all, another great addition to this amazing release which is well worth a place in any true fan's collection!

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Overall: Fuck your fried rice!! A Better Tomorrow 2 is a powerful, emotional and action-packed classic that never tires!

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Arrow Films 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & F.J. DeSanto, Isolated Score Track, Audio Commentary with James Mudge, Interview with John Woo, Frank Djeng on ABT2, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, 2022 Q&A with John Woo, Archival Interview with Tsui Hark, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Trailers and Image Gallery (Long-Lost A Better Tomorrow 2 Workprint Extended Version on separate disc)

 

Imprint Asia 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with James Mudge, Interview with John Woo, Frank Djeng on ABT2, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, Code of Bullets 2 Archival Featurette, Trailers and Image Gallery (Long-Lost A Better Tomorrow 2 Workprint Extended Version on separate disc)

 

Shout Factory 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with James Mudge, Interview with John Woo, Frank Djeng on ABT2, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, Trailers and Image Gallery (Long-Lost A Better Tomorrow 2 Workprint Extended Version on separate disc)

 

T&G Vision Mediabook Blu-ray Extras: Deleted Scenes Montage, Trailers, Teaser

 

Nova Media Blu-ray Extras: Trailer, Making of Documentary, Gallery

 

Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Trailers, An interview with Tsui Hark, Trilogy of Bloodshed (Animated Essay), A Better Tomorrow 3 Preview

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Watch my unboxing video for the Shout Factory release HERE

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Watch my unboxing video for the Imprint Asia release HERE

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Watch my unboxing video for the Arrow Video release HERE