Ringo Lam

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Hong Kong filmmaker (1955-2018)

title: "Ringo Lam" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1955-births", "2018-deaths", "hong-kong-film-directors", "york-university-alumni", "hong-kong-film-producers", "action-film-directors", "tvb-actors", "hong-kong-male-screenwriters"] description: "Hong Kong filmmaker (1955-2018)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_Lam" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Hong Kong filmmaker (1955-2018) ::

::data[format=table title="infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameRingo Lam
imageRingo Lam.jpg
captionLam in 2015
birth_nameLam Ling-tung
birth_date
birth_placeBritish Hong Kong
death_date
death_placeHong Kong
alma_materYork University
occupationFilm director
screenwriter
film producer
years_active1983–2018
module{{Infobox Chinese
t林嶺東
jlam4 leng5 dung1
::

| name = Ringo Lam | image = Ringo Lam.jpg | alt = | caption = Lam in 2015 | birth_name = Lam Ling-tung | birth_date = | birth_place = British Hong Kong | death_date = | death_place = Hong Kong | alma_mater = York University | occupation = Film director screenwriter film producer | years_active = 1983–2018 | module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes | t = 林嶺東 | j = lam4 leng5 dung1 Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong filmmaker. He was known for his action and crime films produced during the Hong Kong New Wave, many of them comprising entries in the heroic bloodshed subgenre. He was nominated for six Hong Kong Film Awards, winning Best Director for his 1987 film City on Fire, which he followed with other similar films that shared a dark view of Hong Kong society, collectively known as the "On Fire" cycle.

Lam's other notable films include Aces Go Places IV (1986), Prison on Fire (1987), Undeclared War (1990), Twin Dragons (1992, co-directed with Tsui Hark), and Full Contact (1992). Many of his films starred Chow Yun-fat. He also directed several films in the United States, beginning with 1996's Maximum Risk, with Jean-Claude Van Damme. He would continue working on film productions in both Hong Kong and two more American productions with Van Damme until 2003.

In 2016, he won the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Director for his Wild City, his first film in 8 years. His final film, a segment in the omnibus Septet: The Story of Hong Kong, was released posthumously in 2020, two years after his death.

Early life and background

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Chow_Yun_Fat_for_wiki.jpg" caption="Chow Yun Fat met Ringo Lam at the actors training program. Chow has starred in many of Lam's films."] ::

Ringo Lam was born in British Hong Kong in 8 December 1955. Lam started his career by enrolling in the TVB Actors Training Program in 1973. At the program, he met Chow Yun Fat with whom he would later collaborate on several films. He graduated from the training program in 1974 alongside Chow. After taking a few acting roles, Lam went to Canada and studied film at York University in Toronto. Lam returned to Hong Kong in 1981.

Career

1980s

Lam's first four films were not written by him. Lam took over as director for Po-Chih Leong after he had finished about one-third of the film Esprit d'amour as the film's producer Karl Maka needed a cheap replacement and hired him. Lam explained that he had "no choice, I need food, so I do the best I can ..." Lam received sole directing credit for the film. The film was released on 15 December 1983 in Hong Kong. Lam's next feature film was The Other Side of Gentleman, which was released 28 June 1984 in Hong Kong. Lam followed this with the romantic comedy film Cupid One released 1985. The film grossed HK$6,382,935, which was less than his previous two films which both grossed over ten million Hong Kong dollars. Lam's next film was the fourth film in the Aces Go Places film series, Aces Go Places IV. Lam stated in interviews that he directed the film as a favor to Karl Maka, who helped give Lam his start. The film was very successful at the box office grossing HK$27,012,748 in Hong Kong.

After Aces Go Places IV, Karl Maka allowed Lam to make whatever type of film he wanted. Lam had two films released in 1987. one of which was the first of his On Fire films, City on Fire. The film is a gangster movie which was made in Hong Kong in the footsteps of A Better Tomorrow (1986) which re-invented the gangster film genre in Hong Kong. The film was released on 13 February 1987 and earned $19,723,505 in Hong Kong. Lam won the award for Best Director award at the 1987 Hong Kong Film Awards for City on Fire. Lam's next film that year was Prison on Fire which had a script that was written in nine days while the film was shot in 20 days.

