A Better Tomorrow (1986)
英雄本色
Action, Crime, Drama • 1h 35m
Director: John Woo
Cast: Ti Lung, Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Emily Chu Bo-Yee, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Tien Feng, John Woo, Sek Yin-Tsi, Kenneth Tsang, Wang Hsieh, Leung Ming, Chan Chi-Fai, Kam Hing-Yin, Tsui Hark, Pierre Tremblay, To Wai-Wo, Lau Shung-Fung, Shing Fu-On, Shing Fui-On, Hung San-Nam, Yeung Sai-Gwan, Wong Wai-Tong, Chu Tak-Wai, Chan Ming-Wai, Cheung Wing-Hon, Hon Nin-Sang, Woo Wing-Tat, Ma Yuk-Sing, Pan Yung-Sheng, Wei Ho Tu, Chang Seng-Kwong, Lam Foo-Wai, Hsiu Chuan Yang, Mak Wai-Cheung, Ma Hon-Yuen, Danny Ng Wai-Yip, Chung Chi-Yung, David Ho Wing-Hin, Fan Chin-Hung, Han Ying-Chieh, Sham Chin-Bo, Yiu Chan-Lam
Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Best English-friendly release · updated 2 months ago
Upcoming
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray (part of a trilogy box set)
UHD tiers
Overview
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Director: Jean Vigo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
France Rimini 4K Blu-ray see caps vs Artificial Eye Blu-ray
Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti & Charles Crichton & Basil Dearden & Robert Hamer
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Director: Otakar Vávra
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Deaf Crocodile 4K Blu-ray see nic review
Restored: Deaf Crocodile 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored: Czech PAL DVD
Preferences will vary, the restored track sounds good, but not necessarily faithful to the original elements.
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
(Indicator 4K Blu-ray, based on review)
Director: Anthony Mann
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Director: Basil Dearden
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Indicator 4K Blu-ray. Excellent 4K master and encode, except for opticals grain is very fine, grading is beautifully silvery and luminous, nice HDR re-grade by Fidelity in Motion
Director: John Woo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > US Shout! Factory, better encoding by Engine House and redone opening credits, errors present in Shout! Factory fixed
Arrow 4K Blu-ray, mono is from an alternate higher fidelity source than Shout! Factory.
Director: John Woo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray (part of the trilogy box set)
Director: John Woo
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: John Woo
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
International Cut: US Magnolia Pictures Blu-ray
Original Hong Kong Cut (2 parts): US Magnolia Pictures Blu-ray or Hong Kong Blu-rays?
Director: John Woo
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
International Cut: US Magnolia Pictures Blu-ray
Original Hong Kong Cut (2 parts): US Magnolia Pictures Blu-ray or Hong Kong Blu-rays?
Director: John Woo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in August
Director: John Woo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray, correct grade and archival extras missing from the Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Criterion LaserDisc, both Arrow 4K Blu-ray and Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray are worse.
Criterion USA LaserDisc [CC1397L]: Original Cantonese mono.
Best Cantonese mono still was from Criterion LaserDisc, as the Shout one was boosted with clipping, with some filtering and losing dynamic range over the Criterion LD.
There’s no need for other Cantonese audio, as all 5.1 remixes are extremely bad and not worth including.
For English Dub the Shout offered the best, it was pure mono. All other 5.1 remixed of said dub are also terrible and offer no value, only less fidelity and more echo.
Director: John Woo
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Arrow has a different grade and a better encode, though the difference in either is not major.
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray (similar to Criterion LaserDisc, but less distorted)
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Arrow used the alternate mix, but with extra filtering and lowered dynamic range. The alternate mix has much better fidelity.
Director: Rob Reiner
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Arrow 4K Blu-ray releasing December 14 2026
Director: Brian De Palma
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Arrow 4K Blu-ray has a better encode than the Kino Lorber and Capelight 4K Blu-rays. Capelight 4K Blu-ray looks low-passed in comparison to the Arrow but is slightly closer to the Arrow in PQ than the Kino Lorber.
Director: Bob Clark
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Director: David Lynch
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray used what was also originally screened theatrically: The Perspecta Stereo 3.0 and a mono option. The Perspecta track sounds best with better dynamic range and was set as default with the mono as optional. The previous releases stereo were downmixes of a now lost original 4-track, and it sounds very thin as a result. See comparison
Director: Tsui Hark
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray or Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray or Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
There is a newer 4K restoration by L’Immagine Ritrovata, which should be of better scan quality. The 4K restoration used on all current 4K disc releases stems from a low-quality Cintel scanner. The newer restoration has yet to be released on home video.
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray or US Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Both the US Arrow 4K Blu-ray and UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray are better than the horrible grade of the France Le Chat Qui Fume which has blacks looking greenish and milky with some yellow push. However, comparing these two, there's significant tradeoffs; Arrow has less black crush and some shots seems to be better graded but it's worse in some shots with a slight magenta grade; the UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray has a better color grading.
UK Shameless 4K Blu-ray and US Arrow 4K Blu-ray have exclusive extras
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: capelight.de (opens in a new tab)
Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray > Paramount US, same black crush as the US disc but encoded by FiM and very good new supplements
Paramount US 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision
Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray has MEL Dolby Vision
Director: John Carpenter
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Universal 4K Blu-ray. Maybe Turbine Blu-ray instead for better audio?
Sources: blog.sporv.com (opens in a new tab)
1997? Signature Collection LD
Good: 2017 Arrow and 2016 Shout! Factory Blu-ray have the original audio options.
the only track on Universal 4K, which is in DTS:X, has a mixing error of around 6dB too low on side channels, otherwise very similar to other 5.1 mixes.
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Edit History
Researched and maintained by
tyyux,M_A,vanshady,JojoTheMovieOtter,reubenward895· last reviewed 2 months ago
Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.