Main Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Anita Mui, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, Shek Kin
Release Year: 1989
Country: HK
Run Time: 136 minutes
Plot
Tsui Hark takes the reigns of this series following a much-publicized rift between himself and John Woo -- the director of the first two A Better Tomorrow films -- to direct this prequel based around Chow Yun-Fat's memorable Mark character. Set in 1974, Mark ventures to Saigon after his cousin, Cheung Chi-mun (Tony Leung Kar-fai), gets into hot water with the local police. Using a contact in the Vietnamese army, the two soon start trafficking black market weapons with a beautiful female assassin named Chow Ying-kit (Anita Mui). After a deal goes horribly wrong, the three -- along with Ying-kit's father -- try to leave Vietnam, only to have Ying-kit be detained by customs. Back in Hong Kong, Mark and Chi-mun set up a small garage. When Ying-kit returns, her old mobster boyfriend, Ho (Saburo Tokito), also makes an unwelcome appearance. Though Ying-kit has fallen for Mark, he refuses to reciprocate because Chi-mun has fallen for her. Ho hates them both and tries to kill them with a well-placed bomb. Though the attempt fails, Ho promises more if the two don't leave town. Instead, Ho leaves for Saigon with Ying-kit who is quietly plotting revenge. Mark and Chi-mun soon follow them, hoping to save Ying-kit and kill Ho themselves. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
The film was directed by Tsui Hark, the producer behind the first two films in the series. John Woo wrote a screenplay for a third installment, but he never got to direct it due to having had artistic differences with Tsui Hark during the filming of the second film. Instead, the original screenplay would later become Bullet in the Head. The two films have many parallels, most notably, both being set in the Vietnam War.
The film stars Chow Yun Fat, who reprises his role of Mark Gor from the first film, Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Anita Mui. Set during the Vietnam War, it sets up the story of how Mark became the character he was in the original film. The second part of the title Love & Death in Saigon (夕陽之歌 or Song of the Setting Sun in Chinese) is also the title song for this movie, sung by the late Anita Mui, who was also the leading lady in this third instalment.
Mark heads to Saigon 1974 and hooks up with his cousin Mun (Tony Leung Ka-Fai). Together, he and Tony run into tough-as-nails gangster Anita Mui, who takes a shine to the two boys. She teaches Mark his gun moves and begins to fall for him, but he is oblivious. Meanwhile, Mun gets the idea that Anita fancies him. This love triangle creates most of the drama for a good two-thirds of the film before the darkness of their world crashes in on them. It seems Anita’s last lover was a gang boss, so he doesn’t take kindly to the idea of Mark romancing his former flame. Even worse, the VC are taking Saigon, so it isn’t the best time to be hanging around Vietnam.
Box office
The film grossed HK$18,476,116 at the Hong Kong box office.
Alternate versions
Hong Kong DVD cover.
The Taiwan version runs 145 minutes long which is the complete uncut version. The Hong Kong version runs only 114 minutes long despite saying 130 minutes on the cover. On a special 2004 DVD release, there's a few minutes of scenes that were deleted from the Hong Kong version as a separate feature.A Chinese Out of print DVD dubbed from Taiwan but actually is published in China runs 130 minutes long which is the extended version which is shorter compared to the Taiwanese Out of print 145 minute VCD.A Taiwan Long Shong VHS dubbed in Taiwan and distributed from Taiwan contains an alternate scene where Anita kisses Tony Leung's hand which is also shorter than the 145 minute Taiwan VCD.
