Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 06/26/2009 Summary: Back on track after a near derailment... In my opinion, the Young and Dangerous series got back on a strong footing with the third installment. Roy Cheung is the star of the film, playing a flamboyantly nasty character and probably having tons of fun doing it. Francis Ng has a good turn as his toned-down sidekick, and is very different than his original character of Uncle Bee, a testament to his acting skills. The introduction of the scene-stealing Karen Mok is a great improvement as well, with her entrance being one of the most standout I can remember in quite awhile. She grabs the viewer's attention and enhances every part she's in. Her interactions with Chicken (Jordan Chan) are entertaining, but not the most chemistry-filled encounters. They play off each other well but don't exactly come off as a great couple. The use of Amsterdam as one of the main locales for dirty business is quite interesting, and got me researching the Chinese immigration to that part of Europe more. I had no idea at the time the amount of Chinese that live there and have for decades. After awhile though it becomes a little tedious and uncomfortable, as a slight tinge of race differences come into play. It's probably something that shouldn't be avoided in films about triads and gangsters, but for some reason it felt unwelcome to me. Couple this with the incredibly ungraceful and painful looking dive that Ekin Cheng takes into the Amsterdam canal and I couldn't wait for the film to take us back to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the film ends there with an atrocious fight between the Hung Hings and the upstart Ting Sung group. The handheld camera doesn't work well this time and the whole thing looks sloppy and amateurish. I expected more of an explosive ending than what was presented. However, the rest of the film produced enough memorable parts to make it enjoyable as a whole, despite the slight letdown. On a separate note, there is an interesting scene when the movie star girlfriend of Simon Lam's character is kidnapped by Cheung and Ng and forced to take nude photos for blackmail purposes. I couldn't help but wonder whether this was a reference to the incident in which Carina Lau was kidnapped by triad members and forced to do almost exactly the same thing. This happened in 1990 and Y&D 3 was released in 1996. It wasn't until last year (2008) that Lau admitted what had happened. The similarities are too many to simply be a coincidence in my eyes. An interesting tidbit in a very good film. 8/10 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: dandan Date: 06/14/2007 Summary: the amsterdam connection... as andrew lau's camerwork becomes steadier and ekin cheng produces a performance that could be defined as 'acting', so the third installment of this higly enjoyable series rolls around... after incidents invloving taiwan and macau, 'young and dangerous 3' plants itself firmly back in hong kong; also planting themselves in hong kong are ting sung. having returned from holland, ting sung, led by camel (michael chan), are looking to enjoy a time of peace and prosperity in hong kong. camel is an old friend of (hung hing leader) chiang (simon yam) and wants the two groups to prosper together. unfortunately, crow (roy cheung) and tiger (frankie ng - back for his second bite of the 'young and dangerous' cherry, as a different character) have other plans and begin to lead the two groups into conflict, whilst framing nam (ekin cheng) in the process... meanwhile, smartie (gigi lai) wakes from her coma with amnesia and chicken (jordan chan) finds himself looking after priest lam's (spencer lam) daughter, shuk fan (karen mok), who has just returned to hong kong from studying in the uk. dai-fai (anthony wong) is still picking his nose, although he does look like he's had a wash... well, well, well; after two films which had a bit of trouble combining the personal and 'professional' lives of the hung hing boys, 'young and dangerous 3' manages to do it with some style. ekin cheng's nam seems to be evolving into a more rounded character, gigi lai's smartie comes back into focus, karen mok's shuk fan bursts into the series, with an introduction that had me hooting with laughter, anthony wong's dai-fai doesn't let you down and, as usual, jordan chan's chicken is an absolute star! on the bad guy front; roy cheung's crow is suitably cartoonish and nasty, whilst frankie ng is his usual simmering psychotic self. this all adds up to be the most accomplished and enjoyable film in the series, up to this point; it has better action, better drama, better comedy and is a more complete film. good stuff...