In 1988, along with Karl Maka, Lam had a brief acting role in the film The Eighth Happiness. Lam then continued his On Fire series with School on Fire which was released in Hong Kong on 20 August 1988. School on Fire was edited with many scenes censored on its release in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lam's final film of the 1980s was Wild Search released in 1989. It grossed a total of HK$15,944,333 in Hong Kong.

1990s

Lam's first film of the 1990s was Undeclared War released in 1990. The film contained an international cast including Olivia Hussey, Peter Lapis, Danny Lee and Vernon Wells. The film was not as popular as Lam's previous films in Hong Kong, grossing HK$5,523,958. Lam's next film Touch and Go was released on 16 May 1991 in Hong Kong. The film was a comedy starring Sammo Hung. Lam stated in interviews that Touch and Go was an assignment took for hire in order to keep himself in the film business. The film grossed less than Undeclared War in Hong Kong. Lam released a second film in 1991 titled Prison on Fire II. The film was very popular with Hong Kong audiences where it grossed $24,367,261. Lam's next film Twin Dragons had him partnered with Tsui Hark as a director. According to Hark, Lam handled most of the action scenes in the film. Lam also briefly appears in the film as a car mechanic. Lam's next film Full Contact was released in Hong Kong on 23 July 1992. It grossed a total of HK$16,793,011. Lam followed it up with Burning Paradise which differed from his previous films by being a period film featuring the Chinese folk hero Fong Sai-yuk opposed a film set in an urban environ. The film was poorly received at the box office in Hong Kong, being the 145th highest-grossing film of the year. In 1995, Lam directed another period film set in 1975 starring Andy Lau titled The Adventurers. The film was shot partially in the Philippines and the United States and grossed HK$14,839,584 in Hong Kong.

In 1996, Lam made his American debut with the film Maximum Risk starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film was not a big draw at the box office. Lam returned to Hong Kong where he shot his next film Full Alert which was budgeted at $13 million. The film was shown at film festivals in 1997 including Rotterdam and Berlin. Full Alert was nominated for five awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards and won the award for best film and best actor (Lau Ching-wan) at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards. Lam followed up Full Alert the next year with The Suspect which was shot in the Philippines. The Suspect was not as financially successful as Full Alert, grossing around ten million less. In 1998, Variety announced that Lam would direct the film Simon Sez with Kevin Elders. Lam later only contributed to the film as a producer. Lam directed a Hong Kong production titled Victim. The film featured a supernatural storyline and had its ending changed on its Hong Kong theatrical release. Half of the release prints contained a scene stating whether or not the actor was possessed by a ghost. The other half of the movie reflected the original script and did not reveal this.

21st century

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Jean-Claude_Van_Damme_June_2,_2007,_cropped.jpg" caption="Three of Lam's films directed in the 2000s starred actor Jean-Claude Van Damme."] ::

Lam's second U.S.-based production, Replicant, was released in 2001. The film was screened theatrically in France on 11 July 2001. The film was released direct-to-video in the United States. Lam directed two more films in 2003: the Hong Kong production Looking for Mister Perfect and the American direct-to-video release In Hell starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Lam next took a break from filmmaking after finding dissatisfaction with the filming environment in Hong Kong after Finding Mr. Perfect did poorly in the box office. Lam also stated that he wanted to spend more time with his family and "above all, to observe people and learn more about them. I wanted to seek resources, material, and subjects that were worth making into films."

In 2007, Lam co-directed a section of the portmanteau film Triangle with Tsui Hark and Johnnie To. Lam stated that his story in the film represented "a metaphor of my attitude towards filmmaking: It is always a love-hate process." The film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2014, the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily reported that Lam would return to directing with a film with funding from Mei Ah Entertainment with a cast to include Daniel Wu and Shawn Yue. The film began production in June 2014. The film marked Lam's first feature-length film in over a decade Lam's new film was titled Wild City. Lam stated that he returned to filming after his son had graduated from college and that he would "like to make films that allow me to express myself. It's a device for me to unburden myself, to get things off my chest, and also a mirror to learn more about myself through the film I made. I don't make films for money anymore." Lam attended the New York Asian Film Festival in 2015 where he was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lam's last film, Sky on Fire, was released in 2016; it is the last installment in his "On Fire" series.

