Burning Flame (1998)

If I could and if I was petulant enough, I would like to give this drama 10/10 just for Wong Hei and Chin Ka Lok.

What actually stopped me from doing so was the way the story quickly derailed into the kind of melodrama I absolutely abhor in the 90s and early 2000s TVB dramas. Messy love triangles? Checked. Jealous, prideful male characters who insist on emotionally blackmailing the women they so-called love? Checked. Mental illness being twisted into something scary? Checked. Unnecessary resorting to suicide? Checked.

Nitpicking aside, the performances by the artistes were top-notch, especially Wong Hei's. It's no wonder he was in all three installments of the Burning Flame series as he quickly grabbed the audience's attention as the passionate firefighter. Tin-Yau's rash and impulsive abandoning of his own safety can be a tad annoying at times but ultimately, we all root for him. Same goes to Chin Ka Lok's Dai-Heng and tragically, Joe Tay's Bat. Even Lee San San, whom I was never really impressed with, managed to win me over in her role of endearing and sweet girl-next-door Yuet.

Ultimately, this is a prime example of 90s TVB dramas and definitely, a lasting memory of many HK citizens. But it is not something I would like to re-watch.

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