Prison on Fire

Director Ringo Lam would follow up the crime drama 'City on Fire' with this heated prison drama; 'Prison on Fire'. Then the excellent 'School on Fire' would round off his (unrelated) back to back fire trilogy. A couple years later Lam would return to this well with a less effective 'Prison on Fire 2'. 'City of Fire' might be the most iconic of the three, but I think it's the weakest of them, but that doesn't mean it's still not a great film.

'Prison of Fire' was rather systematic when it came to its story beats, however the pacing never lingers and it's Chow Yun-Fat who steals every scene whenever on screen. The affable chemistry with co-star Tony Ka Fai Leung grows, and shapes the plot holding everything together. Ka-Kui Ho (prisoner) And Roy Cheung (prison warden) made great antagonists. Which leads to a few unfortunate events and violent encounters, never making prison life all that easy.

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.

Tony Leung stars as Yiu, who has been jailed for manslaughter. Chow Yun Fat stars as Ching, another prisoner also jailed for manslaughter. Ching is a good-natured prisoner who tries to make the best of his situation, and helps naive Yiu out.

It's a familiar story of the savagery of prison life, as Yiu & Ching must deal with intra-prison triads and a sadistic warden.

The pressure of these elements pushes them to the edge, and by the end of the movie, Ching & Yiu completely lose it. This is a very violent and uncomfortable movie to watch. The storyline doesn't make any profound social observations. But Chow Yun Fat's acting is very intense: he really turns into a bug-eyed wild animal. And Tony Leung is good as a man who would easily fall apart in such an environment if not for Ching's support.

The movie also has other Ringo Lam regulars like Tommy Wong & Roy Cheung (playing Billy & Officer Hung, respectively.)

This is a brutal portrayal of Hong Kong big-house life in Cantonese language. It concerns about a naive innocent(Tony Leung Ka Fair,The lover) who has been framed by accidental homicide and unjustly imprisoned behind bars. A mobster sets him up against other inmates and he's accused as informer. He becomes friend with a tough but sympathetic inmate(Chow Yun Fat,Better tomorrow) fighting Chinenes triads and against a cruel warden nicknamed scarface(Roy Cheung). The protagonists, each other, developing a fraternal friendship against their enemies and get involved with the unjust prison system commanded by nasties wardens.

The picture packs thriller, bloodshed, drama and lots of violence. Every prison clichés are exposed, including riots, fighting, abuse, evil security wardens, among others. The film contains a strong prison-drama in the wake of ¨Midnight express¨ with essentially the same argument but also displays touching images, such as the lyrical Christmas dance sequence and the emotive relationship between the two leading characters. This is the second and the best installment into ¨On fire ¨ trilogy , the first is titled ¨City on fire¨ and the third titled ¨ Prison on fire 2¨ where Ching again in prison troubled by an ongoing battle between local inmates and those from Mainland China. The trilogy is well directed by Ringo Lam. He's a nice Chinese director, filmmaker for Jackie Chan(Double dragon)and was hired in US for Jean Claude Van Damme vehicles(In hell, Replicant, Maximum risk), but nowadays he has returned Hong Kong for directing his usual Chop-Socky movies. Rating : Good and entertaining, the motion picture will like to Hong Kong movies enthusiastic and Chow Yun Fat fans.

...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.