City on Fire 龍虎風雲
In which I get in too deep uncovering Ringo Lam 林嶺東’s influential and explosive cops and robbers thriller, starring Chow Yun-fat 周潤發.
I had never heard of this movie before. It was only when I started diving into Chow Yun-fat 周潤發’s filmography that I took notice. On the heels of his breakout performance in A Better Tomorrow 英雄本色, City on Fire 龍虎風雲 helped establish him as a bonafide action star.
Director Ringo Lam 林嶺東 is also considered to be one of the key figures that defined heroic bloodshed. I had no idea! I only knew about John Woo 吳宇森. And apparently, this is the movie that Quentin Tarantino uh… borrowed heavily from to make his feature-length debut Reservoir Dogs. I haven’t seen Reservoir Dogs, so I won’t have anything to add to that conversation, but now you know. Or maybe you knew already. I certainly didn’t. But I can say now that I do! Also, not bothering to link to Tarantino or RD’s IMDbs ’cause I ain’t about dat life right now. I’m about dis City on Fire 龍虎風雲 yo!
Plot summary from IMDb:
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewellery store.
Now, City on Fire 龍虎風雲 may share the same actor and genre as A Better Tomorrow 英雄本色, but it is more chaotic, much grittier, and less flashy. Its soundtrack leans heavy on the saxphone to give it that real hardboiled detective, seedy underbelly vibe. I half-expected to hear a world-weary voiceover to start talking about the weather and rattling off clever analogies to kick things off. Like, “It was a hot, sticky July night out on Nathan Road. The buzz of the neon lights pulsing like a jazz drum solo — frenetic, dazzling, and… unaware that at any moment, J. K. Simmons would hurl a chair at it.” Y’know, something along those lines.
I did not expect this:
Yeah, fashion talk aside, the movie opens with a man getting stabbed in a street market full of people. That man is an undercover cop named Chan Kam-wah (“Wah”, played by Elvis Tsui 徐錦江) who’s been working to expose a ruthless band of jewellery robbers, and whose cover has been broken. Hence, getting stabbed. Wah fights off his attackers and flees, but sadly succumbs to his wounds.
His handler, Inspector Lau (played by Sun Yueh 孫越) orders Ko Chow (“Chow”, played by Chow Yun-fat 周潤發), another undercover agent, to take over Wah’s investigation. Chow isn’t feelin’ it. Plagued by nightmares and tormented by the guilt of betraying his friend on his last mission, he wants to resign. Lau, who turns out to also be Chow’s uncle, is furious at his nephew’s blatant disregard for duty as a man of the law. His “friend” was a scourge on society! Chow tells him he doesn’t want to be a mole anymore and begs his uncle to set him free, but Lau doesn’t have time for his nonsense and says he’s the only one who has the connections to pick up where Wah left off. He suspects the robbers are getting ready to move and needs Chow now.
Lau’s instincts are correct as the gang sets out to rob a jewellery branch. The boss man stays in the car on lookout while Fu (played by Danny Lee 李修賢) rounds up the gang, which includes the same three guys who attacked Wah earlier. (Sidenote: One member is named “排骨”, which the subtitles translate as “Bony”. But the actual translation is “Sparerib” and that’s just so much funnier and better.)
Ocean’s 11, these men are not. Force and fear are how they get it done. So things get messy fast. Fu takes down a security guard, but gets surprised by a second guard as he tries to disable the alarm. One of the robbers somehow doesn’t think he needs a combination to open a safe. And then he and another gang member get into a fight! Like, dudes! FO👏🏻CUS👏🏻!
The cops get alerted. Fu tries to hold them off and shoots a policeman dead. Sirens blare. More shots are fired. Civilians run. Police cars crash and burn. It’s total chaos. The city is on fire. (Ohhh!)
