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Review | Under Current movie review: Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng seek justice in fun but silly thriller
This Hong Kong tale of greed and corruption is a watchable portrait of greed and corruption, but it is also thoroughly detached from reality
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2.5/5 stars
Under Current is a quintessential example of the Hong Kong crime film in its present, transitional state. While it paints a mostly watchable portrait of greed and corruption, the film’s story also happens to be thoroughly detached from reality – music to the ears of censors, perhaps.
Directed by Alan Mak Siu-fai (Infernal Affairs) from a screenplay he co-scripted with Lam Fung, this thematic follow-up to Mak’s 2019 anti-corruption drama Integrity again takes a distinctly convoluted narrative to ponder the state of law enforcement, only to lose much of its conviction with preposterous twists and turns.
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It begins in sensational fashion at the gala of a major charity organisation, whose CFO, Yeung To (Simon Yam Tat-wah), suddenly appears hanging above the stage – with the words “Clear my name” written on his shirt – while its president, Ko Shing-man (Alex Fong Chung-sun), is giving a speech below.
It immediately becomes clear to the audience that Ko is a pantomime villain involved in a range of criminal activities, from embezzlement to money laundering, and he is trying to locate HK$200 million (US$26 million) that has recently vanished from the charity funds amid the chaos of persistent malpractice.
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Meanwhile, police sergeant Or Ting-pong (Francis Ng Chun-yu), working from a tip-off and without a search warrant, is secretly investigating charity accounts entrusted to the law firm of barrister Ma Ying-fung (Aaron Kwok Fu-shing). When discovered, Or astonishingly suggests that Ma simply hand the files over.
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