88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Four men of iron face their destinies with the harsh walls of a Taiwanese prison. Steve (Jackie Chan) is a gambler seeking to atone for his sins. Andy (Tony Leung) is an undercover cop solving a crime. Lee (Andy Lau) is a gangster looking for vengeance. John (Sammo Hung) is a lifer seeking to reunite with his son. For this slice of Chinese jailhouse rock, producer Wang Yu brought together both the finest talent in Asian cinema and the finest scenes from 'Bad Boys', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Papillon' and every classic Hollywood prison movie ever! Our heroes get time off for bad behaviour, leading to a furious final 'Wild Bunch' style showdown. Island of Fire sees Jackie Chan deliver a new level of fury! (96 Mins)

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(The Prisoner) Koch Media German Blu-ray Synopsis: When a mysterious case about the swapped life of a police murderer begins to make waves, Huang Wei has himself smuggled into prison as an undercover agent. Here he soon finds himself in a quagmire of crime that doesn't stop at prison. When he is forced to kill a corrupt guard, a murderous game begins in which Wei is completely on his own. In the tradition of classic Hong Kong action, “The Prisoner” offers non-stop entertainment with its mixture of prison film, kung fu action and police thriller,especially thanks to its numerous martial arts interludes. In the film alongside superstars Andy Lau and Sammo Hung also stars Jackie Chan in a leading role. (96 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Legends UK DVD Synopsis: Now available for the first time in it's original widescreen format, this deluxe DVD presentation of 'Island Of Fire' is the perfect home-video showcase for the most hard-hitting and controversial movie of Jackie Chan's prolific career. Paying homage to both 'Cool Hand Luke' and 'The Wild Geese', and featuring action legends Sammo Hung (Martial Law) and Jimmy Wang Yu (The One Armed Swordsman), this powerful action-drama recounts the experiences of four honourable men drawn together by fate in a corrupt prison regime. Fighting not only for their freedom but their lives, the stakes are raised higher and higher until one question exists. Will they survive? (93 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Legends UK (Magazine) DVD Synopsis: A top ensemble cast head up this powerful and controversial Taiwanese prison movie, where four inmates become victims of an assassination conspiracy. Will they live to tell the tale? When a cop (Tony Leung Ka Fai) discovers that supposedly executed cons are being hired as assassins, he decides to investigate by going undercover as a prison inmate. Inside, he meets a feisty young pool shark (Jackie Chan) falsely accused of killing a triad gang member, the victims avenging brother (Andy Lau), and long-timer Sammo Hung. Showing strength and resilience in a world of corruption and violence, soon all four are press-ganged into a deadly assignment. (93 Mins)

 

Imperial Entertainment UK DVD Synopsis: This prison movie has everything – a Superstar cast, brutal fights, touching scenes of loyalty amongst thieves, and culminates in a spasm of 'Heroic Bloodshed', John Woo style. Tony Leung portrays the cop who gets himself put into a prison run by a corrupt Chief Warden, to discover who is faking the deaths of condemned convicts and then using them as expendable assassins. Also in the jail are Jackie Chan (for accidentally killing a gang boss), Sammo Hung (who keeps escaping to see his son), Jimmy Wang Yu (who is the Hard Man of the prison) and Andy Lau (the brother of the gang boss) who is looking for revenge. The final confrontation is not to be missed when Jackie, Samo and Andy, all in black jackets and white t-shirts, blast away at a Drug Baron's private army. (92 Mins)

 

(The Prisoner) Columbia Tristar US DVD Synopsis: It's an all out battle of the Martial Arts Masters when Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon, Gorgeous, Mr. Nice Guy, Rush Hour) finds himself locked up in the most dangerous high security prison in Hong Kong. Almost beaten to death his first night, he is rescued at the last minute by fellow inmates Sammo Hung (Martial Law, Mr. Nice Guy) and Tony Leung (Gorgeous). Together the three unveil a world of high-class criminals and corrupt prison officials. In a non-stop battle for their lives, they must combine their martial arts skills with hand to hand prison fighting to bring the corrupters to justice (96 Mins)

