{ "id": "epesmk8vkv", "slug": "prison-on-fire-ii", "title": "Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries", "label": "Action, thriller, and crime series film entries", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "label": "Entries released in the 1990s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000: Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series", "label": "Franchise and series entries as standalone works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯, Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan) is a 1991 Hong Kong prison drama directed by Ringo Lam, starring Chow Yun-fat as inmate Chung Tin-ching, who escapes jail to see his orphaned son.", "snippet": "Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯, Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan) is a 1991 Hong Kong prison drama directed by Ringo Lam, starring Chow Yun-fat as inmate Chung Tin-ching, who escapes jail to see his orphaned son.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.action-thriller-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-1990s", "markdown": "# Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯)\n\n**Prison on Fire II** (监狱风云II逃犯; [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese): *Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan*) is a 1991 Hong Kong prison drama directed by Ringo Lam Ling-tung and the sequel to his 1987 film *Prison on Fire*. [Chow Yun-fat](https://www.edgepedia.org/chow-yun-fat) returns as the inmate Chung Tin-ching, who escapes from jail to visit his young son, now living in an orphanage, and becomes entangled in a conflict between the prison's Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese factions.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991) • [2](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews/prison_on_fire_2.htm)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 監獄風雲II逃犯 (*Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan*)[2](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews/prison_on_fire_2.htm) |\n| Release | 22 June 1991 in Hong Kong; Taiwan 12 July 1991; South Korea 27 July 1991[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103044/releaseinfo/) |\n| Director and writer | Ringo Lam Ling-tung; screenplay by Nam Yin, Lam's elder brother[4](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325993/how-ringo-lams-prison-fire-films-starring-chow-yun-fat-mix-action-and-social-comment?module=inline&pgtype=article) |\n| Lead cast | Chow Yun-fat as Chung Tin-ching, with Chen Sung-young, Elvis Tsui, Yu Li, Tommy Wong, and Victor Hon[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991) |\n| Production | Golden Princess Film Production Limited, with Cinema City[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991) • [5](https://letterboxd.com/film/prison-on-fire-ii/) |\n| Runtime | 1h 49m (Rotten Tomatoes); 113 minutes per other listings[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991) • [5](https://letterboxd.com/film/prison-on-fire-ii/) |\n| Award nomination | Best Action Choreography (Lam Moon-Wah) at the 1992 Hong Kong Film Awards[6](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Prison-on-Fire-II-Blu-ray/20165/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nChung Tin-ching (Chow Yun-fat), a seasoned inmate still serving his sentence after the events of the first film, learns that his mother has died and his only son, Loong-chai, has consequently been sent to an orphanage.[12](https://nowplayer.now.com/ondemand/detail?id=202501071994131&nodeId=G201411200100000_202508010101140&type=product) His application for leave to visit the boy is refused by the new head of security, Officer Zau (Elvis Tsui), who wants to demonstrate his power over Ching. Ching escapes from prison to see his son and returns, but Zau then schemes against him: he bribes Skull, a henchman of the Mainland prisoner leader Lung (Chen Sung-young), to commit a murder and frame Lung, while spreading rumors that Ching has betrayed him.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpdS8O-a4s) • [8](https://cinegraph.org/movies/prison-on-fire-ii-1991)\n\nCaught between the prison's Hong Kong and Mainland factions, Ching and Lung each escape and meet on the outside, where they form a friendship and plan to flee together to the Mainland. Ching refuses to abandon his son, surrenders to the authorities, and Lung escapes alone. Zau then has Ching transferred into the Mainland prisoners' block to have him killed there, leading to a final brawl in the dining hall.[7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpdS8O-a4s)\n\n## Cast and production\n\nChow Yun-fat heads the cast as Chung Tin-ching. Chen Sung-young plays the Mainland inmate Lung, Elvis Tsui plays the sadistic security chief Officer Zau, and Yu Li plays Miss Wong. Tommy Wong returns from the first film as Boss Bill, and Victor Hon, Wan Yeung-ming, and Ng Chi-hung fill out the supporting cast.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991) • [2](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews/prison_on_fire_2.htm)\n\nThe screenplay is credited to Nam Yin, Ringo Lam's elder brother, who also wrote the first film and reportedly drew on his own prison experience.