Overview
An undercover cop risks everything to infiltrate a dangerous gang of jewel thieves.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- paranoid
- propulsive
- gritty
- late night action marathon
- Hong Kong cinema double feature
What critics said
Critics and major awards recognition broadly affirm the film as a gripping, influential Hong Kong crime thriller powered by Ringo Lam's direction and Chow Yun-fat's lead performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ko Chow infiltrates a jewellery-robbing gang while fellow officers suspect he may be a criminal.
Ko Chow faces the gang's potential discovery while police officers doubt his allegiance.
The undercover mission places Ko Chow in dangerous relationships with gang members and suspicious police colleagues.
The jewellery-store robbery plot and Hong Kong crime-film context center dangerous armed confrontations in an urban setting.
Films like City on Fire, and why
Infernal Affairs
Hong Kong undercover crime thriller with volatile gang dynamics, moral peril, and explosive gunplay
Hard Boiled
Hard-edged Hong Kong crime action, conflicted police identities, and stylized brotherhood under pressure
Donnie Brasco
Undercover criminal infiltration, escalating mistrust, and tragic crime-thriller tension
Serpico
Gritty undercover policing, institutional suspicion, and morally compromised crime drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
- Release Date
- 1987-02-13
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (183)
Cast
- Chow Yun-Fat
- Sun Yueh
- Danny Lee Sau-Yin
- Carrie Ng Ka-Lai
- Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung
- Lau Kong
- Fong Yau
- Parkman Wong Pak-Man
- Jessica Chow Bo-San
- Tommy Sham Sai-Sang
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is City on Fire about?
- An exhausted Hong Kong police officer enters a jewellery-robbing gang undercover, where suspicion from both sides turns a final assignment into a fight for survival.
- What is City on Fire like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of City on Fire as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is City on Fire violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in City on Fire as graphic.
- What did critics think of City on Fire?
- Critics and major awards recognition broadly affirm the film as a gripping, influential Hong Kong crime thriller powered by Ringo Lam's direction and Chow Yun-fat's lead performance.
- Which films are like City on Fire?
- Films with a similar feel include Infernal Affairs, Hard Boiled, Donnie Brasco, and Serpico.
- How long is City on Fire?
- City on Fire runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch City on Fire?
- In United States, City on Fire streams on Amazon Prime Video, Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
