Prison on Fire (1987)

Inside a Chinese prison two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside.

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writer:

Yin Nam

Stars:

Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Ka-Kui Ho

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chow Yun-Fat	...	41671 / Chung Tin Ching (as Chow Yun Fat)
Tony Ka Fai Leung	...	Lo Ka Yiu / 51910
Ka-Kui Ho	...	Micky
Roy Cheung	...	Officer 'Scarface' Hung
Victor Hon	...	Chiu Chow Man
Frankie Chi-Hung Ng	...	Blind Snake
Kwong Leung Wong	...	Bill
Man-Gwan Wong	...	Mimi
Joseph Chi	...	Billy (as Joe Chu)
Fui-On Shing	...	Madly
Ming Leung	...	Yiu's Father
Shui-Jan Fung	...	Ching's Mother
Yuen-Tat Chan	...	Kau Suk
Shu-Kei Law	...	Prison Warden
Yin Nam	...	Prisoner's Head

Storyline

An explosive crime-drama that caused a sensation upon its release. Audiences gasped for breath from the bloodshed and violence, yet were deeply moved by the fraternal bond between the two leading characters. Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung are riveting as the inmates who get involved with the intracacies of the prision system.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | wet | veteran | stabbed in the chest | riot | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Became a big box office hit in Hong Kong

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofed in The Prisoner (1990)

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Soundtracks

Light of Friendship
Performed by Maria Codero

User Reviews

Intense and violent

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.)

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English

Release Date:

13 November 1987 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Prison on Fire

Filming Locations:

Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema City

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo Dolby Digital (5.1 surround)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1