[4](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325993/how-ringo-lams-prison-fire-films-starring-chow-yun-fat-mix-action-and-social-comment?module=inline&pgtype=article) The film was produced by Golden Princess Film Production Limited within the [Cinema City](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinema-city) orbit, with Wellington Fung as producer and Karl Maka as executive producer; Fan Chuen-lam was the cinematographer, Tony Chow the editor, and Lowell Lo composed the score.[5](https://letterboxd.com/film/prison-on-fire-ii/) • [6](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Prison-on-Fire-II-Blu-ray/20165/)\n\n## Style and comparison with the first film\n\nWhere *Prison on Fire* (1987) focused on the harshness of prison life, the sequel goes all out on the violence, in the [South China Morning Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-morning-post)'s summary of the two films.[4](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325993/how-ringo-lams-prison-fire-films-starring-chow-yun-fat-mix-action-and-social-comment?module=inline&pgtype=article) Reviewers have described it as more a prison-break movie than a prison movie, lighter in tone than the first film, with humor and buddy-movie elements between Ching and Lung alongside the action.[5](https://letterboxd.com/film/prison-on-fire-ii/) The L'Étrange Festival program notes that Lam films the fights as chaotic brawls among clumsy individuals rather than glamorized set pieces, and portrays the prison as a social microcosm with lighthearted moments rather than a pure nightmare.[9](https://www.etrangefestival.com/2026/en/movie/gam-yuk-fung-wan-ii-to-fan)\n\nCritics generally rank it below its predecessor. The LoveHKFilm review calls it an involving prison drama that pales next to the first film, lacking [Tony Leung Ka-fai](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-leung-ka-fai)'s presence and the freshness of the original, and finds Tsui Kam-kong's villain ridiculously evil where Roy Cheung's officer in the first film was a control freak.[2](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews/prison_on_fire_2.htm) The hkfilm.net review rates it 7.5 out of 10 and notes that Lam moved away from the dark tone of his earlier work with this sequel, though it still builds to a huge, vicious prison brawl.[10](https://hkfilm.net/pof2.htm) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer of 63% from three critic reviews.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991)\n\n## Release and legacy\n\nThe film opened in Hong Kong on 22 June 1991, followed by Taiwan on 12 July 1991 and South Korea on 27 July 1991; it reached Japanese video in October 1992 and premiered on United States television in January 2007.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103044/releaseinfo/) In 1992 it was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography, credited to Lam Moon-wah.[6](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Prison-on-Fire-II-Blu-ray/20165/) A new 4K restoration screened in the 2026 edition of Paris's L'Étrange Festival, which presented the two films as a diptych that imposed Lam's singular mark on the Hong Kong prison genre.[9](https://www.etrangefestival.com/2026/en/movie/gam-yuk-fung-wan-ii-to-fan) The film carries an IMDb rating of 6.7/10.[11](https://sinekatalog.com/en/films/prison-on-fire-ii.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Prison on Fire II (1991), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prison_on_fire_ii_1991)\n2. [Prison on Fire 2 (1991), LoveHKFilm review by Kozo](https://lovehkfilm.com/reviews/prison_on_fire_2.htm)\n3. [Prison on Fire II (1991) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103044/releaseinfo/)\n4. [How Ringo Lam's Prison on Fire films, starring Chow Yun-fat, mix action and social comment, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3325993/how-ringo-lams-prison-fire-films-starring-chow-yun-fat-mix-action-and-social-comment?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n5. [Prison on Fire II (1991), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/prison-on-fire-ii/)\n6. [Prison on Fire II Blu-ray review, Blu-ray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Prison-on-Fire-II-Blu-ray/20165/)\n7. [Prison On Fire II 監獄風雲II之逃犯 trailer with synopsis, Fortune Star Media (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KpdS8O-a4s)\n8. [Prison on Fire II, Cinegraph / Sinekatalog listing](https://cinegraph.org/movies/prison-on-fire-ii-1991)\n9. [Prison on Fire II (Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan), L'Étrange Festival 2026 program](https://www.etrangefestival.com/2026/en/movie/gam-yuk-fung-wan-ii-to-fan)\n10. [Prison on Fire 2 review, hkfilm.net](https://hkfilm.net/pof2.htm)\n11. [Prison on Fire II (Gam yuk fung wan II: To fan) (1991) directed by Ringo Lam | Sinekatalog](https://sinekatalog.com/en/films/prison-on-fire-ii.html)\n12. [Now TV Website - Prison On Fire II](https://nowplayer.now.com/ondemand/detail?id=202501071994131&nodeId=G201411200100000_202508010101140&type=product)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released in the 1990s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯)](https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii](https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Prison on Fire II (监狱风云II逃犯)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/prison-on-fire-ii. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Prison on Fire II is a 1991 Hong Kong prison drama directed by Ringo Lam, starring Chow Yun-fat as inmate Chung Tin-ching, who escapes jail to see his orphaned son." }