Lo Ka Yiu is sent to prison for manslaughter and he soon finds that life in jail is not an easy life at all. Luckily in there he meets Ching, a fellow inmate who has been in prison for a long time and knows his way around. But it is a brutal world where only the strongest survive, and Lo Ka Yiu soon learns life on the inside is not always easy and fair.
I remember when watching Prison on Fire many years ago that I found it to be a really good film. When watched it now, I still think it's a good film but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. Thing might be that over the years you've seen a lot of films and series that deals with prisons and watching Prison on Fire now, I found it to be not nearly as brutal or violent as I wanted it to be. Don't get me wrong, violence is bad, but this is a movie about life in prison and without all that nasty stuff, it's really not that interesting. Still though, the movie has its fair share of violence and brutality, but just enough to make it entertaining, and never so it feels too realistic or frightening. Good thing though is that we don't have to sit through a lot of pound-me-in-the-ass stuff a la OZ etc, and that's a really positive thing.
Tony Leung Ka Fai stars as Lo Ka Yiu, a naive man sent to prison for manslaughter. Early on in the movie the viewer get the real scoop why the guy ended up in prison, and he was just helping his dad when some punks stole from his dad's store. So when you know the background and you know that the man is not evil, you are bound to feel some sympathy for the guy and care about what happens to him on the inside.
In prison Lo meets Ching (Chow Yun-Fat), a man who serves a long sentence and who has been in jail for quite some time and knows his way around. Soon Lo starts making mistakes by telling on other people and has to watch his back from then on. But Ching is there by his side, always positive and friendly and also brings a lot of humour to all the seriousness. Tony Leung Ka Fai makes a great performance but Chow Yun-Fat stands out as always and is the center of every scene he's in. His character is funny and warm-hearted and is easy to root for. Just like Lo, Ching has also commited manslaughter but it doesn't really matter what he has done in the past, he's still a very likable character.
The movie takes a look at the Hong Kong prison system and shows a lot of things how everything works there. We get to see everything from sadistic guards to how prisoners are being treated, and it also deals with just how much power members of the triads have in there. At times the movie feels quite realistic but some of the humour takes some of the seriousness away. It's actually a good mix between the two, humour and seriousness, it has a great balance and in the end gives a good result.
Prison on Fire manages to be quite a powerful movie at times, and has some realistic scenes every now and then as well. Although, it also features a lot of humour that takes some of the serious feel away, but that works as a good counterweight. The acting is good and both Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Ka Fai does a great job with their character, especially Chow Yun-Fat who's always great to see on screen (except for the American movies he has been in). If you're a fan of HK flicks, you'll probably have a good time watching Prison on Fire.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Gaam yuk fung wan, Prison Turbulence
MOVIE YEAR: 1987
DIRECTOR: Ringo Lam
WRITING CREDITS: Yin Nam
GENRE: Drama, Action, Crime
CAST: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Roy Cheung
COUNTRY: Hong Kong
RUNTIME: 98 min
RATING: 6/10
Prison on Fire Website/IMDB Click here
Prison on Fire Trailer Click here
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