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HERO
OF TOMORROW
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1988 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
In
the wake of the success that followed 'A
Better Tomorrow', a thousand imitation Triad dramas were
launched upon the Jade screen hoping to capitalise on a
profitable formula. Most of them failed due to tired
storylines, poor effects or just plain bad acting but 'Hero Of
Tomorrow' somehow manages to carve a little niche of it's own
in amongst the Heroic Bloodshed genre.
Crow
(Mok Siu Chung) is a street vendor who sets up his stall
outside a building belonging to one of the biggest Triad
bosses in Taiwan. Over the years he has become friends
with one of the apprentices for the gang known as Little
Santung, who he hopes will eventually introduce him to the
main man. When a chance to gain recognition arises in
the form a street brawl gone wrong, Crow seizes it with both
hands and lunges in fists first. All goes according to
plan and he soon finds himself as a runner for the Triads with
his sights set firmly on a swift rise to the top. Sadly,
when the boss takes a shine to his girlfriend he is forced to
defend her and goes from shining star to wanted man. As
good as he is, will Crow be able to take on the entire gang
single handedly?
Perhaps
the reason that this film stands out from a sea of similar
movies is that it contains the ability to shock and disturb as
well as make interesting moral dilemmas for its main heroes.
Once you have seen one shoot-out you could easily argue that
you have seen them all but when the characters are actually
forced to use their brains then the stakes become slightly
higher. What if your best friend decided to double cross
your boss or maybe your girlfriend has become the object of
affection for the local Triad Big Brother? It's choices
like these that place the viewer inside the mind of this young
man who is still striving to prove his greatness amongst the
underworld population and making life as difficult for himself
as is humanly possible. 'A Better Tomorrow' ignited the
same spark which is why it became such a huge success and
'Hero Of Tomorrow' borrows elements from its inspiration
whilst also proving that it can, in parts, be equally intense.
Oddly
enough for a film in this category, 'Hero Of Tomorrow'
actually contains very few action set pieces. There are
guns present throughout the film but they rarely become
involved in mass slaughters until the finale and even this is
fairly short and somewhat tame in comparison to the normally
required quota of bloodshed. It does however satisfy
those of you with a hankering for as many bullets as possible
but each shot seems to only be fired to achieve a purpose and
guns are not flashed around wildly just for the sake of it.
My
one real problem with this film was the lethargic beginning
which appears to have the director confused as to which of the
main characters is the best to centre the story around.
However, once you get past the muddled opening this is
definitely an above average thriller which leaves the audience
with more than just another high body count.
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