Arrow Video UK 4K UHD Blu-ray Synopsis: After the one-two punch of the first two A Better Tomorrow films, producer Tsui Hark would take the directorial reins for the explosive final instalment: the prequel Love & Death in Saigon focusing on the series' most beloved character Mark, once again brought to life by the inimitable Chow Yun Fat. As the Vietnam War nears its end, a young mark arrives in Saigon to help his uncle and cousin Chi-Man (Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Prison on Fire) return safely to Hong Kong. There he meets fellow ex-pat Kit (Anita Mui, Rumble in the Bronx), a gunrunner who agrees to help them get back home. As they await safe passage, Mark, Chi-Man and Kit forma strong friendship as she teaches them the ins and outs of her business. But their newfound bond cannot protect them from the brutal reality of war that will inexorably shape the gangster that Mark is doomed to become. One of the impactful crime sagas ever out to screen, the A Better Tomorrow series comes full circle in this action-packed and compelling origin story of a cinematic icon. (119/128 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 Synopsis: Tsui Hark (Once Upon A Time In China) stepped into the director's role for this explosive third instalment of the A Better Tomorrow series. A prequel to the first film, A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon explores the story of Mark against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, revealing additional layers to the character that made Chow Yun Fat a superstar. Tony Leung (Prison On Fire, The Lover) and Anita Mui (The Heroic Trio, Drunken Master II) also star in the final chapter of this unforgettable trilogy. (119 Mins)

 

T&G Vision German Mediabook Blu-ray Synopsis: Vietnam 1974, shortly before the end of the war. Despite the signed ceasefire agreement, fighting in Thailand continues unabated. Nevertheless, Mark decides to travel to his homeland one last time. There he tries to save his uncle from the communist danger. Instead, however, he comes into conflict with gangsters and the Viet Cong. (118 Mins)

 

Nova Media Korean Blu-ray Synopsis: N/A

 

Made In Hong Kong UK VHS Synopsis: Number one Eastern superstar Chow Yun Fat recreates his legendary role of Mark Gor, alongside Tony Leung (Prison On Fire; The Lover). He falls for sexy underworld femme fatale Anita Mui and , against a background of war-torn Vietnam, changes from an easy going young hoodlum to the overcoated, tooth-pick-chomping, two-gun-toting gangster supreme alreadly familiar from Woo's earlier classic. A stylish rites-of-passage tale of double-dealing intrigue, obsessive gun fetishism punctuated by outbursts of shocking slo-mo violence, A Better Tomorrow III showcases once again the extraordinary charisma of Hong Kong's heroic bloodshed king Chow Yun Fat. (107 Mins)

 

Views: With the longest running time of the three, Love And Death In Saigon definitely feels like the most epic of the trilogy. The first 45 minutes of the film takes part in Saigon that sees the charming Mark Gor arrive to help his cousin Michael bring his Uncle back home to Hong Kong. From the moment he steps off the plane, Mark lays his eyes on the beautiful Chow Ying Kit – a skilled female gangster who steals his heart, and even more so after she helps him get out of trouble when he is harassed by corrupted officers at the airport. A few days later, when his cousin arranges a business deal, Mark notices Chow at the same location and are quickly aided by her when all goes sour. After she becomes friends with the troublesome cousins, Michael quickly falls for her and wastes no time in making a move – much to Mark's surprise. The team soon arrive back in Hong Kong which begins to lend itself to familiar territory. As romance and friendships blossom, we get introduced to Chow Ying Kit's ex-lover, Sam, a dangerous Japanese man who wants to keep her under his control, even if it means taking out her new friends. After killing Michael's dad, they are forced back to Saigon and hell-bent on revenge. Naturally, this results in another fantastic and exciting bullet-ballet with some top gun-play action – as well as an explosive finale that sees Mark speed towards the enemy tank on a motorbike, complete with a crate of explosives attached to it by a single strand of barbed-wire!

