Ringo Lam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ringo Lam
Born	(1955-12-08)8 December 1955 British Hong Kong
Died	29 December 2018(2018-12-29) (aged 63) Hong Kong
Alma mater	York University
Occupation	Film director screenwriter film producer
Years active	1983–2018
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	林嶺東
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Jyutping lam4 leng5 dung1

Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (simplified Chinese: 林岭东; traditional Chinese: 林嶺東; pinyin: Lín Lǐngdōng, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a famous film director, producer, and writer from Hong Kong. He was born in Hong Kong in 1955. Ringo Lam first went to acting school, but he soon found he liked making movies more than acting. So, he went to Canada to study filmmaking.

In 1983, he came back to Hong Kong and started directing comedy films. After his movie Aces Go Places IV became a big hit, he got to make his own kind of films. In 1987, Lam directed City on Fire. This movie was very popular and helped him win his first Hong Kong Film Award. Ringo Lam made other similar films that showed a serious look at Hong Kong society. Many of these movies starred the famous actor Chow Yun-fat. In 1996, Lam made his first American movie, Maximum Risk, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. He kept making movies in both Hong Kong and America until 2003. Ringo Lam passed away at his home on 29 December 2018.

Early Life and Training

Chow Yun Fat met Ringo Lam at acting school. They worked together on many movies later.

Ringo Lam was born in British Hong Kong on 8 December 1955. He began his career in 1973 by joining a TV acting program. There, he met Chow Yun Fat, who would later star in many of Lam's movies.

After acting in a few roles, Lam decided to study film. He went to Canada and learned about filmmaking at York University in Toronto. Ringo Lam returned to Hong Kong in 1981, ready to start his directing journey.

His Film Career

Starting Out in the 1980s

Ringo Lam's first four movies were comedies, but he didn't write them himself. He took over directing Esprit d'amour in 1983. The movie's producer, Karl Maka, needed a director quickly and hired Lam. Lam said he had "no choice" and just did his best. The film came out in December 1983.

His next films were The Other Side of Gentleman (1984) and Cupid One (1985). Then, he directed Aces Go Places IV in 1986. This movie was part of a popular film series. Lam said he directed it as a favor to Karl Maka, who had helped him get started. Aces Go Places IV was a huge success, earning a lot of money at the box office.

After this big hit, Karl Maka let Ringo Lam make any kind of movie he wanted. In 1987, Lam released two films. One was City on Fire, the first of his famous "On Fire" series. This was a crime movie, like A Better Tomorrow, which was very popular in Hong Kong. City on Fire was released in February 1987 and also earned a lot of money. Ringo Lam won the Best Director award at the 1987 Hong Kong Film Awards for this movie. His next film that year was Prison on Fire, which was written in just nine days and filmed in 20 days!

In 1988, Lam had a small acting role in The Eighth Happiness. He then continued his "On Fire" series with School on Fire, released in August 1988. Some scenes in School on Fire were changed (censored) when it was released. Lam's last movie of the 1980s was Wild Search in 1989.

Films in the 1990s

Ringo Lam's first film of the 1990s was Undeclared War (1990). It had actors from different countries. This film was not as popular as his earlier ones in Hong Kong. His next movie, Touch and Go, was a comedy starring Sammo Hung and came out in 1991. Lam said he directed it to stay busy in the film world.

Later in 1991, Lam released Prison on Fire II, which was very popular with audiences. In 1992, Lam worked with another famous director, Tsui Hark, on Twin Dragons. Lam helped direct most of the action scenes in this movie. He even had a small acting part as a car mechanic!

His next film, Full Contact, was released in July 1992. After that, he made Burning Paradise (1994). This movie was different because it was a historical film about a Chinese folk hero, not a modern city story. It didn't do very well at the box office. In 1995, Lam directed another historical film, The Adventurers, starring Andy Lau. Parts of this movie were filmed in the Philippines and the United States.

In 1996, Ringo Lam directed his first American movie, Maximum Risk, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It didn't attract a huge audience. Lam then returned to Hong Kong to make Full Alert (1997). This film was shown at major film festivals and won awards for best film and best actor from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

He followed Full Alert with The Suspect (1998), filmed in the Philippines. It wasn't as successful as Full Alert. In 1999, Lam directed Victim, which had a supernatural story. Interestingly, half of the movie copies released had a different ending than the other half!

The 2000s and Beyond

Ringo Lam directed two more films in the 2000s that starred actor Jean-Claude Van Damme.

In 2001, Lam's second American movie, Replicant, was released. It was shown in cinemas in France but went straight to video in the United States. In 2003, Lam directed two more films: Looking for Mr. Perfect (a Hong Kong movie) and In Hell (another American direct-to-video film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme).

After Looking for Mr. Perfect didn't do well, Lam took a break from filmmaking. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family and learn more about people and new ideas for movies.

In 2007, Lam worked with Tsui Hark and Johnnie To on a movie called Triangle. Each director made a part of the film. Lam said his part showed how he felt about making movies: "It is always a love-hate process." This film was shown at the famous Cannes Film Festival.

In 2014, news came out that Ringo Lam would direct again. His new film, Wild City, started production in June 2014. This was his first full-length movie in over ten years! Lam explained he came back to filmmaking after his son finished college. He said he wanted to make films that let him express himself, not just for money. In 2015, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Ringo Lam's last film was Sky on Fire, released in 2016. It was the final movie in his "On Fire" series.

On 29 December 2018, Ringo Lam passed away at his home in Hong Kong at age 63. He had been working on a new film called "Eight and a Half" (later named Septet: The Story of Hong Kong) with several other famous Hong Kong directors. Each director was creating a short story about Hong Kong's history. This film was released after his death.

Ringo Lam's Film Style

Ringo Lam's first few films were comedies. But after the success of Aces Go Places IV, he started making the movies he truly wanted. This led to his "On Fire" series. He chose these English titles because they sounded full of "energy" and "action."

The films City on Fire, Prison on Fire, and School on Fire don't have the same characters or stories. However, they all share a serious and sometimes dark look at Hong Kong society. In these movies, Lam explored tough topics like street violence and problems within the prison and school systems.

Lam often used Western music in his films instead of popular Hong Kong songs. For example, City on Fire has a blues-style saxophone score, and Full Contact uses American rock music.

Film List

See also

In Spanish: Ringo Lam para niños

• Cinema of Hong Kong