Reviewed by: STSH Date: 10/30/2010 Summary: Better than the original, which is really saying something. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 10/26/2005 After achieving success with City on Fire and the original Prison on Fire, Ringo Lam's career hit a slump with a series of box office failures. With Wild Search and this sequel, Lam moved away from the dark tone which highlighted many of his earlier works. Though this movie involves the same protagonist as the first (Chow Yun-Fat, essaying a role he can probably play in his sleep) and features similar themes, they are radically different in execution. Don't get me wrong, Prison on Fire 2 is still a good film, but I really enjoyed the moodiness and downright violent bits of the first movie and prefer it over the somewhat sappy happenings in the sequel. Prison on Fire 2's basic plot has Chow being denied parole and then hatching a plan to escape with an old-timer (Chang Chung-Yung) so he can see his son one last time. There's lots of melodrama and some overacting, even from the great Chow. But the movie as a whole flows really well except for a couple of bonding scenes between Chow and Chang which slow it down a bit. And of course, there's a huge, vicious prison brawl at the end. Big Chow Yun-Fat or Ringo Lam fans will probably get more out of this movie than the average viewer, but it's still definitely worth a look. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 09/01/2005 Summary: Not quite as engaging as the first... Chow Yun-Fat returns as the lovable prisoner Ching in Ringo Lam's sequal to the immensely popular Prison on Fire. In this film however, more of the focus is on Ching and his battles to see his young son in the real world. There were scenes which dealt with this in the first movie, but now they are brought to the forefront and the plot revolves around not only Ching's struggles with his fellow prisoners and the officials, but his fear that his son will grow up having never known his father. As with Prison on Fire, the conflict between two rival gangs (this time between mainland Chinese and Hong Kong Chinese) takes center stage, in addition to a twisted warden who uses conflict to eliminate certain prisoners. After being framed for a murder, the leader of mainland Chinese, Big Dragon (Wan Yeung) escapes from the prison by jumping into the surrounding sea and swimming to a nearby island. Having been denied to see his son too many times, Ching decides to join him, making the plunge as well. Most of the movie takes place on the remote island as the two men run from the prison guards and the warden, finding precious time outside the walls. Later, back in the prison, Ching once again finds himself caught between the two warring gangs, and must survive being made the scapegoat. Although not quite as entertaining as the original, Prison on Fire II is a good movie, with quality performances turned by Chow Yun-Fat (no surprise there), Tommy Wong (who returns as Ching's friend Bill) and Wan Yeung as Big Dragon. A familiar face from the first film even makes a surprise appearance in the movie's final scene. The stand-off scenes are just as exciting as the original, but the picture as a whole lacks the punch that the first had. In fact, most of the best scenes don't take place in the prison but on the island where the two convicts are hiding. Although it can't match the original, Prison on Fire II is still a good watch. 7/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/25/2003 Summary: Poor as a sequel, BUT... Poor as a sequel, BUT...still quite entertaining. If you forget the first film while you watch this, it is pretty good, but other than that, it's the same old thing again. 2.5/5

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 03/07/2002 Summary: Ok-ish i dont remember enough about this movie but i remember it was a continue on from the first movie and it was just more of the same.

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 01/08/2002 Summary: "Lacklustre" sequel (always wanted to say that!) Sequel to Prison On Fire, where Leung Ka Fai has been released but CYF is still there trying to remain cheerful. Roy Cheung is also replaced here by an even more hard-ass Elvis Tsui (unwisely sporting hair for the role!). The movie basically retreads the same ground as the first one, introducing the conflict between the mainlander prisoners and the 'hongkie' prisoners to give a new dynamic to the relationships, and exploring the possibility of 'escape' for the first time. Whilst not a bad movie, POF2 feels a little like it's treadmilling in the same waters rather than exploring a particular vision, and the characters and relationships have less depth. The movie also suffers for the lack of Leung Ka Fai, and Elvis Tsui doesn't fill Roy Cheung's shoes to capacity either. Possibly a bit more violence in this one, but less substance.

Reviewed by: Darryl Date: 12/21/1999 The mainland prisoners and "hongkies" (HK prisoners) duke it out while Chow Yun Fat forms a bond with a Mainland triad boss wrongly framed (by one of his own men) for the murder of an inmate. Tommy Wong reprises his role from the first.

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL In this installment, boisterous Chow Yun Fat tries to keeppeace between HK and mainlander prison factions, but ends up being set up for murder and a revenge hit. The evil warden nearly combusts when Chow and his mainlander buddy escape, resulting in a series of improbable (though invigorating) chases. It's a somber melodrama with a hilarious twist at the end (that is, if you've seen POF 1). (2.5/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 6