A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon 4K 1989

John Woo, in his new role (he used to shoot comedies), has already made two films, which he originally wanted to make into a duology. After the huge success of the second part, Woo switched to another idea and started shooting The Hitman. But the producers (or whatever they are called in China) decided to continue the box office franchise. However, a small problem arose: Woo had clearly and unambiguously put an end to the story of the two brothers, and there was nothing left to continue. Therefore, the new director did not make a trilogy, but a prequel, i.e., the backstory of the first parts. And I have to say, it was a mistake.

The plot of the prequel focuses on the character Chow Yun-Fat from the second part: it shows how he learned to shoot so well, why he flew to the US, etc. And this is where the main problem with the plot comes in: its meaninglessness. Everything that could be said about this character has already been said by Wu. In the prequel, everything is too predictable. In addition, there is much less drama in the film, which makes it seem like a typical run-of-the-mill action movie, something that Wu's films have never been.

A good action sequence could have saved the situation, but there is a problem with that too. In each of his new films, John always came up with new and varied scenes that had never been repeated before. Each of his action scenes looked like something completely new and fresh. Here, everything is too standard. The action movie craze was already in full swing in China, and if it weren't for the title, this film could easily be confused with other mediocre offerings in the genre. The film lacks memorable scenes: everything is shot routinely, as if on demand. It's weak, even too weak for a John Woo follower.

A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon is an unsuccessful attempt to ride on the coattails of a well-known franchise and the participation of Chow Yun-Fat, one of the most sought-after Chinese actors at the time. It's certainly watchable, but it's a long way from the level of Woo's films.