 

(The Prisoner) VPD UK VHS Synopsis: A high-ranking police officer is shot dead, his killer is then blown to pieces. Moments later the getaway car disappears in a huge explosion. From the few remains, the police are able to identify a fingerprint... of a criminal who has been executed two years ago!!! An undercover officer gets himself arrested and jailed in the same prison where the mystery assassin was supposed to be executed. In the corrupt and brutal world behind bars he becomes more involved than he planned and is forced to kill a crooked official. He is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but just as he is about to be executed the prison governor makes him an offer: join a secret group of 'dead' assassins and have a chance to live – or die in front of a firing squad!!! (91 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Classics UK VHS Synopsis: This prison movie has everything – a Superstar cast, brutal fights, touching scenes of loyalty amongst thieves, and culminates in a spasm of 'Heroic Bloodshed', John Woo style. Tony Leung portrays the cop who gets himself put into a prison run by a corrupt Chief Warden, to discover who is faking the deaths of condemned convicts and then using them as expendable assassins. Also in the jail are Jackie Chan (for accidentally killing a gang boss), Sammo Hung (who keeps escaping to see his son), Jimmy Wang Yu (who is the Hard Man of the prison) and Andy Lau (the brother of the gang boss) who is looking for revenge. The final confrontation is not to be missed when Jackie, Samo and Andy, all in black jackets and white t-shirts, blast away at a Drug Baron's private army. (91 Mins)

 

Views: Sometimes known as The Burning Island, When Dragons Meet, The Prisoner, Jackie Chan: The Prisoner, and Island On Fire, Kevin Chu Yen Ping's Island Of Fire is a dark and unsettling Hong Kong prison movie that blends the story of four unfortunate men who have been imprisoned for different reasons, but all share the same fate. Released by a production company known as Blaine & Blake Limited, whose only other film projects seem to be Jimmy Wang Yu's wuxia fantasy The Beheaded 1000 and little-seen Gordon Liu feature, Generation Pendragon, the dark and dirty Island Of Fire was shot in 42 days between Taiwan and the Philippines with a cast that should have made the film sky rocket. This included the aforementioned Jimmy Wang Yu, great Tony Leung Ka Fai, amazing Sammo Hung, prolific Andy Lau, and the legendary Jackie Chan who, as rumour has it, was so displeased with the finished product and the fact that his name and face were being used to sell it, that he bought the film rights to shelve it indefinitely. But regardless of his attempts, the film was still released in different territories soon after!

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Tony Leung Ka Fai plays Hong Kong police officer Wang Wei, who witnesses the murder of his police commissioner father-in-law by an unknown assassin. As he gives chase, Wei is shocked when the assassins getaway vehicle explodes but a bit of detective work leads them to identifying the killer soon after. As it turns out, the dead assassin was a previous felon who had been executed in prison two years before. Smelling a rat, Wei decides to go undercover as a prisoner in the same jail and assaults some gang members in order to get arrested. But once inside, Wei quickly finds out that his time there won't be easy and is soon fighting for his life, as well as that of his new friend Charlie's, against corrupt officials and prison guards who pit each of the inmates against one another in brutal fights for their own gambling pleasure. Meanwhile, professional snooker player Da Chui, played by Jackie Chan, is being hounded by a local gangster to lose his next game while his girlfriend is being held as collateral. Unfortunately, this results in her being fatally stabbed which pushes Da Chiu over the edge. In order to raise enough funds for her immediate treatment, he visits a popular gambling den where he wins big but puts the casino boss to shame at the same time. As he tries to leave with his winnings, the boss launches an attack on Chui with a knife – eventually finding it lodged in his own stomach after they fight. As if things couldn't get any worse, Da Chui is jailed for murder. Iron Ball, the brother of the dead casino boss and feared local gangster who is played by Andy Lau, catches sight of Da Chui on his arrest and arranges for his murder on the inside using some of his gang members who were previously incarcerated. But after many failed attempts and a forced truce by prisoner warlord Kui, the vengeful Iron Ball has himself arrested and jailed so that he can get the job done himself.

