Country: Hong Kong
Genre: Drama/Action/Comedy
Director: Ringo Lam
Year: 1991
Rating: 
TRASH CINEMA ESSENTIAL MOVIE
Prison on Fire II begins shortly after the events of Prison on Fire. Chief Warden Hung has been transferred to another prison after his run-in with Ching (Chow Yun-Fat), but unfortunately, Ching gets off on the wrong foot with Hung’s replacement, Chief Warden Zau (Elvis Tsui). True to his nature, Ching tries to help another prisoner avoid punishment by persuading him to feign injury. Zau discovers Ching’s ruse and it’s all downhill from there.
Similarly to Prison on Fire, Chief Warden Zau manipulates the politics in the prison to screw over Ching. It’s easy enough to do. The Hongkies (slang for residents of Hong Kong) have a natural adversarial relationship with the Mainlanders (those from Mainland China), so if Ching can be made to look like a stool pigeon for either group, he’s as good as dead.
Dragon (Chan Chung-Yung) gets caught up in Zau’s scheme and eventually, Ching and Dragon bond in a homoerotic sequence under a waterfall that I think is supposed to be about friendship. Director Ringo Lam manages a truly lyrical image of the two new friends underwater, smiling into the world above.
Ringo Lam casts many actors from the first installment, notably Tommy Wong and Victor Hon, contributing to a similar feel for the sequel.
The action choreography, although by Lam Moon-Wa instead of Joe Chu Kai-Sang and Lau Kar-Wing, is similar in style, although not quite as frenetic and hard-hitting.
But it doesn’t matter really, as the emphasis in Prison on Fire II is more on Cantonese humor, much of which is quite funny. Chow Yun-Fat is at his most charming here, whether he’s teasing a fellow prisoner by telling tall tales about his relationship with a famous Hong Kong triad boss, or leading his fellow prisoners in a song to cheer them up. There’s a hilarious scene early on where the various prisoners place bets on how many days the latest prisoner will manage to stay free. Shortly afterwards, they bet on whether Zau will break the escapee’s leg or not. As each situation is resolved, the prisoners find some new aspect of the situation to bet on. This humor relies on the incorrigible gambling fever that’s part of the Chinese character.
Prison on Fire II is funny, suspenseful, and action-packed, although for me it is not quite as moving and exciting as the first installment.
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