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/27/2005 Things begin to settle down a bit for the "Triad Boys," as life returns to "normal" after the clash with the Taiwanese gang in Y&D2. Ho Nam tries to nurse the injured Smartie back to health, and Chicken finds a new love interest in the form of the priest's trash-talking daughter (Mok). The peace is shattered when, yet again, another rival steps up to try to take Ho Nam down, setting Nam up for the murder of the president of Hung Hing during a trip to Amsterdam. Once again, Ho Nam must fight to protect his name and his brothers. Besides the goofy, travelogue-esque footage of Amsterdam, Y&D3 is probably the most realistic and serious film of the series. A lot of the more "bubble-gum" imagery in the first two films is replaced here with a more stark, striking style (director Lau seems less dependent on steadicams this time around) and a very violent turn in the film's final half-hour that leaves with an ending which will probably surprise most followers of the series with its more serious tone. Once again, Chan steals the show, especially during his flirts/fights with Mok which actually have some degree of sexual tension to them, instead of the limp posturing that occurs as romantic subplots in many other films. Cheng turns in another good performance as Ho Nam, though his shit-eating grin does tend to grow tiresome after a while. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: Libretio Date: 06/15/2004 Summary: 'Realistic' crime drama pulls its punches YOUNG AND DANGEROUS 3 (1996) Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Sound format: Mono Andrew Lai Wai-keung's YOUNG AND DANGEROUS 3 is a disappointing entry in the series. Abandoning the melodrama and stylish visual elegance which has characterized the former colony's output for the last sixty years, Lau adopts a hand-held camera approach which, frankly, looks cheap and messy, and the film's theme - the surrendering of old-fashioned moral values in the face of apathy and contempt in the criminal underworld - introduces an unwelcome note of cynicism to the jade screen. The 'realistic' style simply emphasizes the cost-conscious production values, and though the plot describes an interesting dramatic arc, the actors simply go through the motions, without passion. Even the fight sequences - a vital component of HK action cinema - seem sloppy and uncoordinated, except for a frenetic chase scene through an apartment complex involving dozens of extras. Roy Cheung Yiu-yeung is a charismatic rough-trade villain, while Ekin Cheng Yee-kin smoulders in the kind of role that Andy Lau Tak-wah might have played five years earlier. Part of the appeal of the 'Young and Dangerous' series is its vaguely homoerotic undercurrent (propagated chiefly by a cast of fresh-faced young studs, struggling with the emotional ties that bind their characters together), but this film doesn't have the guts to confront it squarely, which is a shame. As it stands, the production scores points for attempting to ring the changes on an old formula, but the script (by Manfred Wong and Chau Ting) fails to push the genre into meaningful new directions. Simon Yam Tat-wah, Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Blacky Ko Sau-leung appear in brief supporting roles. Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: SteelwireMantis Date: 11/08/2003 Summary: Better than the first two! Expolsive and Powerful!!! Andrew Lau returns for a third outing with the Hung Hing boys which is much more powerful than the first two films. Crow (Roy Cheung) and Tiger (Frankie Ng) are two head figures in the Ting Sung Triad who have arrived to Hong Kong with their righteous boss Camel Lok (Michael Chan) from Amsterdam. Lok intends to stay neutral in the Hong Kong underworld where as his right hand men have different intentions and try to takeover the Wanchai district. Ho-Nam (Cheng), Chicken (Jordan Chan) and Yee (Michael Tse) give Ting Sung the fight of a lifetime to keep their turf. As on the other side; Smartie has awoken from her coma but has lost her memory, and Chicken falls in love with Shuk Fan (Karen Mok)- the foul-mouthed daughter of the Preist, who proves to be a female clone of Chicken. But on a visit to Amsterdam, Crow and Tiger kill Mr. Chiang and frame Ho-Nam, then they kidnap Smartie and leave Nam in the pit to clear his name, save his love and the Hung Hing society. Out of all the Y&D films, this installment has definitely the best storyline, which has more anger and sadness, a lot more death and violence and one hell of a soundtrack! Anthony Wong is once again on top-form as Tai Fei but Roy Cheung dominates the cast as Crow, a psychotic and evil power-hungry gangster. Although it is odd to see Frankie Ng as a bad guy in this movie, but if you enjoyed the first two movies you will not be disappointed. Truly enjoyable, full of attitude and retribution. *****/***** Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: Dyogenez Date: 05/10/2002 Summary: Best Y&D, but nothing special Y&D3 was, in my opinion, the best of the series. It's still not as fun to watch as most movies out there, but for this one I was very interested. It has much more violence and death than any of the others in the series, along with a main villain who draws evil. After his dissappearence in Taiwan, Chicken returns to Hung Hing and has to start over from the bottom. Crow, the evilist character in the Y&D series, kidnaps the Hung Hing Boss's wife and forces her to take erotic pictures. Crow then frames Naam with a murder, which the rest of his group doesn't believe he did. Chicken, Nam and the rest of the gang from the prequils must clear his name and seek revenge for Crows evil deeds. This one starts right where 2 leaves off. If you have not already seen the previous ones, you will probably have a lot of questions. 7/10

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/23/2002 Summary: All stars, no plot Despite the nice cast line up, this again is pretty bad. None of them were as good as the original, even though the first one is not that good in my opinion. Rating: 2/5

Reviewed by: MilesC Date: 08/02/2000 Summary: Won't win new converts, but worth watching. I was never a particularly big fan of the first two movies, so I didn't hurry to see this one... When I did finally get to it, though, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Y&D are ultra-commercial youth films, and thus will always contain a certain degree of silliness, and this installment is no exception, with a lame amnesia sub-plot and Karen Mok's pointless (but fun) new character. But there are enough bright spots to overlook these problems; while Roy Cheung isn't on par with Anthony Wong or Francis Ng as an actor, he carries on the Y&D "colorful villain" tradition fine. As with the previous installments, it's simultaneously glitzy and grimy, and is fairly fast-paced for the most part. Several highly-unexpected deaths shake things up a bit. But the icing on the proverbial cake was, for me, the climax. While the first two movies were lacking in terms of climaxes, the third ends with what is probably the best gang fight scene I've ever seen. While Y&D 3 isn't a great movie all in all, it's well worth watching; I enjoyed it enough to watch it again sometime, which is more than I can probably say for parts four and five.