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Sammo Hung stars as the likeable and troublesome Liu Hsi Chia; a compassionate long-term inmate who flits between them all with his own problems and attempts of escaping in order to see his young son. Although favoured by many of the prison inmates and officers, Liu proves to be his own worst enemy as his last escape is rewarded with a brutal beating once back inside. As with his aforementioned inmates, as each of them struggle through their horrific journey in prison, the four prisoners ultimately find themselves in front of the firing squad where they are seemingly killed. But after the bullets fly, Wang Wei, Da Chui, Liu Hsi Chia, and Iron Ball find themselves recruited as an expendable team of assassins who have been sent to the Philippines on a suicide mission. In a brutal shoot-out and double-cross that sees each of them finally succumb to their doom, Wei strives to stay alive in knowing that his theory was correct all along, and finally goes after the one who is to blame for the murder of his father-in-law! While it's very clear that Tony Leung is the leading man of the movie, one can understand why every distributor around the world sold it to fans as a Jackie Chan film. After all, it's no doubt what producer and co-star Jimmy Wang Yu and the film-makers had intended! This would be the third collaboration between them both after first starring in Low Wei's entertaining Killer Meteors, before rejoining once again in the wacky but fun Fantasy Mission Force. But much like with his role in that movie, Jackie's time on Island Of Fire has always been seen as a continuation of a favour to Wang Yu for helping to bail him out of a sticky situation back in the early 80s that involved a breach of contract, Lo Wei, and some triad gangsters. And it must have been quite the favour, as Jackie had already started production on the massive Golden Harvest project, Armour Of God 2: Operation Condor – hence the floppy hair – which would have been a real strain on the production and budget, to have taken a break from.

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While there have been rumours stating that all the main stars were forced at gunpoint to star in Island Of Fire by triad bosses, nothing has ever been brought to light to confirm this - although many triad-actors are seen throughout. Both Sammo Hung and Andy Lau have shared the screen before with Jimmy Wang Yu, with the latter appearing in The Shanghai Thirteen and Sammo working with him on titles such as The Man From Hong Kong and Millionaires Express. But for Tony Leung Ka Fai, this would be the first film both he and Wang Yu would star in together although was clearly a star on the rise since making his debut as the Emperor in 1983's Burning Of The Imperial Palace and Reign Behind A Curtain, before going onto impress in films such The Last Emperor, People's Hero, Gunmen, A Better Tomorrow 3: Love & Death In Saigon, She Shoots Straight, and Ringo Lam's twisted Prison On Fire just a few years before this. Interestingly, this makes for a good companion piece to Lam's film, in regards to Tony's return behind bars in such a short time. In fact, it is said that - while he was shooting The Lover in Vietnam - Tony Leung was interrupted by a gang on men who appeared on set to kidnap him and take him to Taiwan to star. During that time, no contact was allowed with his family and manager and Tony was only free to go once all his scenes had been filmed. It's also worth noting some of the co-stars that appear throughout such as the brilliant and highly prolific Ko Chun Hsiung as the prison director – seen alongside Jackie Chan in Miracles, Andy Lau in Rich & Famous and it's sequel Tragic Hero, and A Queen's Ransom with Jimmy Wang Yu. They are joined by actors such as Tuo Tsung Hua, Jack Kao, Elsie Yeh, Charles Hsu Cheng Yi, Tu Fu Ping, Teddy Yip, and Jackie Chan Stunt Team members Rocky Lai and Ken Lo among others...

