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Title: City on Fire (1987)
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2 wins & 9 nominations.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Yun-Fat Chow | ... |
Ko Chow
(as Chow Yun Fat)
|
|
 |
Danny Lee | ... |
Fu
(as Danny Lee Sau-Yin)
|
|
|
Yueh Sun | ... |
Inspector Lau /
Uncle Kung
(as Sun Yueh)
|
|
|
Carrie Ng | ... |
Hung
|
|
|
Roy Cheung | ... | |
|
|
Kong Lau | ... |
Inspector Chow
|
|
|
Elvis Tsui | ... |
Chan Kam-Wah
|
|
|
Yeh Fang | ... |
Chow Nam
|
|
|
Chi Fai Chan | ... |
Chen Ching /
Tai Song
|
|
|
Mang-Ha Cheng | ... |
Chow's Grandmother
(as Mang-ha Cheung)
|
|
|
Parkman Wong | ... |
Ah Man
|
|
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Bo-San Chow | ... |
Lily
|
|
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Victor Hon | ... |
Bill
|
|
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Kwong Leung Wong | ... |
Kwong
|
|
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Maria Cordero | ... |
Lounge Singer
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (62) »
Storyline
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
Plot Keywords:
undercover cop | police officer shot | male bonding | blood | robbery |Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
Hong KongRelease Date:
13 February 1987 (Hong Kong) See more »Also Known As:
City on Fire See more »Filming Locations:
Hong Kong, ChinaCompany Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Inspector Lau: I never got it.
Ko Chow: Look for it.
Inspector Lau: Chow, only you know the people that Wah did. You asked for this, remember? You can resign... once we've captured the killers.
Ko Chow: Last time with Shing, it went bad.
Inspector Lau: What went bad? We got him.
Ko Chow: I betrayed a friend.
Inspector Lau: You helped capture scum, all right? This friend ordered the deaths of hundreds. He had to die. You're a cop. Who told you to make friends with ...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The stunt scene which when Ko Chow tried to escape from the police and jumped from second floor to the eave on the first floor, then down to the ground was acted by Chow Yun-fat himself. A stuntman had done a dry run for Chow before shooting while the director arranged to put some tatami and paper-boxes on the eave to protect Chow. The director hid the safety set-up through shooting the scene from a particular angle. See more »Goofs
The blood on Ko Chow's shirt disappears. See more »Quotes
Ko Chow: [after Wah is killed, Inspector Lau asks Ko Chow to go undercover again, but Chow wants out] I sent in my resignation.Inspector Lau: I never got it.
Ko Chow: Look for it.
Inspector Lau: Chow, only you know the people that Wah did. You asked for this, remember? You can resign... once we've captured the killers.
Ko Chow: Last time with Shing, it went bad.
Inspector Lau: What went bad? We got him.
Ko Chow: I betrayed a friend.
Inspector Lau: You helped capture scum, all right? This friend ordered the deaths of hundreds. He had to die. You're a cop. Who told you to make friends with ...
[...]
See more »
This movie is the predecessor of many American movie storylines in which an undercover cop, in his effort to assimilate to the world of crime, loses himself. "Donnie Brasco" and "Rush" are such movies with a similar theme.
Tarantino very obviously lifted the plot for his "Reservoir Dogs," even though Tarantino's movie is more notable for its snappy dialogues and unbearable torture sequences. "City on Fire" develops the characters more, and gives them a background.
But other than that, the major difference between the 2 movies is that, ultimately, there's a very different take on the notions of honor, loyalty, and brotherhood - I was surprised by both endings, in very different ways.
This movie is also a good companion piece to "The Killer" by John Woo. Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee star in both movies, but in reversed roles of cop and thief.