Yiu has been sentenced to three years in a Hong Kong prison for manslaughter. Here is taken under the wing of Ching, a man jailed for murdering his wife in a jealous rage. Early on Yiu gets on the wrong side of Mickey, one of the 'bosses' amongst the inmates. With the help of sadistic prison officer, Hung, AKA Scarface, Mickey makes other inmates believe Yiu is an informant, which puts him in danger. Over the course of the film they endure occasional, brutal violence, frequent sense of threat and the inevitable boredom. Yiu must also deal with the fact that his girlfriend is studying in England.
This is not a plot heavy film; it is more a slice of Hong Kong prison life shown through the experiences of Yiu; Tony Leung Ka-fai does a fine job making us believe in this ordinary man caught in a frightening situation. Chow Yun-fat stands out as he does a great job as Ching; a likable character who for the most part tries to avoid the inevitable conflicts. The rest of the cast are pretty good to; notably Roy Cheung who is genuinely menacing as the sadistic 'Scarface'. There isn't a huge amount of violence but what there is, is fairly brutal. The fights aren't stylish martial arts extravaganzas but are scrappy with a sense that the characters are really hurting. There is also a sense of threat; I was unsure if both of our protagonists might not survive to the end. It isn't entirely grim though; there are quite a few humorous moments spread through the film. Over all I'd recommend this to fans of prison dramas; just don't expect the full on action so many Hong Kong films contain.
This is not a plot heavy film; it is more a slice of Hong Kong prison life shown through the experiences of Yiu; Tony Leung Ka-fai does a fine job making us believe in this ordinary man caught in a frightening situation. Chow Yun-fat stands out as he does a great job as Ching; a likable character who for the most part tries to avoid the inevitable conflicts. The rest of the cast are pretty good to; notably Roy Cheung who is genuinely menacing as the sadistic 'Scarface'. There isn't a huge amount of violence but what there is, is fairly brutal. The fights aren't stylish martial arts extravaganzas but are scrappy with a sense that the characters are really hurting. There is also a sense of threat; I was unsure if both of our protagonists might not survive to the end. It isn't entirely grim though; there are quite a few humorous moments spread through the film. Over all I'd recommend this to fans of prison dramas; just don't expect the full on action so many Hong Kong films contain.