This was Justin Lin's first time directing a feature alone, and I must say, "Better Luck Tomorrow" has some of the most genius camerawork and editing techniques that I have seen in a long time. As we follow Ben and his friends as they are nearing the end of high school, they are succumbed to the evil underground dealing and stealing. With just the right amount of characterization, the cast in this film pull off performances that feel more real than anything. Sung Kang plays the role of Han (one of Ben's friends), and it is obvious that Justin Lin planned to bring his character (with a few tweaks mind you) into the "Fas & Furious" franchise. Hard decisions are made by the characters throughout the film and the tone will make you feel sick to your stomach at times, but it will all be worth it. This is probably one of the best independent films of the 2000's for sure. I loved it!

As the first film by director Lin, the title could be used for his next film, as this film shows that he has promise, but is still a bit rough around the edges. The film takes us inside the Asian community, showing us a group of smart Asian high school kids who know the drill of grades = college = success, but are bored and not challenged by our current sad state of education. The main charactor is slowly brought into a web of crime, first by getting paid for creating cheat sheets, and then later getting into larcenty and finally, as things escalate and the Asian "gang of four's" reputation grows, into narcotics. At the center of the film is an Asian cheerleader who is dating Jon Cho (Sulu in the Trek remake). Cho, who disperses drugs and wisdom to the main charactor, for some reason (never fully explained) abhors all the high school melodrama, so coerces the main charactor into taking the cheerleader to a dance. It's obvious that the main charactor and the cheerleader have feelings for each other, and yet, again unexplained, the cheerleader seems somehow bound to Cho. The plot ramps up and there's an interesting twist (which could have been presented better) and then a final resolution that leaves several plates still spinning (kind of like life). Throughout the film there are several cinematic camera tricks, which hit the mark about half the time (and are annoying the other half), and overall the performances of the cast are good, though I thought that the cheerleader's portrayal was a bit uneven, perhaps due to the script that had her alternatevely playing hot and cold. The film also includes a trip to Vegas, which, while I found amusing, I also felt was totally superflous to the plot and felt tacked on (as if "hey, we need another ten minutes of film time"). I also found the Vegas scenes with the four amigos at the gaming tables to be absurd - Only one of the four could possibly pass for 21, so the scene rang very false. Yet, for the intelligent expose into teen life, and perhaps for a look behind the curtain at those 4.0 GPA Asians, this film was worth watching.