City on Fire

Ko Chow, an undercover policeman, infiltrates a gang of jewel thieves. A real friendship forms between him and their leader. His superior wants more from him, his fiancée wants a decision, and the day of the robbery approaches. When the job turns into a bloody shootout, the gang works out there is an informer inside. The film is not interested in the robbery. It is interested in the impossibility of staying loyal to both sides: Ko Chow lies as a policeman and as a criminal, and the film leaves him at the point where he is cut off from both. The form is Hong Kong crime: crowded streets, handheld camera, extended gunfights and sudden violence. The emotional scenes take as much room as the action. Ringo Lam directed. The film won Best Director and, for Chow Yun-fat, Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Quentin Tarantino naming it as the inspiration for Reservoir Dogs made it known in the West, and the resemblance between the two films was argued over for years. Danny Lee plays the gang leader. Who it is for: viewers who like Hong Kong action and undercover stories. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a clean structure. The first half is scattered and the romance is never tied properly to the main line.