Ringo Lam - The Edinburgh Film Guild

Ringo Lam & Chow Yun-Fat
The term ‘heroic bloodshed’ was coined in the
late 1980s to refer to a type of Hong Kong cinema
revolving around stylized action sequences
and themes of brotherhood, duty, honour,
redemption and violence, where gun play took
the place of martial arts.
City On Fire
Though John Woo may be the best known Heroic
Bloodshed director, Ringo Lam has his own
distinctive approach to both the genre and its most
iconic performer, Chow Yun-Fat.
City On Fire
Prison On Fire
Full Contact
Friday, 28 October 2016 at 8.00pm
Ringo Lam | Hong Kong 1987 | 105 min | Cantonese
with English subtitles
An undercover cop (Chow Yun-Fat) infiltrates a gang of
jewel thieves, but things go terribly wrong during a heist.
Friday, 4 November 2016 at 8.00pm
Ringo Lam | Hong Kong 1987 | 98 min | Cantonese
with English subtitles
Sentenced to three years in prison, Yiu (Tony Leung
Ka Fai) is “fresh meat” for the hardened criminals and
triad stooges that run things, and is preyed upon by
sadistic guard Scarface (Roy Cheung). The virtuous
Ching (Chow Yun-Fat) intervenes, teaching him the
ropes of prison life, and a tender friendship develops
between the two.
Friday, 11 November 2016 at 8.00pm
Ringo Lam | Hong Kong 1992 | 104 min | Cantonese
with English subtitles
Jeff (Chow Yun-Fat), a tough guy with a sense of
honour, saves his debt-ridden friend Sam from loan
sharks. Hooking up with gay gangster Judge (Simon
Yam) and his dubious henchmen, the friends are
double-crossed in a violent heist. Sam saves his own
skin, while Jeff is left for dead. Big mistake. When Jeff
comes back, he’s mad.
“Prison on Fire was one of the last truly unique and
good films to come out of Hong Kong during the late
80s. Nominated for eight Hong Kong Film Awards.”
(Blu-Ray.com)
A “blast of pure, adrenaline pumping carnage from start
to finish. If brutal, over the top thrills and deranged,
darkly funny criminals sound like your bag, give this
unhinged Cult classic a spin.” (Cult Movie Guide)
“Lam’s heist flick – despite its riveting action – is
perhaps better appreciated as a character study of
a world-weary undercover cop and law-enforcing
protagonist (Chow Yun-Fat, playfully intense) who
is torn between his police duty and loyalty to his
criminal friends.” (Time Out, Hong Kong)
“The movie that gave us Quentin Tarantino’s career.”
(Indiewire)
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 | FRIDAYS, 8.00PM
Heroic Bloodshed
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