Reviewed by: dandan Date: 06/20/2007 Summary: young and dangerous 6... although a couple of other spin-offs followed, this is the last offical entry in the series and the last of andrew lau's films about the hung hing boys. after getting the series back on track with 'young and dagerous : the prequel', i was hoping that the series would finish on a high... chicken (jordan chan) is in japan to marry nanako kusakari (anya), daughter of ichiro kusakari (sonny chiba!), the head of the yamada gang; this will create a link between the yamada's of japan and the san luen triads of taiwan. after the wedding, chicken and ichiro's adopted son, akira (roy 'third different role in this series' cheung), return to taiwan, along with lui (peter ho), the son of san luen's boss who has just returned from studying in the us. when lui's father decides to retire, he declares that he has no interest in taking over and instigates a leadership race, between chicken and brave (chan chung-yung). as you'd expect, double-crossing and dirty deeds land chicken in trouble as he stands accussed of trying to kill his way to the top; time for the hung hing boys to come to his aid... so, chicken is back and he's sporting the daftest haircut that he's had since the first film: this is definately good news. sonny chiba also takes this film up a notch on the ladder of credibility. there's nothing particularly new here, but more screen time for jordan chan, blackie ko and sandra ng, as well as the return of the humour from the first couple fo films makes for a stronger end to the series, than the fourth or fifth films may have dictated. something to note would be the distinct change of stlye that is evident in this film; from the flash opening credits through to the style of andrew lau's cinematography. from the production of the first film in 1996, to this production in 2000, there is real evidence of a progression from cinematography that still looked like that in 'chungking express', to a style that resembles what we would see in 'infernal affairs' in a couple of years. overall, this a series that has its highs and lows, descends into the realms of soap opera from time to time, but still remains pretty bloody entertaining throughout. 'born to be king' is a pretty good way for it to bow out...

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/18/2003 After over two years and a slate of spinoffs and prequels, we finally return to the story proper. This installment focuses on Chicken (always a good thing in my opinion) who returns from Taiwan to marry a Japanese yakuza's (Sonny Chiba) daughter so the two gangs can come together. As per the usual Y&D antics, things seem to be going well at first -- with Chicken trying to cope with married life and Ho Nam dealing with his squealing girlfriend's (Hsu Chi, in an incredibly annoying performance) own demands to tie the knot. However, both internal and external forces once again challenge the group and there is -- you guessed it -- a big fight for the control of Hung Hing. This is a good installment -- a hell of a lot better than part 5 -- but if you're not a fan of the series, or have at least seen the previous films, you might be lost as to what exactly is going on. There are attempts at recaps throughout the movie, but they depend on showing really quick clips of previous movies that aren't really going to make much sense unless you've seen them before. The series' popularity may become it biggest detriment; there is almost a mythos around these characters and histories that may be too forboding for first-time viewers, who might just view this as yet another Triad pic. As I am a fan of the series, I'll be a bit more forgiving with the rating, but if you haven't seen the previous movies, you might want to skip this one as it is much more satisfying as a chapter of the series rather than a stand-alone film.

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 05/24/2003 Summary: Not as bad as i thought I am not a Y&D fan by the way. But i don't think it matters. I felt i got the same enjoyment out of the first 3 episodes. While this movie did focus more on plot and i have only from to this date seen Y&D 1-3, Why did Micheal Tse character become a bad guy? Why is Roy Cheung clones keep appearing as bad guys? Isn't SHi Qu character a twin of her character in Portland street blues? Without watching the series, if you jump watching it in the series you feel you missed something!! Also same actors playing different characters in different movies may confused those who haven't been up to date with whats happening and worst of all it makes the movie/series CHEAP!! Can't you get other actors to play those roles? Anyway back to the movie. It was ok, though it was 2 hours long it felt like the ending came too quick. I felt it wasn't explored enough. The built up suspense came thundering down very quickly at the end. Not much action in this movie either. The one thing i really dont like about this series is when someone dies they come back as other characters, almost not acknowledging that "HEY i think they look like someone i KILLED!" I guess maybe the next movie it will star Ekin and Jordan playing ALL the roles but as different characters......... Back to the movie, the introduction of characters became too quick. I was lost who killed who, and also the lack of character development didn't help either. The new characters you just couldn't care for. I feel like Ho Nams love life was just a filler to make the movie 2 hours, it didn't contribute much to the overrall story OK after all the bad things i have said i still was able to watch it to the end and was entertained.......and left a little confused, after all what happening to Lui's killer friend, no one care about him?? 6/10

