Following A Better Tomorrow (1986), City on Fire helped establish Chow's popularity as an action star in Asia and to a lesser degree North America.

An undercover cop, Chan Kam-wah, investigating a group of jewelry thieves, is killed by three attackers.

Chow offers the gang weapons for sale through Tai Song, a middleman, but is followed by Chan's team during the meeting.

Chow tries to stop her and proposes marriage, but she challenges him to prove his sincerity by meeting her at the registry office the next day.

The police are unaware of which jewelry store the gang will target but have teams ready to respond.

"[7] Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee appeared together two years later in John Woo's The Killer, where again their characters bond despite being on opposite sides of the law.