Young and Dangerous: The Prequel (1957)

great movie

The series including this prequel are pretty darn good. Overhyped yes but it's hilarious and it's got some moving moments. The actual series is better than the prequel tho. One great word of advice. You shouldn't be paying more than $10 for it though regaurdless of how great it is cuz then the seller is ripping you off. May 30, 2004

476467467

Does anyone know if this movie has eglish subtitles or not April 2, 2004

Emotionally moving ...

I'm not much for overhyped movies, and usually that downgrades my viewing experience because I expect a movie to be far greater than it actually is.

This movie, however, delivers.

The premise is not extremely catchy, but the movie itself is fantastic. The movie and its related series by the same name follow the adventures of Chan Ho Nam as he matures as a man. The movies presents in amazing clarity the sacrifices Chan Ho Nam makes and all his losses as he becomes a gangster. From his ejection from school, to his rejection by the girl he likes, to the family stryfe he suffers, he realizes that he has no choice but to follow Brother Bee, who tells him that his is the path of hell; to choose the life is not a decision that can be turned back on. As we follow Chan Ho Nam, we see his fear, joy, laughter, sadness, anger, rage, pain, longing, and we begin to feel these too. The way the movie truly draws a viewer in is astounding, and I for one have never cared so much for "evil" characters. Like "Goodfellas" or "The Talented Mr. Ripley," the
protagonist in this film is in a certain moral ditch, yet viewers will still sympatize with him as if he were any Mr. Joe Samaritan.

A somewhat subtle feature that attracted me to this film is the focus on very Chinese values, such as honor, courage, respect, superstition, and family. The movie touches upon each of these ideas in a non-extroverted manner, unlike many of the martial arts films most Americans are used to. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of many different types of characters; nobody is a particular shade of black or white, everyone is in a bit of the grey zone. Chan Ho Nam's mother, for example, is a very loving character, and we can see that Chan Ho Nam loves her very much. But as a conflicted youth, we see him make decisions that hurt her, and we are made to reflect on our own past decisions that may hurt others.

Why does this movie not deserve a 5? I HAVE to say this about the series: the constant reuse of popular actors/actresses is VERY obnoxious. Shu Qi plays multiple parts in the series; they're big parts too. Brother Bee plays different parts as well, among some of the other repeated actors/actresses. My guess is the studios contracted the actors first before writing the scripts, which is indeed a shame for many consistency freaks. Also, as for THIS movie in particular, even though the movie is set in 1989, there are certain details which are anachronistic. Fortunately, these details do not detract from the overall value of this wonderful film. October 23, 2002

Gwo Wook Ji...the prequel

In the first Young and Dangerous movie, the boys are introduced in a fight on a soccer field, where they get harassed by Ugly Kwan, and helped by Brother Bee ,who the young Ho Nam swears to follow. Then ten years later, the story begins, and the boys are triad members. Now with Young and Dangerous -- the Prequel, we are taken back to that same soccer field, and see a re-enactment of that opening scene, this time with fresh, young actors playing the same roles, and the story continues from there. This is the very beginning of the story of the Hung Hing boys
We get to see young HoNam getting his krazy dragon tattoo, and Chicken nailing his first prostitute.....

This movie outdo some of the original series like the y&d 2 and stuff, Nicholas Tse and Sam Lee were amazing and Hsu Chi was a nice touch.... July 22, 2002

Young and Dangerous : The Prequel

Anything with a HOTTIE like Nicholas Tse is worth watching =) February 22, 2002

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