City Wolf

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Movie
German title City Wolf
Original title 英雄 本色,
Ying Hong Boon Sik
Country of production Hong Kong
original language Cantonese
Publishing year 1986
length approx. 95 minutes
Age rating FSK unchecked, indexed
Rod
Director John Woo
script Hing-Ka Chan
Suk-Wah Leung
John Woo
production Tsui Hark
music Joseph Koo
Ka-Fai Koo
camera Wing-Hung Wong
cut David Wu
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
City Wolf II - billing in installments

City Wolf ( Chinese  英雄 本色 , Pinyin Yīngxióng Běnsè , Jyutping Jing 1 hung 4 Bun 2 sik 1  - “The essence of a hero, better: The stuff of a hero”) is an action film by director John Woo from 1986, which is also published under the Title A Better Tomorrow is known. Other alternative titles are: The Color of a Hero / Gangland Boss / True Colors of a Hero / City Wolf 1 / City Wolf - A Better Tomorrow and Ying Xiong Ben Se . This film helped the Hong Kong cinema to new success, also internationally, set new standards and created a new style, also called Heroic Bloodshed .

action

Kit is with the Hong Kong Police Department and is unaware of his older brother Ho's criminal activities as a triad member. Mark is Ho's best friend and is constantly helping him barter counterfeit money. In a deal in which Ho has another handover to take care of, he is arrested by the previously informed police. Mark, who was not involved in the deal, tracks down some traitors and avenges his best friend. His knee is irreparably damaged by the exchange of fire, so that he can only move about with the help of a metal rail. After three years in prison, Ho is released, but his brother, who had learned of his brother's double life, no longer wants to know about him. He blames him for the death of her father and for the stagnation of his career, because as a precaution he is withdrawn from the triad investigations against his will because of the suspicion of family violence. Ho makes the decision to turn away from his criminal past and do everything possible to reconcile himself with his brother. But that's easier said than done, because the main traitor of yore has now become a powerful syndicate boss who wants to force him to work for him. But Ho remains stubborn. Thereupon his best friend Mark, who is now allowed to clean the shoes and the cars for the triad, is brutally beaten up by them. After a heartbreaking reunion, Ho and Mark team up and, after finally convincing Kit, develop a plan to destroy the triad. Ho blackmailed the organization with the help of a tape and determined a place for the handover of the money, where there was a big showdown between them, the triad and the police.

Reviews

"A breathtakingly furiously staged, but also extremely brutal action film, combined with the epic story of a friendship between men."

- Lexicon of international film

“A Better Tomorrow” has gone down in recent film history as a style-setting, benchmark action drama. Chow Yun Fats' incredibly cool and tragic appearance in “A Better Tomorrow” inspired many. [...] The perfect mix of coolness and brute action makes "A Better Tomorrow" a milestone in its genre. "

- René Malgo : film starts

Frames

Due to its excessive portrayal of violence, the film was indexed when it was released in Germany . In addition to numerous 18-version versions that lack scenes of violence, there is an uncut, unchecked version on DVD that has been shortened by a short plot scene. This scene is included as bonus material. All television versions in the past millennium were also cut. The film has not been broadcast since 1997.

Awards

The film won two awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards . Chow Yun-Fat was named Best Actor and City Wolf was named Best Picture. The film received nominations in nine other categories, so u. a. John Woo for Best Director.

Sequels

The film had two sequels:

The second part was again directed by John Woo, with Chow Yun-Fat starring in both sequels.

Remake

In 2010 John Woo produced a remake in South Korea under the title Mujeokja , which was released in Germany on September 6, 2011 under the title A Better Tomorrow 2K12 . However, the setting was relocated from China to South Korea. The screenplay for the new edition was written by Kim Hyo-seok , Lee Taek-kyung , Choi Geun-mo and Kim Hae-gon . Directed by Song Hae-sung . The remake largely follows the original, but is about 30 minutes longer due to more characters and more complex relationships. Due to a reduced level of action and violence, the remake could be released from the age of 16.

literature

  • Thomas Gaschler & Ralph Umard: Woo. Verlag Belleville, Munich 2005, ISBN 3933510481 .
  • Thomas Gaschler & Eckhard Vollmar: Dark Stars. Belleville, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-923646-50-X .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ City Wolf. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ City Wolf on filmstarts.de