The story begins in the 1960s with Yung (Alex Man) and adopted brother Kwok (Andy Lau) committing petty crimes while Yung accumulates a huge debt. Their sister Wai-chu (Pauline Wong) talks boss Chai (Chow Yun Fat) into saving them by working for him. In the 1970s they have risen through the ranks with Wai-chu employed as a cleaner but harboring unrequited love for Chai. Chai is protecting an old pal Fan (Fan Mai Sheng) from other gangs. Another boss Chu (Ko Chun-hsiung), doesn’t understand why Yung would want to kill Fan thereby resulting in both brothers’ expulsion from Chai’s group. Increasingly embittered against his rival, Yung scheming against Chia attacks him on his wedding day after having arranged a marriage between him and To Po-yee (Carina Lau), whom he himself loves.
This story is picked up by “Tragic Hero” which takes place a decade after, where Chu has reconciled with Chai under the new guard and they are concerned about the behavior of these new generation. Yung has become more cold-blooded than ever before and embarks on a journey to destroy Chai that ultimately leads to tragedy and deception. Meanwhile, Kwok as well as Chai gets into an explosive confrontation with Yung that will determine their destiny.
The original releases of both films effectively sum up the commercial side of Hong Kong Cinema. The first one released is “Tragic Hero” which included Chow Yun Fat in more scenes and had an action oriented ending making it a prequel to “Rich and Famous” that came out three months later lastly. The gradual evolution of characters would have lessened the dramatic aspects leading us into the actions we witness in second play. Luckily, we can now view it chronologically therefore re-establishing the right sequence.
This gives us an action drama with depth, that is far more than the usual stock characters. The characters are drawn in more detail than would be expected of stereotypes. It all revolves around Alex Man as Yung. He drives the film and his portrayal of his character is amazing given he’s not highly rated as a performer yet he starts off the film with a juvenile thug persona to become a maniacal boss by its close because the movie lasts for so long. In essence, right from the beginning, he is shown to be a “bad seed” and causes trouble while overstepping his boundaries constantly.
Thus, we see how he gradually ascends the ladder of villainy from double-crossing in Rich and Famous to attempted patricide in Tragic Hero. What makes him more tragic though, is that initially, he appears loyal to Chai. His ignorance concerning traditional code of honor leads to his throwing into disuse. These feeling of betrayal are what spur him on along with unrequited love for Po-yee which ultimately results in Yung’s transformation into a criminal mind. We get insight into his motivations and thus Yung becomes more than just another gangster who is one-dimensional in nature
Andy Lau is Andy Lau as Kwok. Many times, we would see this part being played by him as the bad boy with a conscience would be repeated over the years. He best typifies the “Brotherhood” ideology which became such an important aspect of its Heroic Bloodshed Genre. His story is one of mixed loyalties: first to his adopted brother Yung and then increasingly Chai. However, amidst Chow Yun Fat’s and Alex Man’s laid back coolness it is not so impressive.
Chow’s own self is charisma incarnate. A year after “A Better Tomorrow,” he would regularly be seen in such a role. First of all, his Chai is a figurehead and reactive character. Every action is about him, and as such he seems to always be on the periphery until he jumps into the fray or speech in a gunfight. But by the time we get to “Tragic Hero”, he takes center stage and becomes much more grandiose. Great moment; when one of his closest henchman who had betrayed him gets killed, you can see him go from fury to surprise as his underling falls backwards down the car window having been stabbed. The reality of that situation smashes at him heavily. In many ways, it’s the type of Chow part that he could riff off but which instead turns into a kinder one.
A solid bunch of familiar genre faces plays the supporting roles around the three. Inadvertently sparking off the war is Feng Mei Sheng, ailing gang leader who is known for his appearance in dozens of kung fu films. This is what confuses other new leaders about him. It should also be noted that this guy’s bodyguard was a referee in “Bloodsport”! As usual, On Shing Fu plays villains or helpers, so he has received a good role of Big Six this time around. He reveals more humanity than usual because he loves Chai to bits. One of his exits happens right here and it is one of the most spectacular ones you will ever see on your life with a nice jump moment thrown it at the end. Alan Tam puts up a strong show in it.