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Often frowned upon by hardcore fans of John Woo and the series, A Better Tomorrow 3 is treated like the bastard child of the infamous Hong Kong trilogy! After a struggling experience in making A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987), director John Woo and producer Tsui Hark parted ways due to creative differences that saw Woo go on to make his incredible Bullet In The Head (1990), and Hark with this, you get a firm understanding as to why this chapter stands apart from its predecessors. Producer and director Tsui Hark, who needs no introduction, may have taken things down a completely different road in this loosely based prequel – but its a story that gives us an insight to how a younger Mark Gor becomes the 2 gun-toting cool gangster that we all love. But, at the same time, it proves to be much more than that! Vietnam-born Tsui Hark has never been shy of making a political statement or adding social commentary within his stories, and clearly the setting of A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death in Saigon is more personal than most. Rather than the action-packed tale of gangsters and loyalty that we saw in parts one and two, this chapter is more of a political drama and love story – which seems to have upset the majority of fans of the series. But to be pretty honest, it makes sense not to be. It shouldn't be like the others. This is the story of a young man maturing through hardship, and learning to become that lovable gangster who goes onto join the Triads. Aside from the MCU, we never did get many back-stories to cinematic characters we loved all those years ago, yet that's exactly what this is – an origin story of sorts for Mark Gor...

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It's fair to say that this chapter is certainly not as action heavy as the first two; although it's far from disappointing when we get it. This time, Shaw Brothers star Lau Fong Sai and action director Lau Chi Ho handle it. The former Lau is a very recognisable face from many Chang Cheh classics featuring the Venom Mob as well as titles such as Duel To The Death (1982), Project A (1983), Police Story (1985) and many more. As an action-director, he has worked on films such as Shaolin Temple Strikes Back (1983), Legacy if Rage (1986), Iron Angels 3 (1989) and Oh! Yes Sir (1994) to name but a few. Lau Chi Ho, on the other hand, has only appeared in a handful of films but has worked the action on many classics like Little Dragon Maiden (1983), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Swordsman (1990), Bullet In The Head (1990), Wonder Seven (1994), and Duel To The Death (1982) of which he also served as the assistant director to the great Tony Ching Siu Tung. While their style may stand apart from that of John Woo and the action scenes in the previous films, it still makes for plenty of violent gun-play and stunning shots throughout. Speaking of which, the great Horace Wong is the man at the lens who also captured the first two films as DOP, and many other classics like The Big Heat (1988), The Killer (1989), Hard Boiled (1992), The Bare-Footed Kid (1993), Peace Hotel (1995), The Accidental Spy (2001), Reign of Assassins (2010), as well as The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) and it's sequel – among many, many others. Thanks to Wong, every scene is beautifully framed, with one scene in particular really sticking out in my head. That was the first action-scene of the film, where a double-gunned Anita Mui takes on a mini army without breaking a sweat. Complete with that wonderful Hong Kong night-lighting, tons of smoke and plenty of gunfire, this particular action scene looked just stunning.

