SYNOPSIS:
Hyuk and Chul, the two brothers have been separated since childhood. Hyuk, the leader has become the boss of a weapons smuggling gang. Chul has become a policeman. The two brothers who had cared for each other like no others confront each other and take aim at each other's hearts. Loyalty stranger than blood Hyuk and Young-chun share 10 years of friendship while leading the gang as the two aces. Their bond is damaged by rival gangster Tae-min who is fond of playing dirty. Hyuk wants to escape the gang's grip, Chul wants to get rid of the gangs althogether, Young-chun wants to reestablish himself. Through deep wounds and misunderstandings, their relationships are tangled together and when Tae-min plots to take power they are set on a collision course with unexpected destinies.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Frankly speaking, I’m not a fan of remake, retool or reimagining of past movies. To me, the filmmaking industry on the whole are just plain lazy to think of something original. This is precisely why it didn’t interest me when it was initially announced that John Woo’s 1986 classic, "A Better Tomorrow" is being reworked by the Koreans.
Apparently, there’s no way to replicate the screen presence and the chemistry of the original cast members namely Shaw veteran actor Ti Lung, Megastar Chow Yun Fatt, Waise Lee making his film debut at that time and the late Leslie Cheung. But the shoes still need to be filled thus this thankless task falls into the hands of Joo Jin-Mo from 200 Pounds Beauty (reprising Ti Lung’s role), Song Seung-Heon from Autumn In My Heart (Chow’s role), Jo Han-Seon (Lee’s villain role) and Kim Kang-Woo taking over Cheung.
The plotting of this Korean version adheres very closely to the original. Kim Hyuk (Joo) and Young-Choon (Song), two successful triad members dealing with firearms are betrayed by fellow member, Tae-Min (Jo) in Thailand. Three years in prison has reformed Kim Hyuk and his only wish is to reconcile with his long-lost estranged brother, Kim Chul (Kim). Kim Chul on the other hand is a reckless young cop bent on bringing Tae-min to justice. All hell breaks loose when Tae-min start to harm the people around Kim Hyuk.
To each and every cast credit, their performances are largely credible. Perhaps the cast already knew it’s pointless to intimate the original charisma of their Hong Kong counterparts. Leading man Joo Jin-Mo shines as the tortured brother who is desperate to amend his relationship with his younger brother following their failed escape from North Korea years ago, a story arc that differentiates itself from the HK version. Song Seung-Heon fortunately didn’t attempt to replicate Mark Gor’s trademark toothpick-in-the-mouth and guns-hidden-in-flower-pots antics (likely to turn up cheesy anyway) so he has this amusing catchy term "Understand?". Jo Han-Seon is less convincing as the menacing baddie. Kim Kang-Woo’s portrayal of the impulsive cop character will make him an actor to look out for in future.
The first hour and a half is a slow-boiler as the plotting focuses heavily on the theme of brotherhood which John Woo favours in all his movies establishing the different levels of relationships between the characters. It’s such a machismo movie that it didn’t even have a female love interest or character except for an Ajima (Aunt). The action right here is brutal, bloody and explosive especially during the climatic showdown to make up for the lack of Woo’s balletesque gun-firing poses and white doves. Even that, you got to aware that it’s not really an action-packed flick.
At the end of the day, this remake is worthy in terms of building up the emotional theme of brotherhood like the original but there’s nothing new or impressive the Korean filmmakers has brought to the table.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The brief Making of feature showcases some behind-the-scene footages and interviews with the director, cast members and John Woo giving his blessing to the production.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Visual quality is decent and dialogue is clear though the Dolby Digital 2.0 might be a tad disappointing for the action-oriented sequences.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Posted on 6 April 2011
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