Lung fu fong wan (1987)

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writers:

Ringo Lam (story)
Jack Maeby (English version)

Release Date:

13 February 1987 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

An undercover cop, played by Chow Yun-Fat, infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store. The film shows how he infiltrates the gang.

Plot Keywords:

Undercover Cop | Lounge Singer | Male Bonding | Hawaii | Gold

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

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	...	Inspector John Chan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chi Fai Chan
Jessica Chau	...	Lily
Maria Cordero	...	Lounge Singer
Yeh Fang	...	Chow Nam
Victor Hon	...	Bill
Tom Konkle	...	Fu (voice: English version)
Kong Lau	...	Inspector Chow
Elvis Tsui	...	Chan Kam-Wah
Kwong Leung Wong	...	Kwong
Parkman Wong	...	Ah Man
Mengxia Zheng		(as Mang-ha Cheung)

Also Known As:

City on Fire (Hong Kong: English title)
Long hu feng yun (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence.

Runtime:

UK:101 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | South Korea:15 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Cinema City Film Productions

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 them?
Ko Chow: [frustrated] What else could I have done? You haven't been there!
[Chow pauses for a moment before speaking again]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Il solitario (2008)

Fat & Lee Excell in Against Type Roles

Long Hu Feng Yun/City on Fire(1987) is the film that put director Ringo Lam's name on the map for it would put him on a par with action guru John Woo. Chow Yun Fat performance in the movie tops the one he gave in A Better Tomorrow(1986) as he gives his character a sense of doomed loyality. Ringo Lam wanted to depict violence in City on Fire(1987) that was much more realistic then that seen in John Woo's groundbreaking gangster classic. Danny Lee gives one of his best performances in one of his few roles as a non police officer. One excellent scene in the movie is the jewel robbery that ends with Fat's undercover cop taking a bullet for Danny Lee. The film deals with an undercover cop who is sent to catch some thieves but finds that there is more loyality among the thieves then the Poice.

Fat's Character seems to be tormented with guilt over the betrayal of a friend in a previous undercover job and this has an effect on his current case. This guilt turns to be a big reason to why he would take a bullet for Danny Lee's character. This along with John Woo's The Killer(1989) would be one of the best team ups in Hong Kong action Cinema. Resevoir Dogs(1992) was influenced by Long Hu Feng Yun(1987) almost scene for scene in the same way that A Fistful of Dollars(1964) would be accused of ripping off Yojimbo(1962) scene for scene. One scene that both movies contain is the Mexican duel near the end of the movie. One difference in the two films is that Danny Lee's character survives in City on Fire(1987) while the same character in Resevoir Dogs(1992) played by Harvey Kitel is killed off at the end of the movie.