Reviewed by: magic-8 Date: 04/03/2003 Summary: Good Capper to Y&D Series "Born to be King" is a good way to cap off the Young and Dangerous (Y&D) series of movies put out by director Andrew Lau and producer Manfred Wong. Considered the sixth installment of the Y&D series, Andrew Lau gets some help this time out from Wai-Keung as the co-director. "Born to be King" takes the Hung Hing boys to Japan, as Chicken (Jordan Chan) has an arranged marriage to yakuza boss, Sonny Chiba's daughter, Anya Wu. Eking Cheng mills about with Shu Qi and stumbles across Gigi Lai Chi as a look alike of a former love, while the triad world comes to a head during a power struggle between Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Japanese gang bosses. This is one of the better episodes of the Hung Hing triad world. Things heat up as the mob gets involved with political dealings and corruption. Andrew Lau does a fine job with Manfred Wong and Chau Ting's smart script. Lau offers very nice transition shots between scenes, some of which are quite dazzling, in telling the story. Most of the ensemble cast shine in this complex, double-dealing and back stabbing world. This movie relies on the viewers' knowledge of the Y&D movies, but can stand on its own once you get passed the relationships between the Hung Hing group and the other factions. An excellent way to close out the series, but I wouldn't be surprised if the producers revive this franchise in the future. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: candyy Date: 11/28/2002 Summary: my opinion in my opinion this was an ok movie. i would give it a 8/10 rank. the part i like most was when they brought the look alike smartie(gigi lai) back in the movie. this really show how much ho nam(ekin) really love his lost girlfriend(that's just so sweet!!!). my only disappointment was that they didn't make ekin go after gigi at the end, that made me so mad!!

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 06/12/2002 Summary: Poor Well, despite my quite literal hate for the Y&D series, this one is slightly better than most of them, but again it's over the top at times, and quite honestly dull. The poor acting from Ekin, Shu Qi etc as usual makes the film pretty bad too. Overall, this is definitely for the Y&D fans only. [2/5] Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: happy_dragon Date: 01/18/2002 Summary: Ruining this famous series I'm more than agree to sushi_x & poseur comment. I have no idea what's in Manfred Wong's mind. He made a very confusing role for Y&D series. He put back old buddies like Michael Tse & Jason Chu as a villain ! It is true, putting Peter Ho as Lui's Son is a BIG MISTAKE. He even didn't have such face as a villain !!! Not to mention how many times he put Roy Cheung as the main villain. (is there no other actors can play such role ?) If you can also remember Brother Bee's become a villain in Y&D3, this will also makes you more re-think WHY, WHY, WHY ??? Why is this $^&*)^@)%^*%!*@# Manfred Wong should ruin such a beautiful series like Y&D ? Specially in this 6th installment. I have once think that they do this for intent. Perhaps to "close" the series and make their fans get away...? (So that the Ekin & Jordan's fans will swith to another type of movies). Somebody can give a good answer, I will appreciate it.

