Prison On Fire: Reviews

A mild-mannered man (Leung) is sent to prison, where he runs afoul of the Triad gangs and a sadistic guard (Chueng). A wise-cracking old-timer (Chow) decides to take the "new fish" under his wing even though he has problems of his own.

On the surface, Prison on Fire is a fairly standard prison drama, something which has been done dozens of times both in the US and in Hong Kong. But it is saved from mediocrity by Ringo Lam's tight direction and the performance of Chow Yun-Fat. Hamming it up during the first part of the film, he quickly turns serious at the situation warrants. It's a great job that wonderfully shows Chow's range as an actor. Roy Cheung also puts in some of his best work to date as the prison guard, and Tony Leung -- while doing nothing spectacular -- holds his own.

Though the film (most of which takes place in one large cell) does look unbelievably cheap at times, the stark and bleak look actually adds to the film in the long run. It helps to create a constant tension that even the large riot scenes or comic relief can't break up. The last thirty minutes of the film -- while going strictly by the book -- are great, as the various parties' fights with each other begin to come together with disastrous results.

Those that are turned off by violence may want to avoid Prison on Fire. Though there are no guns or large weapons in the movie, the violent fights (which feature such things as Chow Yun-Fat biting off someone's ear) may turn away more squeamish viewers. Otherwise, Prison on Fire is recommended. It's definitely a good movie to check out if you want to see Chow Yun-Fat doing something other than blasting away people with two guns.

The Plot: The film follows Lo Ka Yiu (Tony Leung), jailed for three years for manslaughter, from his first to his last day in prison. His ignorance of prison norms lands him in trouble with the evil prison warden (Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung) and with Mickey, one of the triad bosses. Fortunately he gets the support of Ah Ching (Chow Yun Fat), a kind-hearted joker who tries to clue him in. Meanwhile, power dynamics with other triads, like those led by Bill (Tommy Wong Kwok-Leung) and "Madly" (Shing Fui-On) sometimes work to his advantage.

Why Would I Like This Movie? Good acting by the two leads, and by Tommy Wong, totally credible as an easy-going triad boss. Myself I found the movie really interesting, and was totally sucked in by the intense story (I found myself blaspheming at the television on many occasions). Also there are some really cool triad tattoos in this movie.

Why Wouldn't I Like This Movie? This is an intense drama about mean, sad people. Fans of glamorized action like Full Contact may be disconcerted at the decidedly unglamorous realism. On the other hand, people who are enjoying the grittiness of PoF will almost certainly be irritated by the weak performances of the evil warden (Roy Cheung) and the triad boss, Mickey, and by the bloody ending. The lack of depth to the former two characters is painfully obvious, next to the complexity of Lo Ka Yiu and Ah Ching, while the sudden drop in tone of the ending may annoy the unprepared. But now you're warned: just relax, and go with the violence.