Editing Ringo Lam (section)

===1980s===
Lam's first four films were not written by him.<ref name="Stokes64">Stokes, 1999. p. 64</ref> Lam took over as director for [[Po-Chih Leong]] after he had finished about one-third of the film ''[[Esprit d'amour]]'' as the film's producer [[Karl Maka]] needed a cheap replacement and hired him.<ref name="Interview-Raymond-Wong" /> Lam explained that he had "no choice, I need food, so I do the best I can&nbsp;..." Lam received sole directing credit for the film.<ref name="Interview-Raymond-Wong">{{cite video|first=Raymond|last=Wong|year= 2008|title=An Interview with Raymond Wong|language=zh|publisher=Joy Sales Hong Kong|time=0:00:00-0:05:59}} (DVD)</ref> The film was released on 15 December 1983 in Hong Kong.<ref name="spiritamour">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537864691205|work=[[Hong Kong Film Archive]]|title=Esprit d'amour|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209164200/http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537864691205|url-status=live}}</ref> Lam's next feature film was ''[[The Other Side of Gentleman]]'', which was released 28 June 1984 in Hong Kong.<ref name="othersideof">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139G5ON079527.286&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!33796@!0&ri=7&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=The+other+side+of+gentleman&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=7|work=Hong Kong Film Archive|title=The other side of gentleman|access-date=28 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Lam followed this with the romantic comedy film ''[[Cupid One]]'' released 1985.<ref name="cupid-one">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139G5ON079527.286&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!36592@!0&ri=11&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=Cupid+one&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=11|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140228175109/http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139G5ON079527.286&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!36592@!0&ri=11&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=Cupid+one&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=11|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 February 2014|work=Hong Kong Film Archive|title=Cupid one|access-date=28 February 2014}}</ref> The film grossed HK$6,382,935, which was less than his previous two films which both grossed over ten million Hong Kong dollars.<ref name="spiritamour" /><ref name="othersideof" /><ref name="cupid-one" /> Lam's next film was the fourth film in the ''[[Aces Go Places (film series)|Aces Go Places]]'' film series, ''[[Aces Go Places IV]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/mad-mission-3-our-man-from-bond-street-v711|work=Allmovie|publisher=Rovi Corporation|title=Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street|access-date=28 February 2014|author=Firsching, Robert|archive-date=18 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418195428/http://www.allmovie.com/movie/mad-mission-3-our-man-from-bond-street-v711|url-status=live}}</ref> Lam stated in interviews that he directed the film as a favor to [[Karl Maka]], who helped give Lam his start.<ref>Charles, 2000, p. 4</ref> The film was very successful at the box office grossing HK$27,012,748 in Hong Kong.<ref name="agp4-hkfa">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139G5ON079527.286&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!35139@!0&ri=2&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=Aces+go+places+IV&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=2|work=Hong Kong Film Archive|title=Aces go places IV|access-date=28 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

After ''[[Aces Go Places IV]]'', Karl Maka allowed Lam to make whatever type of film he wanted.<ref name="Stokes64" /><ref name="Stokes71" /> Lam's had two films released in 1987.<ref name="hkfa-cof" /> one of which was the first of his ''On Fire'' films, ''City on Fire''.<ref name="Stokes64" /> The film is a gangster movie which was made in Hong Kong in the footsteps of ''[[A Better Tomorrow]]'' (1986) which re-invented the gangster film genre in Hong Kong.<ref name="Stokes64" /> The film was released on 13 February 1987 and earned $19,723,505 in Hong Kong.<ref name="hkfa-cof">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O5I99450U4.536&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!32063@!0&ri=2&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=City+on+fire+1987&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=2|work=Hong Kong Film Archive|title=City on Fire|access-date=28 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Lam won the award for Best Director award at the 1987 Hong Kong Film Awards for ''City on Fire''.<ref name="allmovie-bio" /> Lam's next film that year was ''[[Prison on Fire]]'' which had a script that was written in nine days while the film was shot in 20 days.<ref name="Stokes71">Stokes, 1999. p. 71</ref>

In 1988, along with Karl Maka, Lam had a brief acting role in the film ''[[The Eighth Happiness]]''.<ref name="Charles124">Charles, 2000, p. 124</ref> Lam then continued his ''On Fire'' series with ''[[School on Fire]]'' which was released in Hong Kong on 20 August 1988.<ref name="hkfa-sof">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O5I99450U4.536&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!30281@!1&ri=6&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=6|work=Hong Kong Film Archive|title=School on Fire|access-date=28 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ''School on Fire'' was edited with many scenes censored on its release in both Hong Kong and [[Taiwan]].<ref>Charles, 2000, p. 276</ref> Lam's final film of the 1980s was ''[[Wild Search]]'' released in 1989. It grossed a total of HK$15,944,333 in Hong Kong.<ref name="Wild Search">{{cite web|url=http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=139O5I99450U4.536&profile=hkfa&uri=full=3100024@!28759@!0&ri=2&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&source=192.168.110.61@!horizon&ipp=20&staffonly=&term=Wild+search&index=FILMBRP&uindex=&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=2|work=[[Hong Kong Film Archive]]|title=Wild Search|access-date=28 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>