Reviewed by: sushi_x Date: 09/28/2001 Summary: "USE" To Be King....... The 'Young & Dangerous' series to me will always remain as a legend but even a fan like myself can see that this is no longer what audience are into any. Just something to say to 'rolandyu', I greatly disagreed with your review on 'Shaolin Soccer' but definitely agree with you on this one....except for the bringing gigi back thing. The first and third are the best ones of the series I reckon. The first was new, original, entered new premises and had a kick-ass style and attitude. Whereas the third was rather a touching one when Smartie shockingly died, which surely moved all audiences. Like my title "Use" To Be King, 'Young & Dangerous' is no longer the big hit it use to be. I kind of liked 'Born To Be King' but didn't know why Gigi came out for just a bit and to me it seemed like the film ended in funny fashion. There was no final fight or something like that. It had more politics than action. The scene that touched me most was how Ho-Nam followed Tuan-Mu Ro Yu (Gigi) simply because he still hasn't forgotten the only girl he loves. In terms of performances, Ekin did a pretty good job but his character the Chan Ho-Nam in this movie was too laid back. Perhaps because the characters are all maturing and growing older. Jordan Chan as Chicken was brilliant as usual but his story in this film sort of confuses the time span with other 'Young & Dangerous' films....whatever happened to Wasabi and why is he marrying Narako if, according to 'Those Were The Days', he has only loved one girl in his life and that is Lok Wing Chi (Gigi Leung)??? One other bad move by Manfred Wong was the use of former buddies such as Michael Tse and Jason Chu as bad guys which only further confuses things. Not a bad movie overall, I give it 6/10 simply because it lacked excitement....the excitement that 'Young & Dangerous' once showed. The thing that kept the film together were the performances of Ekin, Jordan, Gigi, Sonny Chiba and co. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Fatty Date: 08/01/2001 Summary: Pretty good film Ok, for a Y&D movie, this is a ok title for a film. I mean you can use this title for a part in the Evil Dead series or in a James Bonb film, anyways time for my pointless review of BTBK... Basically this movie deals with all of the Y&D gang (I guess) Chicken gets married to a Japanese girl so he can be part of the Yamada Gang, but he gets blamed for a shooting and must hide out with his wife. But Akira wants other ideas involving Chicken's girl...In all a pretty weird Y&D film IMO after watching Those Were the Days, I was able to check out BTBK, I thought it was a ok Triad film and it was ALOT different then TWTD, this story basically involves nearly everyone this time. Ekin Cheng is ready to be like a big leader for Hung Hing, plus his girl (Played by Shu Qi) is hoping he will ask that one question, plus she's like all over him in the movie, until you get near the end when Ho-Nam runs into a Smartie look alike and this pisses Shu Qi off, meanwhile you have Chicken marrying a Japanese girl so he can become part of the Yamada Gang or sometin, but Akira is pissed off that he didn't get the girl. So he rapes her, and pisses Chicken off with that aswell, then you have Liu a sneaky bitch who basically wants power... Jordan Chan plays his character quite well again, jeez probably most of the time he probably thinks he is Chicken since he played him so many times, Ekin Cheng played a laid back Ho-Nam (I guess) and he kicked Liu's ass quite well, Shu Qi on the other hand was abit annoying, but she was damn fine looking in this film tho :). Gigi Lai plays the Smartie look a like and I thought she did a ok job, I haven't seen the other movies involving Smartie so I can't really say anything much about that. Liu was a pure badass, he played the whimp type near the beginning and then he becomes the badass. Roy Cheung I though did a pretty vewl job as Akira, I gave him some heat when he raped Chicken's girl, but he got a knife in the chest, so that solves Chicken's problem for now. Sonny Chiba played the leader of the Yamada gang and does one great job with it aswell. The only other HK movie I've seen him in is Storm Riders...Everybody else did a great job in the film and now wants me to watch the rest of the series (I'll try and start with the prequel...if I can, if not I'll watch whatever one I come up with first) in all a pretty good film, I somewhat liked TWTD abit more, but both were very entertaining, but some parts in BTBK can be abit boring, but then it gets good when there is more of Shu Qi :D... 6.5/10 This so called review of a movie is brought to you by Fatty

Reviewed by: GenXcops_Jack Date: 05/09/2001 Summary: End of The Road its over guys, good run-though i did feel that the series started off better then it ended. the prequel was better then born to be kings. my favorite one is probably the 2nd one. what made the series so enjoyable was it's limited scope, it created an intimate experience. this one bit off more then it could chew. it lost its edge, its unhollywood like approach that made it unique and hardcore.

Reviewed by: rolandyu Date: 04/21/2001 Summary: Not too good I think this series is getting out of the way. The story is not that good anymore and too predictable. At the end, Ho Nam and gangs always win. Particular focus on the return of Smartie/Tiny. What is that for? Exactly the same girl. No way! That's nonsense. I think this one is the worst from the series. The best for me would be the first and the third. First because it's the first. Third because there is a quite brave move by Andrew Lau to kill Tiny's character.

Reviewed by: azn_masta Date: 03/07/2001 Summary: expected more i expected more from YD6, but all i got was the worst YD movie. It was soooo boring. i only like the comedy Chicken. the story with chicken did not match with the other YD movie(ie. i thought chicken suppose to marry wasbi) also there was not enough buddyness in this movie like the other YD movies. overall i give it a 5/10

Reviewed by: poseur Date: 02/10/2001 Summary: Chicken's comeback This is the worst young and dangerous movie ever (and here I am in America begging my friend to buy me a vcd copy of this movie). It's boring and confusing. Whatever happened to Wasabi ? Weren't they supposed to get married ? Didn't Chicken sever ties with Taiwan in the 3rd movie ? Didn't Chicken became a newly elected HungHing branch leader in the 4th movie ? So he's now a Hongkong, Taiwanese and Japanese gang leader ? wow.... he's even more powerful than ho nam (and I totally dig his new hair). And the language ...... it's irritating. And the MTV-style camera shots ...... it's irritating. And Roy Cheung ...... he's irritating. (STOP COMING BACK TO THIS SERIES DAMMIT !!) He was perfect in the third movie then he had to go and ruin it. And who casted the guy who played Mr. Lui's son ? He looked like a member of a boy band. Geez, I find it hard to take him seriously as a bad guy. Charming villains are one thing, but this one acts like an unconvincing sissy. And they're killing off all the memorable characters !!! In summary, the glitz and glitter of the underworld which shines so brightly in the first three movie, only manages to create a weak flicker in this one.