This character changes from being cowardly to having courage at an immense cost to himself individually. It’s among many others for that matter yet another outstanding performance.
Though mostly background characters, these central female ones are far from being damsel-in-distress types. Pauline Wong shows her dedication silently burying emotions out of adoration and readiness even to sacrifice herself physically and mentally too. Carina Lau would get better roles as her career progressed but she shows steel as typical gangster’s wife type at other times too.
The only problem in the movies is that they have some flaws. In the first half, Chu was the main antagonist but in the second he suddenly becomes a close ally of Chai. The only discernible reason for this seems to be Yung’s malice as a plot device; there is no other reason given in the film. Despite being told when these films happened, one never gets a sense of time and place. Some seem to age more quickly than others also. It does not matter how many years pass between both chapters as Chai still looks exactly like he did before. Danny Lee has an extremely underwritten part as well. He can be seen briefly in several scenes playing a character that is good-hearted and happens to be one of many police officers in this movie.
The excellent cast employed well the dramatic scenes. Violence in the second part was extended, so it is more effective. “Tragic Hero” shows how this is not just about killing off one-note characters. Then there is taut action, smart editing and less of the slow motion histrionics you get from others. There is little action in “Rich and Famous” except for an early car chase where Chai drives a Volkswagen camper-van (something very b-movie-like) to rescue someone; and the climax at a wedding. The only reason why it came out as second film. This might be a fitting summation of one filmmaker’s successful career: Shooting up bad guys with M16 Grenade launchers, machetes etc., It’s like something that Tarantino would do or any other director who wants to make a statement before closing out their story emphatically.
Hong Kong cinema always has budget constraints, so it can’t fully achieve the epic nature it aims for here. However, the cinematography is consistently good and is backed with a suitable creepy-track in “Tragic Hero.” In this context, all of these “Heroic Bloodsheds” were focused on the theme of fraternity rather than the conventional martial arts predecessors. We see two cases of this here. The first one is that of Yung and Kwok who were initially brothers before they turned enemies. Yung heavily borrows from “Scarface,” especially Al Pacino’s character’s explosive rage in Brian De Palma’s remake. Violence is the ultimate answer and the only way to gain control and keep it. When he tells his men to assault their own father, even his loyal employees cannot believe it maybe now they feel that there is a line too far. Despite everything that happened between him and his dad earlier, Yung recognizes this as an attempt to protect him. On the other hand, Kwok though adopted remains dutiful as a son would be. His actions are more straightforward but steadfast such as by standing up for Yung during the first half despite his faults..
He has the code of honor that aligns him most with his alternative father figure, Chai.
With Chai we see the flipside of the brotherhood concept. Others question his loyalty to Fan but he sees it as a matter of honor and willful loss. This is an odd situation because he leads a gang yet people regard him as a noble person. He is shown by Chow Yun Fat more than anything else, so we are left to judge him by what we see which makes this kind of fidelity something worth admiring. This is equally recognized by the policeman played by Danny Lee at least. The other mob bosses are lesser beings for their treachery and plotting. It’s Hong Kong cinema heart here, commercial films made purely to make money and be respected for having power in any way whatsoever. Most criticized as having glorified criminality these movies certainly depict Chai living quite ostentatious life throughout it all.
When asked, most people would not mention “Rich and Famous” and “Tragic Hero” as some of the best films in the heroic bloodshed genre. However, these are good examples that have great direction, characters who are easy to relate with and well done action scenes. By covering two parts of this story, it allows main cast to grow as well as other supporting roles to be involved. If you watch them in a correct order you’ll get an excellent addition to one of the key genres within Hong Kong Action cinema that defines all its norms.
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