Prison on Fire

A quiet man named Yiu goes to prison over a crime he did not mean to commit and knows nothing of the order inside. An experienced inmate called Ching takes him under protection and an unexpected friendship forms between them. The real danger inside is not the other prisoners but a warder who governs by setting them against each other. Ringo Lam built the Hong Kong version of the genre and put realism first: the fights are short, the arrangement of the wing is detailed and the hierarchy is entirely visible. Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Ka-fai star, and Chow's performance here counts among his best loved. It was a large success and a sequel followed. Who it is for: viewers who like Hong Kong crime cinema and prison films. Who it is not for: anyone troubled by continuous violence and humiliation.