{{Short description|2010 Hong Kong-Chinese film by Dante Lam}} {{Infobox film |name = Fire of Conscience |image = Fire of Conscience poster.jpg |caption = Theatrical release poster |producer = Dante Lam<br/>Candy Leung |director = [[Dante Lam]] |screenplay = [[Jack Ng]] |story = Dante Lam |starring = [[Leon Lai]]<br/>[[Richie Jen]]<br/>[[Wang Baoqiang]]<br/>[[Vivian Hsu]]<br/>[[Liu Kai-chi]]<br/>[[Michelle Ye]]<br/>[[Wilfred Lau]] |music = [[Henry Lai Wan-man]] |editing = Chan Kei-hop |cinematography = Charlie Lam<br/>Tse Chung-to |studio = Media Asia Films<br>China Film Media Asia Audio Video Distribution |distributor = [[Media Asia Entertainment Group|Media Asia Distribution]] |released = {{Film date|df=y|2010|4|1}} |runtime = 105 minutes |country = Hong Kong<br/>China<ref name="variety">{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117942541.html |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Fire of Conscience |date=April 5, 2010 |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |last=Edwards |first=Rusell}}</ref><ref name="fba-review"/> |language = {{ubl|Cantonese|Mandarin}} |budget = }} '''''Fire of Conscience''''' ({{zh|t=火龍|l=Fire Dragon}}) is a 2010 [[action film]] directed by [[Dante Lam]] and starring [[Leon Lai]] and [[Richie Jen]]. A Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, the film was released in Hong Kong on 1 April 2010.
==Cast== *[[Leon Lai]] as Detective Manfred *[[Richie Jen]] as Inspector Kee *[[Wang Baoqiang]] as Xiao Yong *[[Vivian Hsu]] as Ellen *[[Liu Kai-chi]] as Cheung On *[[Michelle Ye]] as May *[[Charles Ying]] as Sam *[[Wilfred Lau]] as Hoi
==Production== Director Dante Lam explained that the title of the film originates from the traditional fire [[dragon dance]] that Hong Kong residents used to practice to drive off pestilence and that he believes that there is pestilence in every human's soul that must be beaten out.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} To prepare for the action scenes, [[Leon Lai]] prepared for these scenes by exercising, jogging and swimming. [[Richie Jen]] stated that Lam wanted him to "lose weight to add more shadiness to my character. But before making any extra effort, I found myself thinner thanks to the hot weather and so many fighting scenes to shoot."{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} Lai suggested that both Jen and he should sing as a duet for the theme song for the film. Jen stated that he "felt strange. But I liked the song instantly when [[Mark Lui]] finished it. We hope the song can lead the audience into a deeper understanding about the movie."{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}
==Release== ''Fire of Conscience'' premiered at the [[Hong Kong Asian Film Festival|Hong Kong Film Festival]] on March 23, 2010. It received wide release in China and Hong Kong on April 1, 2010.<ref name="fba-review">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/fire-of-conscience |title=Fire of Conscience (火龍) |work=Film Business Asia |last=Elley |first=Derek |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |date=May 14, 2010}}</ref> ''Fire of Conscience'''s debuted at fourth place at the Hong Kong box office and charted in Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand. The film stayed in the charts for four weeks in Hong Kong. The film grossed a total of US$526,017 in Hong Kong and US$806,708 world-wide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&country=HK&wk=2010W14&id=_fFORLUNGFIREOFCO01 |work=Box Office Mojo |title=For lung (Fire of Conscience) |accessdate=September 27, 2010}}</ref>
==Reception== Perry Lam of [[Muse (Hong Kong magazine)|''Muse'']] magazine writes, 'in designing and executing the action scenes, [Lam] focuses too much on firepower and body count, and too little on their potential transgressive and transformational power.'<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lam |first=Perry |year=2010 |title='Question and answer' |journal=Muse Magazine |issue=40 |pages=88}}</ref> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out Hong Kong]]'' gave the film a rating of three out of six stars noting that it was slightly less memorable than Dante Lam's previous film ''[[Beast Stalker]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com.hk/film/features/33174/fire-of-conscience.html |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out Hong Kong]] |title=Fire of Conscience |date=March 31, 2010 |last=Lee |first=Edmon |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716220822/http://www.timeout.com.hk/film/features/33174/fire-of-conscience.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''[[The Montreal Gazette]]'' gave a mixed review, saying that the film is "exciting, visually stunning movie, full of action and the bright punchy colours of a [[Sharp Quattron]] commercial. Unfortunately, it’s not much more than that."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/thecinefiles/archive/2010/09/21/tiff-2010-fire-of-conscience.aspx |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |title=TIFF 2010: Fire of Conscience |last=Kratina |first=Al |date=September 21, 2010 |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213092720/http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/thecinefiles/archive/2010/09/21/tiff-2010-fire-of-conscience.aspx |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Independent Film Channel|IFC]] gave a mixed review stating that "Lam's action is innovative and clever, but his approach to the characters is the exact opposite: predictable and obvious. We know these cops from so many previous movies. Not a single thing they do surprises us."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/09/fantastic-fest-2010-fire-of-co.php |work=IFC |title="Fire of Conscience," Reviewed |date=September 25, 2010 |last=Singer |first=Matt |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008000031/http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/09/fantastic-fest-2010-fire-of-co.php |archive-date=October 8, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' described the film as "the loudest of the year" and "Any real thought about the nature of duty and the law is swept aside for action, action, and more action – which is average for Lam but still superior to most."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/fire-conscience-film-review-29439 |title=Fire of Conscience – Film Review |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |accessdate=January 26, 2011 |date=March 23, 2010 |last=Kerr |first=Elizabeth}}</ref>
''[[The Montreal Mirror]]'' called the film a disappointment of the Toronto Film Festival, noting "incoherent plotting" and that "Lam obviously has some action chops, but he doesn’t exploit them nearly enough here."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montrealmirror.com/wp/2010/09/23/film/it-takes-two-to-tiff/ |title=It takes two to TIFF|work=[[Montreal Mirror]] |accessdate=September 26, 2010 |date=September 23, 2010 |last=Slutsky |first=Mark}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.mediaasia.com/fireofconscience}} *{{IMDb title|1602500}} *''[http://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=13945&display_set=eng Fire of Conscience]'' at the [[Hong Kong Movie Database]] *''[http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=11106 Fire of Conscience] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118132345/http://hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=11106 |date=2022-01-18 }}'' at the [[Hong Kong Cinemagic]]
{{Dante Lam}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fire Of Conscience}} [[Category:2010 films]] [[Category:2010 Cantonese-language films]] [[Category:2010 action thriller films]] [[Category:Hong Kong action thriller films]] [[Category:Police detective films]] [[Category:Films directed by Dante Lam]] [[Category:Media Asia films]] [[Category:Films set in Hong Kong]] [[Category:Films shot in Hong Kong]] [[Category:2010 Hong Kong films]] [[Category:Films scored by Henry Lai Wan-man]] [[Category:Cantonese-language action thriller films]]