The thing that surprised me about this film was the amount of things that QT stole for Res Dogs. Remember the famous line "Let's go to work"? It's in here! Remember when Mr.White with guns in each hand, shot through the Squad car's windscreen? It's in here! Plus there's a whole load of other minor things too. The acting in this film is top notch. Danny Lee who plays the Eastern equivalent to Mr.White gives a strong performance, as does Chow Yun-Fat. The action although infrequent is very convincing (Except for when one gang member shoots two handgun rounds into a car windscreen and blows it up?!)Some parts in the film don't run as smoothly as they could have but its all good.

Overall this is an excellent film that is essential viewing especially if you've seen Reservoir Dogs.

City on Fire is probably most famous in the West as the movie that provided some of the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Some people have said that Reservoir Dogs is a total rip-off of City on Fire, but really Reservoir Dogs only shares some similarities; only one shot in Reservoir Dogs is totally swiped, where Mr. White blasts the cop car.

Unlike the fast-talking, pop-culture referencing gangsters of Reservoir Dogs, the characters in City on Fire are somber and serious. Even though there is some comic relief when Chow tries to sweet-talk his girlfriend (Carrie Ng in her first role), the movie (like many of Ringo Lam's other films) has a dark and bleak tone to it. Most of the action in the movie occurs not through the use of guns (though the finale has its share of bloodshed), but from the confrontations between Chow and the various people in his life (as well as his own inner demons).

A good film probably worth watching (for US fans, at least) for the curiosity factor alone. It's a well-made police/gangster drama that set the tone for many films that followed it -- it's just too bad that it hasn't aged as well as some of Ringo Lam's other work, though it still provides a good night's entertainment.

Why Would I Like This Movie? IMHO, this movie is (melo)drama at its finest. Chow Yun Fat is totally credible as a man who has become disenfranchised by the system he protects, and who has lost sight of the innocence his efforts procure for others. Great chemistry between Danny Lee and Chow Yun Fat, as always.

Why Wouldn't I Like This Movie? Less action than usual, annoying some fans, but still enough violence to turn off the queasy. Also some people feel this movie falls on the far side of the drama-melodrama border, particularly when compared to Reservoir Dogs. Personally I think RD is shallow in both characterization and plot, compared to City on Fire, but it's all a matter of taste. On a different level, some of the sexual politics are deeply annoying -- Chow Yun Fat takes up the horny buffoon role in a couple of scenes, which include nudity, and has many alarming interactions with his girlfriend (played by Carrie Ng).