While all this is happening, the saxphone wails…
The robbers manage to get away. Lau arrives at the scene as people are wheeled away on gurneys and firemen hose the cop cars down. Hilariously, he describes the robbers to his superior, Chief Inspector Chow (different “Chow” and who I’ll refer to as “Chief Chow”; played by Lau Kong 劉江) as “organized and well-planned.” Chief Chow asks John Chan (“Chan”, played by Roy Cheung 張耀揚), an ambitious young inspector (A lot of levels of inspectors on the HKPF), to head up a special task force and work together with Lau. The two clash immediately, mostly because Chan is an arrogant dick. He refuses to show Lau any respect, calling him “Old Man”, and dismisses everything he says. (To be fair though, the wreckage the robbers left behind hardly conveys “organized and well-planned”, so I guess it would be hard to take the “Old Man” seriously…) Lau is furious that his experience and the 30+ years he’s put into his job mean nothing to the force and gets drunk.
Meanwhile, as Chow moves forward with trying to infiltrate the robbers, he’s followed by a couple detectives from C.I.D. (Criminal Investigation Department) under the orders of Chan, who has no idea that Chow is an undercover cop.
Chow eventually makes contact with Big Song (aka Turtleneck and Chain) (played by Chan Chi-fai 陳志輝) and scores a meeting with Fu, under the guise as an arms dealer. CYF has some really funny moments as Chow who’s definitely not as slick as Mark 哥. He’s goofier and a bit jumpier, which is all still really fun to watch. I’m also in love with the way he dresses. Chow is a snazzy Thousand Layer Cake 千層糕.
Plus, check out these sweet dance moves:
These guys aren’t as good with the layering, but are GQ in a different way.
Chow meets with Lau at Wah’s funeral. Lau asks him if he can identify anyone from a couple police sketches, including one with a guy wearing dark sunglasses and a jacket zipped up to hide his face. We know it’s Fu, but Chow has no idea. What he really needs right now is for Lau to get C.I.D. off his back, so he can do his job. Lau gives him a tape recorder to capture the arms deal for evidence later and hands him a key to a locker at a bowling alley, where he can pick up the weapons. Chow is wary of giving the robbers real guns, but Lau insists it’s the only way to keep the trail hot. Wah’s widow then comes running in, sobbing after her dead husband.
Before the deal goes down with Fu, Chow tells his fiancée, Hung (played by Carrie Ng 吳家麗), that he wants to postpone their wedding. She does not take the news well. Their relationship is turbulent enough already as it is — though it’s not because of their awkward shower sex.
No, Hung is sick of waiting for him and demands to know why. All he needs to do is show up in a suit and sign his name! He can’t give her answer because, y’know, undercover agent, which only makes her angrier. She storms out. They do not have make-up awkward shower sex.
Fu and his men, minus Turtleneck and Chain, drive Chow out to a cemetery. Chow hands Fu the revolver, who opens the chamber to find it empty. I am, once again, so in awe of CYF as Chow tries to maintain his cool. Chow shrugs and is all oops, I’ll bring the bullets next time! But Fu’s no dummy. He’s brought his own. Ruh-roh! Fu’s men grab Chow and start patting him down and Chow’s heart pounds like crazy ’cause he’s got the tape recorder strapped to his body. At the last possible second, he grabs the henchman’s hands and shoves them onto his crotch.
Chow breaks free from their restraints, but as he backs away, he trips and steps into a grave.
The skull spooks everyone. Before Chow can regain his composure, Fu sticks the revolver in his face. Chow calls his bluff. Fu’s suitably impressed and requests more guns. Death: avoided. Trust: earned. Conversation: recorded.
Lau plans to have more weapons for Chow in the same locker at 10 a.m. the next day, which gives Chow barely enough time before his meeting with Fu at noon. Chow takes this moment to ask his uncle if he’s handed in his resignation yet, because once the guns change hands, he’s done. Lau finally concedes.