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The film itself is directed by Taiwanese film-maker Kevin Chu Yen Ping, the same madman behind Jackie Chan's Fantasy Mission Force and films such as Golden Queens Commando, Funny Family, A Book Of Heroes, Flying Daggers with Tony Leung, Requital with Jimmy Wang Yu, End Of The Road with Ko Chun Hsiung, King Swindler with Sammo Hung, Kung Fu Dunk and Treasure Hunter with Jay Chou, and the popular Shaolin Popeye movies among many others. In fact, about seven years after this, Chu would direct Island Of Fire 2 – more commonly known as Jail In Burning Island – starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Nicky Wu, Anthony Wong, Ng Man Tat, and Jackson Lou. And although Island Of Fire has never been hailed as an incredible film, it's definitely proved to be one of his most popular still has plenty to enjoy aside from its stellar cast – even if many can see the comparisons and homages to almost every classic Hollywood prison movie ever made. Although a dark movie in general, Island Of Fire offers some really nice shots thanks to the lighting and cinematography delivered by prolific lensman Chen Jung Shu, a Taiwanese cinematographer who has captured around 140 films since 1962 including Jackie's very own New Fist Of Fury, Magnificent Bodyguards, Spiritual Kung Fu, Fearless Hyena, Dragon Fist and Dragon Lord, as well as classics such as Drunken Tai Chi, Kung Fu Kids 2, Butterfly & Sword, End Of The Road, and the Shaolin Popeye movies. Of course, then there's the fight scenes – one of the main things its main audience would be here to see. Although this would be the first film with Jackie and Sammo since their fall-out after the epic Dragons Forever, the pair never really share the screen or any action until the final showdown when they are unmasked for their mission. Throughout the whole picture, Jackie is generally the one who delivers most of the physical fight action from his entertaining throw-down in the gambling den to his death match with Andy Lau in the prison. These are choreographed by the talented Lin Wan Chang; the Kevin Chu film actor and choreographer regular who also handled the fight action in films such as Eight Strikes Of The Wild Cat, Fantasy Mission Force, A Book Of Heroes, Come Fly The Dragon, and a number of the Kung Fu Kids movies of which is also directed. There's certainly a few more strewn throughout, presented as brutal brawls and prison scraps, albeit for the aforementioned blistering action-packed finale of course which is a lot of fun - although I'd say that Jackie and his team handled the exciting gambling den fight; a fast and powerful showdown that is probably the best of the film and harks Police Story vibes with certain moves re-invented and some great stunt work.

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Mostly seen around the world in its 96 minute Hong Kong version, few have managed to catch the lengthier Taiwanese release that gives viewers almost 30 extra minutes of drama and back story to relish in. This version opens with a much bleaker introduction showing dead birds caught in razor wire as a prisoner is executed and the hugely catchy ballad from Cui Jian plays. This song, which is called 'The Last Gunshot' was written by Jian in response to the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing of that year. Heard numerously throughout both versions, The Last Gunshot is a fitting song for Island Of Fire which delivers a range of emotions as it plays – even if you don't understand the language – supported by a memorable and haunting pan-pipe core by Fu Li and Chan Chi Yuen. Overall, the extended Taiwanese version definitely proves to be a more compelling watch and should be viewed by all fans of the film. And while it may not be perfect or offer its audience a typical happy ending, Island Of Fire has managed to hold its own as a Hong Kong action classic as it has entertained fans the world over for decades. Now, almost 35 years later, the film finally gets the love it deserves via a number of restored Blu-ray releases in the West and continues to entertain today as much as it did upon its initial release!

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Overall: Cruel and often brutal, Island Of Fire has enough hardcore action and gritty drama to keep fans happy, and is well worth checking out!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & F.J. DeSanto, New Interview with Jack Kao, Interviews with Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu & Kevin Chu, Export End Credits, Export Trailer Reconstructed, Taiwanese Trailer, Japanese Trailer, Japanese TV Sport

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Koch Media Blu-ray Extras: 30 Minute Longer Extended Taiwanese Version (120 Mins), Interviews with Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu & Kevin Chu, Text Interview with Kevin Chu, Trailers

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Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Extensive Deleted Footage Gallery, Interviews with Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu & Kevin Chu, UK Music Promo, Trailer

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Imperial Entertainment DVD Extras: Trailer

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Columbia Tristar DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Phillip Rhee, Talent Files, Trailer

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Get your copy of the 88 Films Blu-ray HERE

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Watch my unboxing of this 88 Films Blu-ray release HERE

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Watch my unboxing of the Koch Media Blu-ray release HERE

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Watch my Island Of Fire video retrospective HERE