Movie:
Prison on Fire II is the English title for Tao Fan, which was originally released in 1991. The only sequel to 1987's Prison on Fire, the film features the re-teaming of director Ringo Lam and action star Chow Yun Fat (Ching). Along with the first part, the duo also teamed for City on Fire in 1987 and Full Contact in 1992. It is important to note that this DVD is missing two scenes – the scene where a toothbrush is stabbed through an eye is cut, as is the scene where the toothbrush is pulled out.

After the events of the first film, a new security officer, Zau, is introduced. However, much like his predecessor, he is entirely sadistic. Officer Zau sees Ching as a way to get information about the two gangs, the Mainlanders and the Hongkies, and refuses Ching a leave to attend his mother's funeral when he knows nothing. With his mother dead, Ching's only son, Siu Leung, is sent against his will to live at the orphanage. Ching requests a leave to visit his son, but that too, is denied. Ching manages to escape and visits Siu Leung, but afterwards, turns himself in. Zau, in order to regain his respect after Ching's escape, sets Ching up. Now with the gangs after him, Ching must find a way to convince them of his innocence and get even with Zau.

Much like the first, Prison on Fire II is a very moving drama that convincingly portrays the hopeless and oppressive life inmates face when they are incarcerated. Even better than the first in some respects, the sequel turns the spotlight to Ching, played to perfection by Chow Yun Fat, and develops the character in a greater detail. Though it is longer than the first film, the sequel actually has very few slow spots and it kept me engrossed throughout.

Picture:
Prison on Fire II is presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is a bit soft throughout the film and the print does have a fair amount of defects. Marks, scratches, specks, and some light grain all appear during the course of the film, though some scenes are remarkably free from defects. There is also some noticeable edge enhancement and some shimmering. Colors are natural, though on occasion are tinted or muted. Flesh tones are accurate throughout. Blacks are decent, but are often too light. Also, blues are too vibrant and are sometimes smeared during nighttime scenes.

Sound:
Prison on Fire II is presented in a remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 track in both Cantonese and Mandarin with optional subtitles in English. The 5.1 tracks are almost entirely center channel based, with the front surrounds used mainly for ambient noise and the rear surrounds almost entirely quiet throughout. There is one scene (with the helicopter) that effectively uses the front surrounds, but that's about it. The English subtitles, though readable, do contain quite a lot of bad grammar and misspellings. Also included are optional subtitles in Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Korean, Japanese, Bahasa (Indonesian and Malaysian), Thai, and Vietnamese.

Extras:
Extras include the trailer for this film and files for Yun Fat and Lam.

Summary:
Fans of the first film should definitely check out Prison on Fire II, as it's a terrific film in its own right and a great sequel. Recommended!