On 29 December 2018, Lam was confirmed dead at his Hong Kong residence at age 63, after his wife found him unresponsive in his bed. Lam had been working on a film "Eight and a Half" with Milkyway Image with Ann Hui, John Woo, Tsui Hark, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To, Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo-Ping. Each director was to create a segment based on Hong Kong history. Without Woo's segment, the film's title was changed to Septet: The Story of Hong Kong and the film was originally set for a release at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The film was screened at the Busan International Film Festival on 21 October 2020.

Style

Lam's first four films were comedies not written by Lam. When Lam began to shoot the films he wanted to make after the success of Aces Go Places IV, he began his On Fire series. Lam chose the English titles for these films stating that it gave them "a sense of energy, of action". The films City on Fire, Prison on Fire and School on Fire do not share any characters or situations, but all have a common bleak view on Hong Kong society. In these films, Lam looks at controversial issues such as street violence and the abuse of street, prison and school systems.

Lam rarely employed Cantopop in his films. Lam's films often have Western music, such as City on Fire, which features a blues-oriented saxophone score, and Full Contact, which uses American rock music.

Filmography

::data[format=table title="Ringo Lam's film appearances and roles"]

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerActorHimselfOtherRef(s)You Are WonderfulEsprit d'amourThe Other Side of GentlemanCupid OneAces Go Places IVThe Thirty Million RushCity on FirePrison on FireThe Eighth HappinessSchool on FireWild SearchUndeclared WarRebel from ChinaTouch and GoPrison on Fire IITwin DragonsFull ContactBurning ParadiseThe AdventurersMaximum RiskFull AlertThe SuspectVictimSimon SezReplicantLooking for Mister PerfectIn HellTriangleTarantino: The Disciple of Hong KongWild CitySky on FireSeptet: The Story of Hong Kong
1976
1983
1984
1985
1986
1986Stunt director
1987
1987
1988
1988
1989
1990
1990
1991
1991
1992
1992
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
1999
2001
2003
2003
2007
2011
2015
2016
2020Posthumous release
::

References

Bibliography

  • {{cite book | last= Charles | first= John | title= The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997 |publisher= McFarland |year= 2000 |isbn= 0786408421
  • {{cite book | last= Stokes | first= Lisa Odham | title= City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema | publisher= Verso | year= 1999 | isbn= 1859842038 | url= https://archive.org/details/cityonfirehongko00stok
  • {{cite book | last= Yang | first= Jeff | title= Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema | publisher= Simon & Schuster | year= 2003 | isbn= 0743448170 | url= https://archive.org/details/onceupontimeinch00yang
  • {{cite book | last= West | first= David | title= Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film | publisher= I.B. Tauris | year= 2006 | isbn= 1850439826 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/chasingdragonsin0000west
  • {{cite book | last= Thomas | first= Brian | title= VideoHound's Dragon: Asian Action and Cult Flicks |publisher= Visible Ink Press |year= 2003 |isbn= 1578591414

