A War Named Desire

2000 1h 29m CN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 11

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Younger brother from HK visits older brother, who is a mid-level mobster in Thailand. He is looking to recoup money the brother took from the family when he fled HK 15 years earlier. His pesky girlfriend, refusing to stay in HK, learns the hard way that there's more to Thailand than elephant rides. The elder brother is caught up in an internal struggle within the mob. Someone is injecting drugs into their gambling operation. His search leads to a tug of war, with the brother and girlfriend caught in the middle.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Daniel Chan Hiu-Tung
Jones Fong Lung Chun
Francis Ng Chun-Yu
Charles Fong Lung Chu
Gigi Leung Wing-Kei
Snow
Dave Wong Kit
York
Sam Lee
Keith
Grace Lam Nga-Si
Chan Pui Sze
Pace Wu Pui-Tsi
Jess
David Lee Wai-Sheung
Henry Hung

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alan Mak Siu-Fai
Writers: Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, Alan Mak Siu-Fai, Joe Ma Tak-Chung
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai, shot by Chan Chi-Ying. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Lui. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Daniel Chan Hiu-Tung and Francis Ng Chun-Yu and Gigi Leung Wing-Kei carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0261125 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alan Mak Siu-Fai directs. Chan Chi-Ying behind the camera. Mark Lui scores. Cheung Ka-Fai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai, shot by Chan Chi-Ying. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Lui. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Daniel Chan Hiu-Tung and Francis Ng Chun-Yu and Gigi Leung Wing-Kei carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0261125 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 11 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.