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:

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

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yun-Fat Chow	...	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

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English

Release Date:

13 November 1987 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Prison Turbulence

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

Did You Know?

Quotes

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

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Connections

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

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Soundtracks

Full of Hope
Performed by Maria Codero"

User Reviews

It escalates... it builds...

...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.