Things get more complicated for Chow though when he finds out Hung is leaving for Canada (How exotic!) the next day on a 2 pm flight with Tso, another man she’s been seeing/using to make Chow jealous. (I told you their relationship was turbulent.) He implores her to believe that he does want to marry her. Hung huffs that if he really means it, he’ll be at the registry tomorrow at 10 a.m. But as we all know, that’s the exact time he can’t be there.
On his way to the bowling alley the next day, Chow realizes he’s being tailed again by the C.I.D. He tries to lose them. But they start chasing after him.
Chow finds a phone booth and gets a hold of Lau. He needs Lau to call off the C.I.D. If he gets caught carrying, he could get killed! Lau says he’ll take care of it and finally tells Chan to get his men off Chow’s back because Chow’s undercover.
At least, that’s what the subtitles say if you’re watching this movie on Kanopy. But it’s WRONG. Because what Lau actually says is that Chow is his C.I.
Which, okay, like I really don’t understand why it’s so important to keep Chow’s undercover status a secret at this point. But sure? Except Chan scoffs at the notion. He doubts Chow can even be a trustworthy informant; just look at his rap sheet. So you’d think that Lau just would tell the truth, but he doesn’t, so I don’t even know what the point of this scene is! To show that both these guys are assholes? Like, dude, your nephew’s life is in your hands. What the fuck?!
The level of incompetence and lack of integrity here is astounding. Is there actually no system or process in place to manage or protect their undercover agents?! Or do they all end up dead anyway, so like, no one gives a shit? These guys are the worst!
/rant
*deep breaths*
Anyway. The C.I.D. continue to hover around poor Chow on the MTR. When the train arrives at a stop, he makes a break for it, leading to my most favourite stunt of the movie.
Aaaaaaand he shakes them off!
At the bowling alley, Chow catches Fu at the bar. They exchange a look, Fu leaves, and Chow gets all squirrelly as he grabs the guns from the locker. I don’t really understand that part. Maybe he’s scared he’s been found out? Anyway, the C.I.D. shows up and Chow’s gotta run again. He cuts through the parking garage and leaps on to the street, where he almost gets run over by Fu. Fu yells at him to get in and they skrrt skrrt outta thurr.
Fu tells Chow his boss wants to meet him and takes him to the gang’s hideout. The boss, Chow Nam (“Nam”, played by Feng Yeh 方野), is impressed and invites Chow to join the gang on their next hit. Chow says he’ll think about it, but he’s gotta go. Fu offers to drive him — aw, they’re becoming friends! — and Chow’s like, “To the airport!”
He catches Hung just as she’s about to go through the gate, but she leaves anyway. The C.I.D., who have also been following Hung and hoping that Chow might show up at the airport, arrest him on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon. They take him back to the police station, where Chan and his men kick the shit out of him because they wanna know who his buyer is. And because they suck. And because they think he’s just a lowly informant who’s still a criminal because his uncle sucks.
Lau rushes in to stop Chan and pulls his gun on him. Chief Chow breaks up the commotion and orders Chan to release Chow. He chastises both of them in his office. Lau finalfuckingly admits that Chow is a mole and that he’s the one who’s been supplying him with guns in hopes that they can have something to charge the robbers with. Chan argues that illegal possession of a firearm would only be a minor offense. If they’re acquiring weapons, they must be gearing up for another robbery. Chan suggests sending Chow in to join the robbers so they can catch them on a bigger charge. Lau disagrees. It’s too dangerous. But Chief Chow gives the go ahead.
So Chow works with the gang while feeding info back to the police. They’ve narrowed it down to four jewellery stores. Lau thinks special unit should be involved and they place teams on standby at each location. As Chow spends more time with the Fu, they start forming a bond. Sure, they had a bit of a rough start and sure, Fu’s a cop killer (Well, Chow doesn’t know that…yet.), but he’s been a way better friend to Chow than anyone else we’ve seen. Just look at these two buds!