Reviewed by: poseur Date: 07/31/2000 Summary: The Best In The Series This installment is the best in the series. Karen Mok's and Jordan Chan's characters totally rocks! The death of Smartie gives a glimpse to how cruel the underworld life can be. Even "Da Fei", the old-fashioned nose-picking branch leader, is very very charming in a way. Raven is probably the best villain in the series, scary and ruthless, the gangsters of our generation.

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 07/10/2000 Summary: Disappointing Hmmmm, looks like the flab started to set in here. Y&D I was a blast, Y&DII wandered all over the place, but was even better. Y&D III has more stars but far less action. The first hour passes by with about one minute of action, maximum. And the climactic fight scene, at a funeral, is a total mess, where it's even harder than usual to distinguish between who's bashing who. I sure hope Y&D IV is an improvement......... Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 07/04/2000 Summary: Nothing new!! WAtching this 3rd installment, i STILL got no idea why this is so popular!! It's not THAT good!! This starts off well with ROy Cheung looking like a bad guy you would want to hate!! He plays this role well and is the standout in this movie!! Though the beginning says ROY Cheung's character is a good fighter, he's not so great at the end!! He doesn't kick ass as i expected him too!! Better than Y&D2 but still nothing too original here or new so this gets 6.5/10

Reviewed by: hktopten Date: 12/21/1999 Third and Final Installment of the series for 96 brought forth the promise of a union between Chicken (Jordan Chan Siu Chun) and the woman who played his female counterpart in Sexy and Dangerous, Karen Morris (Mok Man Wai). Well, Karen plays the priest's daughter, a performance close but not as good as that in Sexy and Dangerous. As for the rest of the film, Dior Cheng Yi Kin's Chan Ho Nam ran and ran and ran as he is framed for his boss' murder by the rival gang, his girlfriend Smarty wakes up from the coma but can't remember him, and when she did she's kidnapped by the bad guys, this time instead of Ugly we get Tiger and Crow of a rival gang as the villain. Lucky for Ho Nam he has loyal friends, huh? All and all, not as ambitious as the second one or as well driven as the first, but it is worth a look for completeness sake. As much as I hate the concept of Triad recruitment films, I will admit I am completely hooked on this series.

Reviewed by: shelly Date: 12/09/1999 The Y&D series gets stronger and more ambitious with each sequel. In part 3, Andrew Lau and Manfred Wong push the Triad Boyz beyond stylish young toughs on the streets, to romantic comedy, farce, family drama, and morality play. Its breadth and energy are remarkable. An energy charged by Lau's restless hand held camera and relentlessly creative framing, and sustained by a collection of fine performances. The sizzling tension between Karen Mok's profane daredevil of a priest's daughter and Jordan Chan's richly characterized "Chicken" deserves its own movie. A bizarre Amsterdam travelogue sequence breaks the flow, but only temporarily. Spencer Lam's priest builds from anxious father to religious hero, as his morally-energized followers temporarily stymie the violent gangs. Lau and Wong have set up a terrifying, operatic climax between Roy Cheung's absolute evil, Dior Cheng's steadfast loyalty, and Gigi Lai's's female vulnerability (a Manfred Wong weak point): this scene explodes with a force I haven't seen in HK films in quite a while. Followed by a grim finale. Recurring funeral rites mark the violent overthrow of the old "order" by a self-perpetuating anarchy. The Priest is absent, the police are ineffectual spectators as the cycle of vengance and mourning spins again. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 OK, someone told me this was the best one out of all three and i think thats bull. After watching this, i still think the 1st one was the best (aren't they always?) I was so bored during the beginning for like 30 min. It was all that stuff with Noodle Chang, who happened to lost her memory and Karen with Jordan Chan. I was saying to myself, please forget these chicks and get on with the damn story! Don't get me wrong, the film should still be checked out. There were some cool hand held scenes and an on location shoot in Amsterdam (that was a nice change of scenery). It was also confusing because most of the actors are in other HK films of the same theme, i.e. War of the Underlords, To Be No.1. At first i mixed up the plot and other movies while i was trying to remember Y&D I and II. [Reviewed by Fannie H. Ip]

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 The Hung Hing boyz are back. This installment is the mostrealistic of the three. The storyline is clear and linear and the violence, while still mostly cartoonish, is devastating and has a profound impact on the lives of the main characters. Perhaps because this is the third movie there was less emphasis on character development, which I really enjoyed in the first two movies. Despite the violence, there's still plenty of funny moments. In particular the courting ritual between Chicken and the foul-mouthed, fast-fisted daughter of the Priest. There's great chemistry between the good, bad boy and the bad, good girl. There were also some funny, touching moments as Nam and Smartie rekindle their romance. There were a couple of unintentionally funny moments, too: a scene in Holland seems to become a travelogue as happy, friendly Dutch people prance in the streets of Amsterdam and do everything but hold up signs saying "Come Visit Holland". Also, Jordan Chan and Dior Cheng seemed to have some sort of contest going as to who could cover the largest area of their bodies with the most tattoos (Dior won). [Reviewed by Lori Saltis]