Overview
A schoolgirl's life spirals into chaos as she confronts the dark underbelly of Hong Kong's triads.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- gritty
- brooding
- harrowing
- crime film night
- hong kong cinema marathon
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chu Yuen Fong becomes involved with Hong Kong triads after a classmate is killed in a fight.
The central conflict begins with a student's death and expands into gang involvement within the school community.
A young schoolgirl is drawn into triad activity following the death of a classmate.
The Hong Kong school setting, student death, and triad conflict create a threatening atmosphere of escalating disorder.
Films like School on Fire, and why
Better Tomorrow
shares a gritty hong kong crime setting, triad violence, and morally pressured young characters
City on Fire
shares bleak crime drama, institutional corruption, and intense late-1980s hong kong genre filmmaking
Made in Hong Kong
shares youth vulnerability, gang influence, and socially conscious crime thriller tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
- Release Date
- 1988-08-20
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (33)
Cast
- Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying
- Sarah Lee
- Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung
- Damian Lau Chung-Yan
- Lam Ching-Ying
- William Ho
- Victor Hon Kwan
- Tommy Wong
- Raymond Lee Wai-Man
- Tse Wai-Kit
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- 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 School on Fire about?
- A schoolgirl’s grief and exposure to triad power turn a Hong Kong campus into a pressure cooker of youth violence and social breakdown.
- What is School on Fire like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of School on Fire as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is School on Fire violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in School on Fire as moderate.
- Which films are like School on Fire?
- Films with a similar feel include Better Tomorrow, City on Fire, and Made in Hong Kong.
- How long is School on Fire?
- School on Fire runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch School on Fire?
- In United States, School on Fire streams on Criterion Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