One evening, Nam announces to the gang that they’ll be acting soon, so they all need to stay in together and turn in their pagers. Chow asks which store they’ll be hitting and Nam says he’ll reveal their target when they head out. Later on, Chow tries to get on the phone to warn the cops, but the line’s been cut. While everyone is sleeping, he sneaks off into the bathroom, writes down the location of the robbers’ hideout, and hides it in his wallet. Fu almost catches him, but he manages to play it off. They stay up discussing their dreams, their past, and their families. Aw! Guy talk! Chow pulls out a letter from Hung and it’s revealed that she didn’t go to Canada; she’s in Hawaii, waiting for him.
The police, having heard nothing new from Chow — versus, I don’t know, thinking something might be off or unusual?! — decide they’re wasting resources and to the dismay of Lau, Chief Chow pulls special unit out. (Not a euphemism.)
This leaves only one unmarked police car sitting outside Tai Kong, the jewellery store the robbers are about to hit. But the cops in the car, the same detectives who’ve been tailing Chow the entire movie, are tired of camping out and forgo their duties to nap instead. (This movie really assures your faith in HK law enforcement eh?) The gang arrives in a cab undetected and charge in with their guns drawn, ordering the salespeople to fill up their bags. Chow and Fu stay outside and guard the entrance. That’s when Chow realizes…
And then! A saleswoman triggers the alarm and bells start ringing. She regrets it immediately.
The police rush over to Tai Kong. People on the streets panic and run for shelter. As the robbers dash out of the store, the detectives open fire, wounding one of the guys, Bill. They fire back, and escape to their cab with the police in hot pursuit. Time for a high-speed car chase!
With their getaway cab out of commission, the gang is forced to leave Bill behind and scramble to take cover as bullets fly everywhere. Turtleneck and Chain desperately tries to hotwire another car. Chow tries to convince Fu to surrender, but Fu refuses. When another one of them, Joe, gets killed, Fu, pissed, fires at an approaching police vehicle and kills all the cops inside. Fu gets hit in the shoulder by one of the C.I.D.s, and when Chow sees this, he dives in front of Fu to take the next bullet and fires back, killing the detective.
The saxophone starts swooning as Fu cradles Chow in his arms and tells him he’s got his back. Chow grins and says good, ’cause he still needs to go to Hawaii to get his wife. Fu vows that he’ll go with him. Aw man… it really sucks that their friendship is doomed.
The gang minus Bill and Joe escape in the stolen car to the hideout where Nam has been waiting for them. At the scene of the firefight, Lau and Chan find Chow’s wallet in the taxi.
Nam smells a rat and accuses Chow, being the newest one to the group. Fu and Turtleneck and Chain don’t believe it’s Chow, but Nam insists. They whip their guns out at each other in a Mexican standoff.
Fu refuses to stand down. He owes Chow his life, so if anyone wants to kill him, they’ll have go to through him! Sparerib interrupts them as sirens wail in the distance. The police are coming! The gang try to run but it’s too late. They’re surrounded. Chan calls for them to surrender. Turtleneck and Chain doesn’t want to go to prison — have you seen the outfits?! — and starts shooting at the police. They open fire and he is killed. Lau tells Chan they need to be careful as Chow is in there, but Chan only cares about taking down the rest of the gang.
Sparerib freaks out and Nam kills him to stop him from surrendering. He’s about to shoot Chow and Fu too, but they both turn their guns on him in time and he dies. Fu tries to get Chow to move, but Chow tells him to leave without him. Fu won’t let the cops arrest his friend, so Chow confesses that he’s also a cop. Fu is furious (FUrious?). Chow acknowledges the betrayal and agrees that Fu should kill him, especially while he still has the time to do it. Fu keeps pointing his gun at Chow, but can’t bring himself to shoot. The police storm into the hideout and grab him. As they put the cuffs on him, Fu looks over at Chow and realizes he’s dead. Softly, he whispers, “I still have to go with you to Hawaii!”
Lau is livid. When he sees Chan boasting to Chief Chow…
The way no one rushes to help Chan either is also hilarious.
And then we’re left with Chow to take us out with one last dance…
THE END.
