The Story of a Discharged Prisoner

John Woo made the iconic Hong Kong gangster movie A Better Tomorrow in 1986, which famously has its roots in this 1967 black-and-white movie. Written and directed by Lung Kong, the oldie offered the basic story arc and character relations upon which Woo’s classic actioner based and expanded. The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (a.k.a. Upright Repenter) stars Patrick Tse as the titular ex-convict hero alongside Shek Kin, Ka Ling, Wong Wai, Sai Gwa Pau, Mak Kei, and Lung Kong himself as an inspector.

Lee Cheuk Hung (Patrick Tse) is fresh out of jail after doing time for 15 years. By then his fiancée Betty has already become the mistress of triad boss One-Eye Jack (Shek Kin). Lee doesn’t want his younger brother Chi Sum (Wong Wai) to look down upon him, so he decides to keep his release a secret from Chi Sum, and finds accommodation with his friend Ah Hon (Sai Gwa Pau) instead. Jack forces Lee to team up with him again for more criminal jobs, but, determined to clean up his act and stay out of trouble, Lee doesn’t yield to his pressure. Jack then turns his attention to Chi Sum and lures him to the dark side instead… —hkcinemagic.com