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Celluloid
ActionCrimeDrama HKIFF 1987 Editor's Pick

A Better Tomorrow Review (1986) — 84% Celluloid Score

Directed by John Woo · 1986 ·

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary: Is A Better Tomorrow worth watching?

A Better Tomorrow (1986) earns a 84% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

Quick Verdict: What is the Celluloid Score for A Better Tomorrow?

Averaged from five public sources (critic, audience, Metascore, Letterboxd, IMDb). See how we calculate scores.

84%
Celluloid Score Recommended

Five-source breakdown

93% Critic Score
94% Audience
78 Metascore
★★★★☆ Letterboxd 4
7.5 IMDb /10
Runtime
1h 35m
Cast
Chow Yun-fat , Ti Lung , Leslie Cheung , Emily Chu Bo-Yee , Waise Lee Chi-Hung , Tien Feng , John Woo , Sek Yin-Tsi , Kenneth Tsang , Wang Hsieh

Where to watch in India

Not yet streaming in India — check local listings.

Why this score?

  • Strong critic approval (93% positive).
  • Audiences widely enjoyed it (94%).
  • Metascore is generally favorable (78/100).
  • Letterboxd diarists rate it highly (4/5).
  • Celluloid Score 84% averages all five public rating sources — our own composite, not a third-party trademark score.

Best for

  • Viewers who want a well-regarded action, crime, drama pick
  • Short runtime — easy weeknight watch

Not ideal for

    Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

    Is A Better Tomorrow worth watching?

    Yes — A Better Tomorrow earns a 84% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

    Critics Consensus

    John Woo’s heroic-bloodshed landmark made Chow Yun-fat an icon — stylish, operatic, and endlessly imitated across action cinema.

    Celluloid Critics Consensus

    Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

    What is A Better Tomorrow about?

    A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

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