Prison on Fire (1987)
"Gam yuk fung wan" (original title)

R  |   |  Action, Crime, Drama  |  13 November 1987 (Hong Kong)
7.5
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.5/10 from 1,522 users  
Reviews: 9 user | 16 critic

Inside a Chinese prison two inmates form a friendship and face the difficulty of life on the inside.

Director:

Writer:

Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

10 Bond Trivia Facts

Count down 10 things only real James Bond fans know about James Bond.

Watch now

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 22 titles
created 31 Jul 2013
 
list image
a list of 215 titles
created 08 Sep 2013
 
a list of 196 titles
created 27 Dec 2013
 
a list of 925 titles
created 8 months ago
 
a list of 23 titles
created 8 months ago
 

Related Items

Search for "Prison on Fire" on Amazon.com

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Prison on Fire (1987)

Prison on Fire (1987) on IMDb 7.5/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Prison on Fire.
8 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Action
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Ching is a prisoner in a Honk Kong jail that has a large population of Mainland Chinese prisoners. Ching escapes to see his young son, who he has been put in an orphanage. He surrenders ... See full summary »

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Sung Young Chen, Roy Cheung
Wild Search (1989)
Action | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

The police are staking out a Hong Kong flat, waiting to catch some major gun-dealers. While the suppliers are conducting their deal, they move in. Both buyers are killed in the gunfire, but... See full summary »

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Cherie Chung, Roy Cheung
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A father's ex-girlfriend resurfaces after a 10-year absence wanting to take her son away from him. With his world shattered, he must decide between what is best for his son and his own future happiness.

Director: Johnnie To
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Sylvia Chang, Kun-Hsuan Huang
Tiger on Beat (1988)
Action | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A seasoned cop and his rookie partner are a pair of mismatched partners in this Hong Kong action-comedy in the style of 'Lethal Weapon'. The wacky twosome are up in arms as they try to solve the murder of a heroin trafficker.

Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Nina Li Chi, Conan Lee
Full Contact (1992)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Two disreputable friends get tied in with a group of criminals who turn out to be excessively violent and deceptive.

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Simon Yam, Ann Bridgewater
Action | Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A master gambler loses his memory, and is befriended by a street hustler who discovers his supernatural gambling abilities.

Director: Jing Wong
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Andy Lau, Joey Wang
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Filmed in New York, story of naive young woman from Hong Kong who goes to New York to study. Street-wise cabbie cousin takes care of her in the big city

Director: Mabel Cheung
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Cherie Chung, Danny Bak-Keung Chan
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

To pay off his debt as a gambler, a man drags his sister and step-brother into a life of crimeand a violent war between rival gang lords.

Director: Taylor Wong
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Andy Lau, Alex Man
City on Fire (1987)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.

Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Danny Lee, Yueh Sun
Once a Thief (1991)
Action | Comedy | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A romantic and action packed story of three best friends, a group of high end art thieves, who come into trouble when a love-triangle forms between them.

Director: John Woo
Stars: Leslie Cheung, Yun-Fat Chow, Cherie Chung
Action | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A man travels from China to Vietnam, on the brink of war with America, to retrieve his uncle and cousin but find complications when he falls in love with a female gangster with a dangerous ex.

Director: Hark Tsui
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Anita Mui
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  
Director: Ringo Lam
Stars: Fennie Yuen, Roy Cheung, Damian Lau
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
41671 / Chung Tin Ching (as Chow Yun Fat)
...
Ka-Kui Ho ...
Roy Cheung ...
Victor Hon ...
Chiu Chow Man
Chi Hung Ng ...
Blind Snake
Kwong Leung Wong ...
Bill
Man-Gwan Wong ...
Mimi
Joe Chu ...
Billy
Fui-On Shing ...
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
Edit

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. Written by Towne 3, San Jose, Ca

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

13 November 1987 (Hong Kong)  »

Also Known As:

Prison Turbulence  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Quotes

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

Connections

Spoofed in Island of Fire (1990) See more »

Soundtracks

Light of Friendship
Performed by Maria Codero
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Pretty violent second entry of the trilogy titled ¨Prison on fire¨ professionally directed by Ringo Lam
20 November 2007 | by See all my reviews

This is a brutal portrayal of Hong Kong big-house life in Cantonese language. It concerns about a naive innocent(Tony Leung Ka Fair,The lover) who has been framed by accidental homicide and unjustly imprisoned behind bars. A mobster sets him up against other inmates and he's accused as informer. He becomes friend with a tough but sympathetic inmate(Chow Yun Fat,Better tomorrow) fighting Chinenes triads and against a cruel warden nicknamed scarface(Roy Cheung). The protagonists, each other, developing a fraternal friendship against their enemies and get involved with the unjust prison system commanded by nasties wardens.

The picture packs thriller, bloodshed, drama and lots of violence. Every prison clichés are exposed, including riots, fighting, abuse, evil security wardens, among others. The film contains a strong prison-drama in the wake of ¨Midnight express¨ with essentially the same argument but also displays touching images, such as the lyrical Christmas dance sequence and the emotive relationship between the two leading characters. This is the second and the best installment into ¨On fire ¨ trilogy , the first is titled ¨City on fire¨ and the third titled ¨ Prison on fire 2¨ where Ching again in prison troubled by an ongoing battle between local inmates and those from Mainland China. The trilogy is well directed by Ringo Lam. He's a nice Chinese director, filmmaker for Jackie Chan(Double dragon)and was hired in US for Jean Claude Van Damme vehicles(In hell, Replicant, Maximum risk), but nowadays he has returned Hong Kong for directing his usual Chop-Socky movies. Rating : Good and entertaining, the motion picture will like to Hong Kong movies enthusiastic and Chow Yun Fat fans.


7 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Discuss Prison on Fire (1987) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?