City on Fire
Release Year: 1987
Synopsis: Ko Chow is an undercover cop who is under pressure from all sides. His boss, Inspector Lau, wants him to infiltrate a gang of ruthless jewel thieves; his girlfriend wants him to commit to marriage or she will leave Hong Kong with another lover; and he is being pursued by other cops who are unaware that he is a colleague. Chow would rather quit the force, feeling guilty about betraying gang members who have become his friends.
My notes
Went into this one blind. I expected it to be closer to John Woo’s work and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t. While viewing, I kept comparing this film to Friedkin’s To Live and Die in LA, to the point where I think they’d make a good double feature.
Plot-wise, this film is very 1980s. The motivations of the good guys and bad guy are simple, but the focus is on the costs of action. Chow Yun Fat‘s performance brought a surprising amount of nuance and pathos to the performance of what could have been a bog standard ‘undercover cop’ story.
And the super 1980s saxophone stingers shifting between non-diegetic to diegtic were an interesting touch.