A Better Tomorrow II

A Better Tomorrow II continues the story of Sung Chi Ho, a former gangster released from prison early on condition that he help his policeman brother, Sung Chi Kit, infiltrate a counterfeiting operation run by Ho's old boss, Lung Sei. The brothers work undercover at a shipyard to gather evidence, but Lung's assistant, Ko Ying Pui, is behind the illegal business and intends to take over the company. When Lung's life is threatened, Ho and Kit move him to New York, where an old friend, Ken Lee, protects him. Ken, Ho and Kit then head to Hong Kong to settle matters with Ko.

John Woo directed and wrote the screenplay, with Tsui Hark producing. The film is the fourth of the twenty-two features Woo has directed, following A Better Tomorrow in 1986 and preceding The Killer in 1989, and it shares its lead actors with the earlier film: Ti Lung as Ho, Leslie Cheung as Kit and Chow Yun-fat as Ken, alongside Dean Shek, Guan Shan and Emily Chu Bo-Yee. Thirty-six cast members are credited.

Released in Hong Kong in December 1987, the film runs 104 minutes. It took about 3 million dollars at the worldwide box office, a modest figure for a Hong Kong action production of its era. On IMDb it holds a 7.2 rating from 13,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1 from 327 votes, indicating a solid audience following. A critics' rating of 6.2 from seven reviews sits below those viewer scores.