A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon

A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon is a Hong Kong action crime drama set in 1974, as the war in Vietnam is drawing to a close. Mark, a young man from Hong Kong, travels to Saigon to bring his uncle and his cousin Michael back home. His plan grows far more complicated once he becomes involved with Chow Ying-Kit, an influential and ambiguous woman with ties to underworld business, whose past and dealings pull him into dangerous territory.

The film is a prequel to the earlier entries in the series, showing the origins of the Mark Lee character rather than continuing the story forward. Tsui Hark directed and co-wrote the screenplay; it is the fifth of the thirty-one films he has directed in chronological order, arriving between Peking Opera Blues and Swordsman. John Woo, Tsui Hark and Xianliang Ma served as producers. Chow Yun-fat plays Mark, with Anita Mui as Chow Ying-Kit, Tony Leung Ka-fai as Michael and Saburo Tokito as Sam Ho. It premiered on 20 October 1989 and runs 118 minutes.

The film took about 2 million dollars at the worldwide box office, a modest return for a Hong Kong production of its scale. On IMDb it holds 5.9 out of 10 from roughly 4,200 votes, and on TMDB 6.4 out of 10 from around 163 votes, indicating a mixed reception that falls short of the standing of the first two films in the series.