Collections/August 2026

Directed by Ringo Lam

Featuring an introduction by Grady Hendrix, part of Criterion’s Spotlight series Raw, gritty, intensely angry visions of individuals pushed to the brink by a corrupt society, the films of Hong Kong action renegade Ringo Lam scorch the screen with an anarchic fury. His action classic City on Fire offered Chow Yun-fat one of his meatiest roles and inspired Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs . With his further entries in the “On Fire” series and later triumphs like the propulsive handover-era thriller Full Alert , Lam doubled down on social criticism without stinting on the action, offering a searing portrait of systemic moral breakdown.

7 films

Still watchable end to end.