The Story of a Discharged Prisoner

The Story of a Discharged Prisoner
英雄本色
Film poster
Directed byPatrick Lung Kong
Written byPatrick Lung Kong
Produced byHo Kin-yip
StarringPatrick Tse, Patsy Ka Ling, Wong Wai, Shih Kien
CinematographyChan Kon
Edited bySung Ming, Wong Yee-Shun
Music byEddie Wang
Production
company
San Aau (Xinyi) Movie-Making Company
Release date
  • 1967 (1967)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese

The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (英雄本色; lit. "True Colors of a Hero"), also called Upright Repenter, is a 1967 Hong Kong film directed by Patrick Lung Kong.

The film partially inspired the 1986 John Woo film A Better Tomorrow, which has the same Chinese name. A Better Tomorrow combined plot elements of this film with the 1979 movie The Brothers, which in turn was a remake of 1975 Indian movie Deewaar.[1]

Film name

The film's alternative names include:

  • Upright Repenter[2]
  • Yingxiong Bense[3]

Plot

Lee Cheuk-hong (Patrick Tse) was a safecracker who was caught and spent more than 10 years behind bars. When One-Eyed Dragon (Sek Kin), leader of an organized crime syndicate, learns Lee Cheuk-Hong will be released, he send his men to ask Lee to join his gang.[4]

Cast

  • Patrick Tse – Lee Cheuk-hong
  • Sek Kin – Boss Lung, One-eyed Dragon
  • Mak Kei – Lung's thug
  • Patrick Lung Kong – Inspector Lui
  • Chan Tsai-Chung – Anna/Siu Yee-Tai
  • Wong Wai – Lee Chi-sum
  • Patsy Kar – Mok Si-Yan
  • Sai Gwa-Pau – Ah Hon
  • Mang Lee – Betty/Boss' girl
  • Chow Gat – Lung's crony
  • Do Ping – Kit
  • Sze-Ma Wah-Lung – Chi-Sum's boss
  • Ma Siu-Ying – Mother
  • Yeung Yip-Wang – Anna's father
  • Wong Hak – Cripple
  • Hui Ying-Ying – Ah Hon's wife
  • Lee Sau-Kei – Anna's uncle
  • Lam Yuk
  • Chan Chung-Kin – DPAS chief
  • Lee Keng-Ching – Shelter resident
  • Chan Kau Fai
  • Chan Lap-Ban – Squatter's village resident
  • Go Chiu – Shelter resident
  • Tang Cheung – Night watchman
  • Chow Wai-Fong
  • Fung Ming – Policeman
  • Cheung Chok-Chow – Gang lawyer

Awards

In 2005, Story of a Discharged Prisoner was ranked 39th on the Hong Kong Film Awards list of the Top 100 Chinese Films. In 2012, it was ranked number 21 on TimeOut Hong Kong Greatest 100 Hong Kong Films.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Heroic Bloodshed: How Hong Kong's style was swiped by Hollywood". British Film Institute. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. ^ "The Story of a Discharged Prisoner". hkmdb.com. 13 September 1967. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Yingxiong Bense (1967)". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  4. ^ "The Story of a Discharged Prisoner". filmaffinity.com. 1967. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  5. ^ Lee, Edmund (14 March 2012). "The 100 Greatest Hong Kong Films/8". TimeOut Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2015.