Gam yuk fung wan (1987)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writer:

Yin Nam (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1987 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Crime

Plot:

An explosive crime-drama that caused a sensation upon its release. Audiences gasped for breath from the bloodshed and violence...

Plot Keywords:

Cantonese | Brutality | Beating | Chinese New Year | Manslaughter

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Roy Cheung	...	Officer 'Scarface' Hung
Yun-Fat Chow	...	41671 / Ching (as Chow Yun Fat)
Ka-Kui Ho	...	Micky
Victor Hon	...	Chiu Chow Man
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Lo Ka Yiu / 51910
Chi Hung Ng	...	Blind Snake
Fui-On Shing	...	Madly
Kwong Leung Wong	...	Bill
Shih Wu

Also Known As:

Jian yu feng yun (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Prison Turbulence (literal English title)
Prison on Fire (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:98 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:18A | Hong Kong:IIB | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lautau islands, Hong Kong, China

Company:

Cinema City Film Productions

Quotes:

41671: Be tolerant - you gain peace and calm. Be humble - you reach new horizon.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Zhi zun sa liu ji zhi: Tou tian huan ri (1993)

Soundtrack:

Full of Hope

Pretty violent second entry of the trilogy titled ¨Prison on fire¨ professionally directed by Ringo Lam

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.