References

  1. Buchanan, Jason. "Ringo Lam". [[Rovi Corporation]].
  2. Lau, Henry. (2021-12-14). "Hong Kong's 'star factory': without TVB's artist training course, would Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow and other Canto-pop and film idols have launched their showbiz careers?". [[South China Morning Post]].
  3. Stokes, 1999. p. 64
  4. Wong, Raymond. (2008). "An Interview with Raymond Wong". Joy Sales Hong Kong.
  5. "Esprit d'amour". [[Hong Kong Film Archive]].
  6. (April 2018). "The other side of gentleman". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  7. "Cupid one". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  8. Firsching, Robert. "Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street". Rovi Corporation.
  9. Charles, 2000, p. 4
  10. (April 2018). "Aces go places IV". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  11. (April 2018). "City on Fire". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  12. Stokes, 1999. p. 71
  13. Charles, 2000, p. 124
  14. (April 2018). "School on Fire". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  15. Charles, 2000, p. 276
  16. (April 2018). "Wild Search". [[Hong Kong Film Archive]].
  17. (April 2018). "Undeclared War". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  18. Crow, Jonathan. "Undeclared War". Rovi Corporation.
  19. "Touch and Go". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  20. Crow, Jonathan. "Touch and Go (1991)". Rovi Corporation.
  21. Charles, 2000, p. 318
  22. (April 2018). "Prison on Fire II". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  23. Morton, 2009. p.186
  24. "Twin Dragons: Cast & Crew". Rovi Corporation.
  25. "Full contact". [[Hong Kong Film Archive]].
  26. Thomas, 2003. p. 79
  27. Morton, 2009. p.201
  28. Thomas, 2003. p. 7
  29. (April 2018). "The adventurers". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  30. Stewart, Bhob. "Ko Dou Gai Bei". Rovi Corporation.
  31. link. [[Hong Kong Film Awards]]
  32. (22 January 1998). "The 4th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards : 香港電影評論學會". [[Hong Kong Film Critics Society]].
  33. O'Brien, 2003. p.173
  34. "The suspect". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  35. (18 June 1998). "Burton eyes 'Hollow'; Rodman wrestles". [[Variety (magazine).
  36. Leydon, Joe. (27 September 1999). "Review: 'Simon Sez'". [[Variety (magazine).
  37. Elley, Derek. (19 March 2000). "Variety Reviews - Victim - Film Reviews - - Review by Derek Elley".
  38. Miller, Skyler. "Replicant". Rovi Corporation.
  39. Nesselson, Lisa. (23 July 2001). "Replicant". [[Variety (magazine).
  40. Wheeler, Jeremy. "In Hell". Rovi Corporation.
  41. Buchanan, Jason. "Looking for M. Perfect (2003)". Rovi Corporation.
  42. (17 May 2007). "Out of Competition: "Triangle" by Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, and Johnnie To". [[Cannes Film Festival]].
  43. Ma, Kevin. (28 February 2014). "Ringo Lam to direct new action film". [[Film Business Asia]].
  44. (9 September 2014). "Kaiju Shakedown: Ringo Lam". [[Film Comment]].
  45. Ma, Kevin. (21 May 2015). "Hong Kong takes spotlight at NY Asian Fest".
  46. (29 December 2018). "Ringo Lam Dies: Hong Kong Director Of 'City On Fire' Was 63". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
  47. (29 December 2018). "著名動作片導演林嶺東猝逝 享壽63歲". [[Yahoo! News]].
  48. (29 December 2018). "Hong Kong Director Ringo Lam Dies at 63". [[Variety (magazine).
  49. Shackleton, Liz. (6 February 2015). "Johnnie To assembles top Hong Kong talent". [[Screen Daily]].
  50. Qin, Amy. (4 January 2019). "Ringo Lam, Director of Hong Kong Classic 'City on Fire,' Dies at 63". [[The New York Times]].
  51. Boone, John. (3 June 2020). "Cannes Announces Official Lineup for This Year's Canceled Film Festival". WUSA9.
  52. West, 2006. p. 170
  53. "你係得嘅 You are wonderful /". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  54. "橫財三千萬 The thirty million rush /". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  55. "Prison on Fire". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  56. "學校風雲 School on fire". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  57. "勇闖天下 Rebel from China /". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  58. "雙龍會 Twin dragons /". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  59. "Burning Paradise". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  60. Klady, Leonard. (16 September 1996). "Maximum Risk". Variety.
  61. "Victim". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  62. "Looking for Misterperfect". Hong Kong Film Archive.
  63. "Triangle". Hong Kong Movie Database.
  64. Brown, Todd. (24 May 2011). "Trailer For Upcoming Documentary Tarantino: The Disciple Of Hong Kong". [[Twitch Film]].
  65. Tsui, Clarence. (2015-07-16). "'Wild City' ('Mai Sing'): Film Review". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
  66. Wu, Daniel. (19 September 2015). "thatdanielwu". [[Instagram]].

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1955-births2018-deathshong-kong-film-directorsyork-university-alumnihong-kong-film-producersaction-film-directorstvb-actorshong-kong-male-screenwriters