Prison on Fire

This Chinese prison drama is a film that just gets better as it goes along. It starts off on the usual ground, with a green inmate unfairly sent to jail, and before long all the prison movie clichés are coming out: the ruthlessly corrupt guards, the rival prison factions and the tough gang bosses and inevitable riots. So far, so typical. But then the film pulls an ace from its sleeve with the presence of Chow Yun-Fat, pretty much playing the opposite of his John Woo tough cop character as a friendly, humorous fellow prisoner who befriends the lead and helps him find his way around.

Chow Yun-Fat is excellent in this film. I don't want to spoil the plot too much, but his character undergoes a gradual transformation as he becomes involved in the violent politics of prison life, and come the climax he's giving an unforgettable, show-stopping turn as an ordinary guy pushed to the limit…and beyond. Bestial, inhuman and altogether frightening, this is Chow Yun-Fat like you've never seen him before.

The Chinese star isn't the only good thing about PRISON ON FIRE. Ringo Lam, an underrated director, more than holds his own against John Woo. This film is the definition of the word "slowburning", gradually building up to one of the most unforgettably violent endings of the era. The fact that it takes a long time to get to that stage just makes it all the more effective. What's interesting is that the chief villain in this – officer Scarface, played by Roy Cheung – is far more of a subtle presence than usual for this genre. Instead of making the lives of his prisoners a misery with punishment and violence, he actually seems like an all right type of guy before you realise his talent for backstabbing and betraying, turning one against the other.

The other cast members are particularly good here; Tony Leung (DUMPLINGS) convinces as the mild-mannered convict not cut out for prison life, and Sammo Hung lookalike Ka-Kui Ho is fine as the gang leader you don't want to fall foul of (kudos to the filmmakers for making him an ordinary guy, slightly overweight and wearing glasses, instead of the usual bodybuilder type). Kwong Leung Wong also shines as gang leader Billy, a man who initially appears to be yet another villain but soon becomes a key ally. PRISON ON FIRE is a delightful movie that more than holds its own against later prison flick ISLAND ON FIRE.

Hong Kong film maker Ringo Lam has done many extraordinary films during his career. They include the extremely bleak and violent "School on Fire" (1988), "City on Fire" (1987), the incredible "Full Contact" (1992) and "Prison on Fire 1 and 2" from 1987 and 1991. "Prison on Fire" stars the then raising star Chow Yun-Fat as Ching, a positive and friendly inmate in a prison in which Lo Ka Yiu, played by Tony Leung Ka Fai is sentenced. They are both judged for a manslaughter and now they'll have to survive the violence and triad corruption inside the stone. What follows is a very intense 100 minutes and a film that won't be remembered among the least effective works of the great Lam.

The film is pretty close to "School on Fire" even though it is not as fierce and pessimistic as that film which was made one year later. "Prison" is pretty powerful and believable depiction of the state of prisons in Hong Kong and how much power the triad members have there. Where "School" depicts the horrible violence among school children and triads, "Prison" depicts violence and terror among convicts and triads, and how it all may end as horribly as in "School". But this time Ringo leaves a hope for a better tomorrow (as Chow's character even mentions at one point) and so the film is much more optimistic than the harrowing "School". Still the finale in the prison is very violent and shocking so the ride through the prison won't be an easy or pleasant one at all, and why would Ringo do such a pointless and light film that wouldn't have its message and anything to say in the first place? That is exactly why his films are much more than just action and gun battles.

The cast is very good in "Prison" and it includes Roy Cheung as the violent warden "Scarface" and Roy can also be found as a triad leader in "School" and a cop in "City on Fire." The characters, especially Chow's and Tony's, seem to develop little too fast as their dramatic decisions and actions are not as carefully explained and introduced as possible. I mean the scenes like "the suicide attempt" and the angry and almost comical face expression Chow gives to "Scarface" at one point; they show that these men really can act (and they can) but these kind of actions should be little more restrained and explained, but still Chow's character is here much better than in "City on Fire" which suffers a lot from the weak character of Chow's.

The ending in "Prison" is near the rage and mayhem of "School" and I felt really bad during the finale, so once again Ringo has shown his unique talent and power of his cinema. Chow turns into the kind of wild animal that is hiding inside every one of us, and that just should be kept there forever no matter what the situation is. That kind of finale is very powerful and leaves the audience pretty stunned and often in pure disgust, as in the case of "School". Overall the violence in "Prison" is very strong and hurts almost as much the viewer as it does the characters and that is the only way to depict this horrible thing honestly and in a way that something important can be achieved and told by the film. I'm afraid the present day Hollywood wouldn't dare to do films like this, but fortunately there are alternatives and people who want to make films not just because of money.

"Prison" is composed by Lowell Lo, who has also made the soundtrack for films like "Naked Killer" (Clarence Fok, 1992), "The Killer" (John Woo, 1989) and Ringo's "School on Fire" but the usage of music is never as near as strong in "Prison" as it is in "School" and that is also among the elements that make "School" such a strong experience. "Prison" has also some very atmospheric photography inside the prison and there are some nice neon lights and almost mysterious lights coming through the windows at some points. There's also some very bright photography in the interiors and that creates almost a dream like feel to the film, and also depicts the state of mind of the inmates and how things vary from pure danger and alarm to peace and quiet inside the prison.

"Prison" is among the reasons why Hong Kong cinema is so powerful and unique and it is also among the reasons that make Ringo among the most talented directors in the field. His real masterpiece was still to come (Full Contact) but still "Prison" is among the most noteworthy achievements of his. 8/10

...and soon enough, like any situation where the pressure does nothing but build, it'll explode.

Chow Yun-Fat plays Chung Tin Ching, a prisoner on a manslaughter charge, who befriends a harmless, naive twig of a man named Yiu, also on a manslaughter term. At first, he's a nuisance, but as he sees just how useless Yiu is in his situation, he can't help but step in when Yiu's blunders aggravates the wrong people. Friendship blossoms, and then the two of them must fend for themselves and each other against the cruel warden, Officer Hung, and Hung's obnoxious rat. The situation intensifies... it escalates... and when it finally explodes, it is intense, emotional, and effective.

I've seen six of Ringo Lam's films now, the other four being Prison on Fire II (right after I saw this one), City on Fire, Full Contact, and two of his Van Damme vehicles, and Prison on Fire is definitely the second-best film I've seen from him so far. It's nothing original, and the villains are a little cartoonish at times, but for the most part, it's a great movie, and definitely among the best of Chow and Lam.

The plot is concise, the rhythm is clear, tell the story well. It's much better than many movies nowadays.

The typical drama about a prison system in which almost everything is a complete mess. Rebel prisoners, incompetent guards, and various inconsistencies in the script mark this film. The beginning is interesting, but then it becomes boring. Honestly, I don't recommend it.