City on Fire

Nick Schwab

I never thought a Ringo Lam film as highly regarded as this and that's the #1 influence on Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs would be so bland. The action scenes are amusing-- but don't come close to out wooing Woo-- yet that's maybe only 25 minutes worth of interest, as all the scenes connecting it are as melodramatic and rote as can be. I am not a big Tarantino fan, but he bettered this by far, and Lam did later, as well.

Pedderrs

Shades of Reservoir Dogs as undercover cop Chow Yun Fat attempts to infiltrate a local gang of thieves before they plan their next big score. Despite being well-acted, City on Fire squanders a lot of time on an unnecessary love interest instead of developing Fat's budding relationship with the antagonists. It's because of this that the final moments aren't as emotionally impactful as they could and should have been.

Mcpeer

As a stand alone film, City on Fire is a kick ass Hong Kong undercover cop thriller. I watched this because of it's influence on Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. The influences are most certainly there. Worth checking out for Tarantino fanatics plus some pretty awesome stunt work from Yung-Fat.

Spencer Draper

Ever wonder what else happened in Reservoir Dogs offscreen? This is the dry run that actually has a story behind it. And characters instead of flashy characterizations. Enjoyable HK action film that has a lot more going on than the opening would have you believe. Chow Yun-fat shines. It's really odd to see the main relationship of "The Killer" reversed though.

Bob

Neon lights, smooth jazz and lounge bars are one of the seductive backgrounds of the story that is occasionally too messy to be fully enjoyed. Too much running and chasing mashed together with romantic love story - because of that, the focus on heist and its antagonists is lost. The great ending is just a reminder of everything that has not been explored as it should have been.

Aivaras_Z

A strong classic old school Hong Kong thriller. Has an okay plot with plenty of tension. Too bad it is still remembered mostly for inspiring Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, since the latter practically copied the second half of the plot for his own movie.

SlinkyLi

The good parts were intense and dark and few and far between. Chow overacts, the sub-plot is garbage, the pacing disrupts all of the good moments and confuses everything else.

Jonathan C.

To suggest Tarantino ripped off "Reservoir Dogs" from "City on Fire" is nuts. It's like saying Henry Ford ripped the Model T off the carriage maker down the street. Yeah, really similar elements. Kind of misses the point though.