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Much like its predecessors, there's the odd bit of humour laced throughout, although its never too wacky to distract from the maturity of the whole thing. Hark lays on the drama with the added use of footage from the Vietnam War, which adds a grittiness and realism to the whole thing and helps set the film apart from Woo's previous entries. Here, he teams the always loveable Chow Yun Fat up with Tony Leung Ka Fai, who plays his cousin Michael. Of course, both stars had just worked together a couple of years earlier in Ringo Lam's harsh prison drama, Prison on Fire (1987), which probably helped their on-screen relationship in A Better Tomorrow 3 come across more genuine overall. They are joined by the aforementioned Anita Mui – at the time, Hong Kong's answer to Madonna (only, if Madonna could act). Here, Mui plays Chow's mentor, Chow Ying Kit, who pretty much steals the show as his love-interest and femme-fatale extraordinaire. Although she was huge on the music scene by this point, with one of her most famous pieces used a few times throughout, Anita Mui began her film career around the same time as Tony Leung in 1983. And much like her co-star, had shared the screen with Chow Yun Fat prior to this; only, a little more than Leung had. Their first film together was the Kenny Bee directed and fun 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife in 1986, with Lau Kar Wing's brilliant Scared Stiff following in '87. The last before this, would be as co-stars in the late Clarence Ford's hilarious rom-com, The Greatest Lover, in 1988. Unfortunately, this would also mark the last time the pair would star together with Mui going onto star alongside others Hong Kong greats such as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Andy Lau and Jet Li – unfortunately passing in 2003 due to cancer. All are joined by the legendary Shek Kin who stars as Michael's father. Starting his film career in 1940, Kin went onto star in well over 550 titles, but will forever be known to fans in the West as Bruce Lee's biggest challenge, Mr. Han, in the classic Enter The Dragon (1973). Popular Japanese actor Tokita Saburo appears as Mui's twisted gangster boyfriend Sam Ho, while Foo Wang Tat, Wan Seung Lam, Maggie Cheung Hoh Yee, Nam Yin, and Cheng Wai Lun help flesh things out. It's also worth noting that Andrew Kam, director of the incredible Big Heat (1988), Fatal Termination (1990) and Donnie Yen's High Voltage (1995), makes an appearance and also serves as the films' 2nd Unit Director.

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Recently restored in 4K UHD and released alongside it's predecessors as part of a glorious box-set from Shout Factory (with Arrow in the UK and Imprint in Australia), this stunning new presentation comes with a new audio commentary from David West. An interview with screenwriters Leung Yiu Ming and Tai Foo Ho makes for an interesting watch, as does Gilbert Po's piece to cam that sees him look at the films of the series. Vietnam War researcher, Dr. Aurelie Basha I Novosejt, gives her thoughts on A Better Tomorrow 3 and Tsui Hark's take on the war at the time, while Grady Hendrix delivers another fun and informative episode of Hong Kong Confidential for this particular chapter. And finally, aside from the accompanying trailer and image gallery including, fans can also enjoy a great presentation of the Extended Taiwanese Version housed on the seventh 'bonus' disc, alongside the longer version of part two. Apart from the obvious political message of Hark's story, love and revenge are on the menu, with great performances from everyone involved – including some heartfelt and emotional moments as with the previous entries. A Better Tomorrow 3: Love and Death in Saigon is criminally misunderstood, with the extended Taiwanese version offering stronger character development and drama. Any fan of Tsui Hark, Chow Yun Fat, or Hong Kong cinema in general, should really check it out – and if you have done so already, then once again via this stunning new release!

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Overall: An underrated classic and fantastic chapter of the trilogy, A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death in Saigon shines as one of Tsui Hark's finest!

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Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & F.J. DeSanto, Audio Commentary with David West, Interview with screenwriters Jason Lam Kee-To and Lau Tai-Muk, and Foo Ho Tai, Interview with Vietnam War Researcher Dr. Aurelie Basha i Novosejt, Gilbert Po on ABT3, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Alternate English Credits, Trailer and Image Gallery (A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon – Extended Taiwanese Version on bonus disc)

 

Imprint Asia 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with David West, Interview with screenwriters Leung Yiu Ming and Foo Ho Tai, Interview with Vietnam War Researcher Dr. Aurelie Basha i Novosejt, Gilbert Po on ABT3, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, Code of Bullets 3 Archival Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Trailer and Image Gallery (A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon – Extended Taiwanese Version on bonus disc)

 

Shout Factory 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, Audio Commentary with David West, Interview with screenwriters Leung Yiu Ming and Foo Ho Tai, Interview with Vietnam War Researcher Dr. Aurelie Basha i Novosejt, Gilbert Po on ABT3, Hong Kong Confidential with Grady Hendrix, Trailer and Image Gallery (A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon – Extended Taiwanese Version on bonus disc)

 

T&G Vision German Mediabook Blu-ray Extras: Extended Taiwanese Version (128 Mins), German Video Version (95 Mins), Trailer

 

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

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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