Reviewed by: MilesC Date: 12/16/2000 Summary: Booooring... The new title might lead you to expect that Born to Be the King will bring something new to the Young and Dangerous franchise; unfortunately, it's not only more of the same, but a bland retread of earlier installments. Frame-ups, betrayals, negotiations, and irritating go-nowhere romantic subplots; BTBTK really has it all. The "gang" plot is strictly same-old, with little suspense and close to zero action. Gigi Lai's resurrection as a dead-ringer for Smartie doesn't seem to go anywhere. Hsu Chi is more annoying than you would think a single person could possibly be. Andrew Lau's MTV-like experiments are even more irritating than usual. The Hung Hing boys do things that were supposed to identify their enemies as truly nasty in previous installments. I've never been a huge fan of the series, but the first three were entertaining enough, and the fourth and fifth were still watchable; Born To Be the King just moves like an amputee through molasses, with no tension, humor, or payoff. Andrew Lau is by far the worst big-name director in HK. Almost everything he's done since he hit it big with the first Y&D movie has been close to 100% devoid of entertaining aspects.

Reviewed by: Paul Fonoroff Date: 11/23/2000 The sixth “official” entry in the Young and Dangerous saga is also one of the more interesting. Since 1996, producer/writer Manfred Wong has wracked up a half-dozen chapters detailing the exploits of young punks Chan Ho-nam (Ekin Cheng), Chicken (Jordan Chan Siu-chun) and their circle of friends and foes. There have also been another four peripheral installments, most recently a prequel, Those Were the Days (released in April 2000). Though they are open to charges of glamorizing the triads, and will never win awards for cinematic technique, the ten Young and Dangerous pictures represent the most sustained series to emerge in Hong Kong cinema since the industry spiraled into a depression in the mid-1990s. Originally based on Cow Man’s popular comic book characters, the denizens of Young and Dangerous have progressively become more complex, mature, and less glamorous. Born to Be the King is more a political than an action tale. There are still a number of rumbles, but the focus is the double-dealing and back stabbing (both literal and figurative) that take place during a Taiwanese leadership struggle. There is a bold edge to the script, written by Wong and Candy Lo. The time frame is startling, opening on March 18 of this year—the date of the Taiwanese presidential election. The picture reaches its climax two months later, during the inauguration of Chen Shui-pian. Though the movie refrains from taking sides, the mere fact that it chooses the year’s most controversial political event as its background gives Born to Be the King an immediacy lacking in recent Cantonese films. Against this backdrop, Ho-nan and Chicken test their survival skills against the yuppie son of Taiwan’s most powerful gang leader. Lui (Peter Ho Yun-tung) is a new kind of criminal, recently returned from America where he received a degree in management. Lui may not know how to use his fists, but proves more lethal than his “young and dangerous” adversaries. It is a change-of-pace role for singer Peter Ho, who effectively sheds his boy-next-door image. The story is more complex than the usual triad picture. The Taiwan gang troubles extend to Japan and an aging leader (Sonny Chiba), his daughter Nanako, who marries Chicken, and a jealous gang member (Roy Cheung Yiu-yeung). There are also the emotional problems facing Ho-nan and his long-time girlfriend (Shu Qi), accentuated when a ringer to his deceased lover (Gigi Lai) shows up as a Taipei nursery school teacher. Director Andrew Lau Wai-keung does an admirable job in balancing and interweaving the various plot lines. Though all the ends are tied up into a too-neat package, Born to Be the King shows that the gangster genre is evolving for the better. 3 stars This review is copyright (c) 2000 by Paul Fonoroff. All rights reserved. No part of the review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: sharon Date: 11/06/2000 Summary: What went wrong? I'm one of those Y&D fans from the start. And I really did try to watch the movie with enjoyment. But point ot be said: IT WAS SO BORING! Without a doubt, Y&D has certainetly lost its freshness. Frankly, I expected a lot more. In this sixth installment to the series, Jordan Chan's character "Chicken" was brought back. That was possibly the one good thing about the whole movie! After his abscense in the last 2 Y&D, it was really nice to see Chicken back in action again. Also, this time the movie made Ekin Cheng's character "Chan Ho Nam" focuse on a romantic sub-plot. Aside from those two big names, there was all the other usual characters you would expect including a few faces that came back from the dead (Micheal Tse Tin Wah, Jason Chu Wing Tong, Gigi Lai Chi & probably a few others). This time, now that the Hung Hing boys have grown into men, Chicken has gone to Japan to marry the daughter of a Japanese gang. While he gets use to the adjustments, conflicts start when there's debate over who should take over in a Taiwanese gang. Of course, Chicken was mentioned for the position and that's when all the back-stabbing starts amoung the three different gangs. The debate also mirrored the Taiwanese political situation with the election and all the foul play between politics and gangs. All of which, lead to the death of Chicken's cousin and the rape of his wife. Finally,Chicken calls buddy, Ho Nam to help him out. When Ho Nam arrives, they work out a plan to decieve the decievers. Also, that's when Ho Nam found a girl who looks exactly like Smarite... needless to say, that led nowhere! And then director, Andrew Lau delivered a weak ending. This film was hardly watchable. It looked more like a political story then a gangster one. The action scenes in this was hard to spot, and with so many characters coming back from the dead, was hard to tell who from who. There was a sub-plot that lead no where. Althoug viewers have grown attached to Smartie, bringing her back didn't really do her any good. And then there was Shu Qi, who was more annoying then ever, turning into some nagging hag! I'm really starting to think that the creative chemistry is long dead after Y&D 3. Although #4 was alright, #5 and #6 proves that with age, things rot! Even brining back Jordan Chan didn't help all that much either! Everything was very tyical and not entertaining. Andrew Lau seemed to have been lazy after working on Stormriders, since the plot went nowhere.. everything was recycled,reused, and reduced. Those are the 3 Rs to sum up the film.

