I remember the first time I sat down to watch A Better Tomorrow. Foolishly, I had already watched John Woo's Hard Boiled and The Killer before A Better Tomorrow and I didn't know that A Better Tomorrow II existed. If you don't know what I mean, watching those films in that order is like having dessert before your meal and the meal is liver and onions. It's like driving into an Ahmish villiage and getting out of your car and into a horse and buggy. I could only sit there and assure my friends in the room it was going to get better [but not until the very end and even that was wanting after experiencing TK and HB]. A word of advice if you have never seen these films [and why the hell not!?!]. Watch them in this order: A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer and then top it off with Hard Boiled.
I didn't know that A Better Tomorrow was the foundation for those other movies. I could not appreciate that it paved the way for thousands of bullets and shootouts in hospitals, churches and mansions. But at least one other knows its importance and place in modern action cinema.
John Patterson over at Guardian.co.uk has listed it no. 7 in the ten films that 'laid the foundations for modern movie-making'. Citing it 'singlehandedly transformed the American action movie in the 1990s' [Hard Target is a guilty pleasure] and is responsible for 'introducing modern Asian cinema... to a vast new international audience'.
Patterson even comments on the film's influence on Quentin Tarantino. Any Tarantino fan knows the tale of how he bought a trenchcoat/duster to mimic Chow Yun-fat's character Mark. Every Chinese male in Hong Kong owned a duster, aviator glasses and had a match hanging from their lips. Woo was consequently blasted by officials and critics for glorifying the Triad lifestyle when this trend hit.
After each trailblazer Patterson lists a number of films we wouldn't have had we not had these films to open the door for them. So what does Patterson thinks we would not have? Oldboy, Infernal Affairs, 2046, Kill Bill, and Zatoichi. Um. Huh? As I write this I fail to see the link for most of these, if not all of them. Four of these are almost 20 years after ABT and Zotoichi is a remake based on the long running film and television series from the 60s and 70s.
Regardless, A Better Tomorrow is a cornerstone film in the modern action film genre. Bow before its might. Humble yourself before it... and then watch the other movies afterwards cause they only get better, louder and more explody.
erm... explody?
Read the full article here at Guardian.co.uk.
How about the fact that he says without Hoop Dreams there would be no Fahrenheit 9/11? Sure Hoop Dreams set the record for highest grossing doc at the time, but it was only 20% higher than Roger & Me. Does he really think Michael Moore wouldn't have gotten the money to make F9/11 (or, for that matter Bowling For Columbine) if there wasn't Hoop Dreams?
I think the main problem is that it's someone from the UK trying to (for the most part) write an article about Hollywood. I don't mean any disrespect, but I wouldn't try to make any statements about the UK Film Industry. I don't know how many immitators Guy Ritchie has. I don't know about some UK movie that was a trailblazer for him, unless it's Danny Boyle.
"So what does Patterson thinks we would not have? Oldboy, Infernal Affairs, 2046, Kill Bill, and Zatoichi. Um. Huh? As I write this I fail to see the link for most of these, if not all of them."
I think he's saying that without ABT there wouldn't be any other Asian movies.
No mention of BULLET IN THE HEAD? or even PEACE HOTEL?
I think the main problem is that it's someone from the UK trying to (for the most part) write an article about Hollywood. I don't mean any disrespect, but I wouldn't try to make any statements about the UK Film Industry. - theremin.
most of UK film product = hollywood. most of UK film industry = working for hollywood. most of UK films = never seen by anyone.
i dont see the problem in writing about hollywood when youre in the UK. i can see it being a problem for anyone to write about the UK film industry - there isnt one to a large extent, only that talent which works on american movies.
that said, the piece at the guardian was terrible.
I agree with logboy. If I decided to write a piece on contemperary Korean cinema or Japanese cinema it would obviusly require knowlegde in that specific area. But if I watched a lot of the movies I would probably be able to write an alright piece.
I doubt that the author of the guardian article have even seen 2046, Oldboy, Zatoichi and Infernal Affairs since it's so obvious to anyone who have seen these movies that they easily could have been made even if there hadn't been ABT. Of course ABT has been very influential but he easily could have picked other movies.