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How Hong Kong triad film Young and Dangerous and its sequels, directed by Infernal Affairs’ Andrew Lau, become pop-culture classics

  • Young and Dangerous put a youth-oriented spin on the triad genre by adding pop stars, fashionable clothing and moving away from the idea of the individual hero
  • The film’s success resulted in five popular sequels – two were released in the same year as the original – plus a prequel, and numerous spin-offs and rip-offs

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(From left) Jordan Chan, Michael Tse, Ekin Cheng, Jason Chu and Jerry Lamb in a still from Young and Dangerous (1996).

The Hong Kong triad film Young and Dangerous, directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung, who would later go on to make Infernal Affairs, was a smash hit at the box office when it was released in 1996.

The film’s success resulted in five popular sequels – two of which were released in the same year as the original – plus a prequel, and numerous spin-offs and rip-offs.

Films about the triads, which usually focused on a concept of brotherhood taken from martial arts films, and featured copious displays of choreographed bloody violence, had been a staple of Hong Kong cinema since the success of John Woo Yu-sum’s superior A Better Tomorrow in 1986.

The Young and Dangerous series put a new youth-oriented spin on the genre by adding glamorous young stars and fashion.

The triad “heroes” were played by Cantopop star Ekin Cheng Yee-kin, replete with fashionable clothing and his trademark floppy fringe, with actor/singer Jordan Chan Siu-chun and two other members of his Wind Fire Sea pop group.

Zany television celebrity Jerry Lamb Hiu-fung also starred as a member of the gang, and Francis Ng Chun-yu played a suave gang boss rival. Genre veterans like Simon Yam Tat-wah were relegated to supporting roles as ageing triad elders.

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