A BETTER TOMORROW (1986)

The landmark Hong Kong film is said to have started the Heroic Bloodshed genre and kick-started the large number of action and triad-themed films in Hong Kong cinema. A Better Tomorrow (1986) was Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat’s breakout role and helped solidify John Woo’s career as an in-demand director.

The popularity of the film in Asia led to two subsequent sequels in Hong Kong, a South Korean remake in 2010 and a Mainland Chinese remake in 2018. The film also paved the way for another renowned Hong Kong triad film: Infernal Affairs, which was then remade in Hollywood as The Departed (2006), earning director Martin Scorsese an Academy Award for best picture.