Hong Kong Cinema Classics: City on Fire (1987) 4K Restoration
Director: Ringo Lam Ling-Tung Run Time: 105 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1987
Starring: Carrie Ng Ka-Lai, Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung, Sun Yueh
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese with English subtitles
Screening as part of Hong Kong Cinema Classics, eleven rarely-screened, action-packed films from The Golden Princess Catalog. Only at Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio this September 2025.
About the film:
Ko Chow is about to resign from the police force when he is asked to take on one more case. He is to go undercover in a gang that is robbing jewelry stores. He accepts the task and successfully infiltrates the gang. It is a very dangerous mission, not just because the gang might discover his true identity but because many of the police suspect he may well be a criminal.
About the filmmaker:
Ringo Lam was a director acclaimed for his gritty, realistic take on crime and action films. Best known for City on Fire (1987), which heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992), Lam’s work often explored themes of betrayal, violence, and moral decay within urban settings. His raw storytelling and grounded action style made him a key figure in late-20th-century Hong Kong cinema.
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