• Jun 17
• A BETTER TOMORROW 2012: Review
• Posted by Deljhp - 17/06/12 at 10:32 AM

Director: Song Hae Sung. Review: Adam Wing.

It’s not often you’ll find me looking forward to a remake, especially when I’m such a big fan of the film it’s based on. There I was though, greeting the arrival of Song Hae Sung’s A Better Tomorrow with genuine excitement. There are two reasons for my enthusiasm, even if the first one might seem trivial. A Better Tomorrow 2012 isn’t an American production, so even if we sidestep the usual arguments about Hollywood remakes, at least the film keeps its eastern flavour. More importantly, this newfangled version comes from Korea, and I firmly believe that South Korea is producing some of the best films in the world right now. So if there is a film ripe for the remake treatment, surely John Woo’s classic tale of bullets, brotherhood and heroic bloodshed finds itself in the firing line.

John Woo wasn’t about to give up his baby without a fight, so he acts as executive producer on this one. Directed by Song Hae Sung (Maundy Thursday), A Better Tomorrow 2012 changes the setting to Busan but stays true to the original’s themes of loyalty, betrayal and revenge. One of Chow Yun Fat’s most memorable performances is given a new lease of life by Song Seung Heon (Fate), while Ju Jin Mo (A Frozen Flower) takes on the role of a troubled mobster struggling with the demands of being both a brother and a friend. Kim Kang Woo (Le Grand Chef) plays the whiny, conflicted policeman/younger brother, and Jo Han Sun (Attack the Gas Station! 2) brings our backstabbing big bad to life with extra relish...Continue reading review.

A Better Tomorrow trailer