"The Theft 3" Police Absence
The film "The Theft of Wind and Cloud 3", co-produced by Bona Film Group and Youku Tudou Group, announced yesterday at the Hong Kong Film Festival that it will officially premiere on May 30. The film is the third installment of the "Theft Series", produced by Er Dongsheng and co-directed by Mak Zhaohui and Cheung Man-Kwong. Compared to the traditional police and gangster films' "fighting and killing", the "Theft Series" has always relied on literary elements, using high-tech crimes as a gimmick, and character relationships and human nature as the narrative's explosive points. In terms of plot, the story of "Theft 3" escalates from exposing the dark side of securities and stocks to the more explosive realm of real estate transactions. Producer Er Dongsheng stated: "This time, the subject matter is placed in a more sensitive area, related to the dark side of real estate and more connected to life, which is also very explosive. The stakes in land are greater than those in finance and stocks; this situation has not yet occurred in Hong Kong, but when it does, there will be life-threatening risks. This is something that will definitely happen in the near future, possibly within five years." Director Mak Zhaohui further revealed that "Theft 3" is a film "completely devoid of police". "Without police, the issues of right and wrong become blurred. The most challenging part is grasping this aspect." He pointed out that compared to traditional police and gangster films, "Theft 3" should be classified more as a crime film. "There are many elements of crime in the film, close to the ugly side of human nature. For the sake of profit, even familial bonds are disregarded; this is the ugliest part of human nature."
"The Assault Vehicle" Gangsters Impersonate Police
Produced by Emperor Motion Pictures and directed by newcomer Lau Ho-Leung, "The Assault Vehicle" stars actors such as Anthony Wong, Danny Lee, and Gigi Leung, and is also a rather unconventional police and gangster film, which Lau Ho-Leung himself describes as "strange". The protagonist of "The Assault Vehicle" is played by Anthony Wong, a gangster who, twenty years ago, took all the blame for his brothers and ended up in prison. After enduring prison life, Anthony Wong gathers his old friends Danny Lee, Gigi Leung, and others for a reunion and proposes a whimsical robbery method: to modify a minibus into an assault vehicle, disguise as police officers, and use the most "peaceful" method to rob a vehicle transporting large amounts of smuggled Renminbi. Gigi Leung plays a police officer who, with her "extraordinary" intuition, detects an astonishing "criminal scent" and is determined to track down this group of gangsters, leading to a clash between the two sides. Lau Ho-Leung defines this film as an atypical Hong Kong-style police and gangster film, stating, "This will be a strange police and gangster movie, and the story will ultimately reveal the sense of justice hidden in everyone's heart. In fact, what uniform one wears is not important; the goodness within is the true essence."