Reviewed by: lordmanji Date: 10/30/2000 Born To Be King is a welcome breath of fresh air. After the dismal movies part 4 and 5, which celebrated a waning of freshness (especially with the absence of Jordan's character, Chicken) BTBK not only brings back Chicken but also the energy which the first three in the series also had. From the opening "comic book" style sequence, one can tell that the Young and Dangerous series has once again gone back to it's roots. The story itself has become increasingly political, building on a trend most evident in the Y&D prequel, reflecting the major political event at that time, which is the tensions of the election of Taiwan's new president. While I still prefer the coming of age theme of the first three episodes, as the characters themselves have become big time, so too understandably must the story maturing in the sense that it now details what happens at the "top" of the game, as opposed to the struggle at the "bottom" of the previous films. As noted, Chicken has now become the story's central focus - a breath of fresh air. Ho Nam and Chicken were always the two central characters, and without Chicken notably in part 5, the movie itself suffered. The story revolves around triad politics, and Chicken has a chance to become as his "hing tai," Ho Nam. BTBK fleshes out Jordan's character further, and Ho Nam actually is the side story here. However, his story while less, is actually more interesting than his appearance in the last two movies, if not last four. It is a touching story of loss and letting go, however brief, and fills in the blank as to whether or not he missed Smartie since he got with Liar. Hsu Chi is as annoying as ever, what with her childish ways, but even her character turned out to be endearing. All in all, Born To Be King is a very welcome addition to the Y&D series. It expands on the ever interesting life of Chicken, which was sorely missed, but furthers the timeline of their lives and of their characters. Technically, the film is a step above the rest as director Andrew Lau gets better and better with his craft, and the intro music energizes the movie throughout. * It is to be noted that unless you're a fan of the Y&D series, or triad films in general, the convoluted plot and trial-like plot revealing may not be for you. **If anyone has missed out on "Those Were The Days," I strongly recommend that fine movie before or after watching BTBK. Chicken's character is one of the two best reasons to watch Y&D, and that movie gives light to his history and what has made his character.

Reviewed by: Dai Lo Date: 08/28/2000 Summary: Very Stylish Originally called Young and Dangerous 6, The Hung Hing boys are back this time focusing more on Jordan Chan's Chicken character while Ekin Cheng's 'Chan Ho Nam' becomes a side story. From the flashy intro to the interesting camera angles and freeze framing the film oozes style. However, story wise its fairly boring with lots of references to taiwanese politics and the inability to pick a language to speak in ranging from english, japanese, manadarin, and cantonese. The best looking of the goo wat jai series but not the plot. by man-kin chan