City on Fire (1987) [VHS]

City on Fire (1987) [VHS]
by Ringo Lam

City on Fire (1987) [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Carrie Ng, Danny Lee, Roy Cheung, Yueh Sun, Yun-Fat Chow
Director: Ringo Lam
Cinematographer: Wai-keung Lau
Producer: Ringo Lam
Writer: Ringo Lam
Producer: Catherine S.K. Chang
Producer: Karl Maka
Writer: Jack Maeby
Writer: Sai Shing Sun
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Original recording reissued
Running Time: 101 minutes
Release Date: 2001-07-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Walt Disney Video
Studio: Walt Disney Video

VHS Movie Reviews of City on Fire (1987) [VHS]

Movie Review: Fan of Chow
Summary: 4 Stars

Chow Yun Fat has this quiet grace and style that I enjoy. Paired with John Woo as a director and I'll watch any film with that combination.

Movie Review: An unpretentious quality thriller with a side-order of fatalism on the rocks
Summary: 3 Stars

Famed among Tarantino's admirers and detractors alike as the film that inspired/was ripped off by Reservoir Dogs, Ringo Lam's City On Fire doesn't really provide much in the way of fuel or ammunition for either camp: in truth, it's a very different animal with only the last ten minutes bearing much resemblance to the massively-chinned fading wunderkind's breakthrough movie. Nor is it quite the classic of Asian cinema it is often held to be (presumably by those who haven't seen it considering how often it is wildly inaccurately described), but rather a solidly crafted Hong Kong cops and robbers flick that does its job well for 104 minutes but doesn't exactly sear itself on your memory. Yes, it does end up in a warehouse with three crooks having a Mexican standoff over an undercover cop bleeding to death from a stomach wound on the floor, but the bulk of the film is concerned with Chow Yun Fat's undercover cop trying to quit but forced into that fatal one last job infiltrating Danny Lee's gang of cop-killing jewel robbers.

Budget restraints restrict the amount of action, though what there is is typically well-handled, while as a dramatic character study it is somewhat diluted by the clumsy comedy with Chow's fianc?e and the signs of the usual making-it-up-as-we-go-along Hong Kong thriller screen writing that sees Lee's character change from stylish city slicker in the robbery scenes to a rather more simple-minded working Joe as he and Chow bond while hiding out before the last big job. It's not too strong on logic either, with some of the police too happy to torture one of their own and conspire to arrest him for it not to seem like stretching dramatic contrivance to breaking point at times. Yet for all that, on its own terms it works as exactly the kind of audience picture it was intended as - an unpretentious quality thriller a couple of notches above the production-line norm for the genre with a side-order of fatalism on the rocks.

While there are a lot of problems with Tai-Seng's DVD (subtitles chief among them), unlike the Dimension DVD it's not the dubbed version and unlike the Hong Kong Legends UK DVD it hasn't had the color regraded from the cinematographer's original intentions.

Movie Review: LOL~!
Summary: 1 Stars

If you want UNCUT ORIGINAL version, ALWAYS look for ORIGINAL LICENSED Production. NOT US Release. Its a foreign film, it should not be US version to begin with~! HELLO!!!?? Why settle for LESS with US Version where they edit and cut so many excellent scenes especially with Jackie's Fighting Scenes. And US Release ruins the speed and sound as well.I found HK Version to be MUCH MORE in enjoyable, and HIGHER in Quality. American Market always like to "Americanize" and "Control". Regional Code Regulation thing is one of the example to CONTROL the Market. Why not let everyone enjoy the same HK Original Release move the same way REST OF THE WORLD enjoys it ?? No one makes Hollywood American movies to "French version" or "Chinese Version" ~! This what Americans are doing~! Well, enjoy the cheap "American version" then~! LOL

Movie Review: Good Hong Kong Police Film
Summary: 4 Stars

I would have preferred to have seen this film in it's original Mandarin language track but I do not feel it is necessary to knock this edition. I also take the unfashionable opinion that "Reservoir Dogs", Quentin Tarantino's homage(not rip-off) to "City on Fire", is the better of the two films. "Reservoir Dogs" beats this film in terms of style and characterization if not completely original. That said, this is a highly engaging film. It has a compelling central premise of a police undercover operative who not only has to fear the crooks he's infiltrating but his superiors who view him with contempt. There is action here for sure but it doesn't subvert the story. I recommend this film for any fan of Hong Kong action films but if a Mandarin edition becomes available check that out instead.

Movie Review: good film...
Summary: 4 Stars

this movie is most notable for being ripped off by quentin tarantino when he made 'his' film reservoir dogs. quentin=hack. this movie is much better, but don't watch it if you like reservoir dogs or quentin tarantino because you'll never view him or the movie the same way again.

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Summary of City on Fire (1987) [VHS]

Although many Hong Kong action fans have criticized Quentin Tarantino for stealing the premise of Reservoir Dogs from Ringo Lam's 1987 hit City on Fire, those accusations do a disservice not only to Tarantino--who vastly improved upon every scene he "borrowed"--but also to Lam and his charismatic star, Chow Yun-fat, whose talents were evident long before they were lured to Hollywood. City on Fire may seem overly familiar now, with its standard undercover-cop-befriending-the-bad-guys scenario, but it remains a first-rate example of Hong Kong urban-action drama, and as a star vehicle for Chow it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. The shootouts and chase scenes are as good as anything Hollywood offered in the late '80s, and the chaotic environs of Hong Kong provide an exotic backdrop that further enhances the routine plot line.

Chow plays the undercover cop, still agonizing over his betrayal of a criminal friend during a previous case; when he's asked to infiltrate a gang of violent thieves, his rapport with one of the gangsters threatens the integrity of his assignment. While his superiors battle among themselves (one protects Chow, the other pursues him), director Lam keeps it all ticking along with surefire pacing and an amusing subplot involving Chow's dissatisfied fianc?e. The film is fascinating to watch for its obvious precedents to Reservoir Dogs (including a climactic "Mexican standoff" between the untrusting criminals), but it's best appreciated as a showcase for Chow, who's instantly captivating from the moment he appears onscreen. (Note: Disney's DVD release of City on Fire greatly improves upon the poorly translated subtitles of all previous DVD releases.) --Jeff Shannon

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