The Goldfinger

2023 2h 6m CN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 56

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1970s Hong Kong, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was formed to bring down the corruption syndicate led by British government officials. One of its top investigators is Senior Investigator Lau Kai-Yuen, who brought down countless corrupted officials. Just as he thought stability and prosperity are within reach, a new era of greed and riches takes him into a new battlefield of corruption.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Henry Cheng
Andy Lau
Liu Qi Yuan
Charlene Choi Chuek-Yin
Carmen Zhang
Simon Yam
K.K. Zeng
Michael Ning
Ren Chong
Carlos Chan Ka-Lok
He Hao Yun
Tai Bo
Wu Ren Song
Alex Fong Chung-Sun
Kelvin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Felix Chong Man-Keung
Writers: Felix Chong Man-Keung
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: China, 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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

264+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Felix Chong Man-Keung, shot by Anthony Pun Yiu-Ming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau and Charlene Choi Chuek-Yin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Felix Chong Man-Keung directs. Anthony Pun Yiu-Ming behind the camera. Day Tai scores. Curran Pang cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 3 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
4264+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Felix Chong Man-Keung, shot by Anthony Pun Yiu-Ming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Day Tai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Curran Pang shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau and Charlene Choi Chuek-Yin carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt14099796 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Anthony Pun Yiu-Ming
Original score: Day Tai
Editing: Curran Pang
Makeup / hair: Nichol Monita Chau
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Status: Released
Budget: $45,000,000
Box office: $6,136,329
Return: 14% of budget
Original language: CN
Certification (US): M
IMDB: The Goldfinger (2023)

Also by

Felix Chong Man-Keung

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-01-26
★ 6/10
Back in the 1970s, Hong Kong was riddled with corrupt officials that the Government determined to bring to book. Much to the chagrin of one of the principal culprits - the police - they established an anti-corruption unit charged with addressing this problem, and thanks to one of their lead investigators (Andy Lau) they succeed! Many years later, when the British and Chinese start to talk about the colony's reunification, the Stock Market plummets and he is brought back to investigate the wealthy boss of a large network of companies (Tony Leung) who is living his gilded life of luxury whilst his investors seem to be losing their shirts. As he looks into things more, he discovers an intricate web of subsidiaries, bribery and shell companies that prove to resemble the ultimate in ponzi schemes. It's not just the enterprise that is suspect, but he gradually realises that the dodgy establishment he had hoped he had helped to dismantle years earlier had just, very efficiently, reinvented itself - and it permeates through to the top echelons of society. The film is based on real events and so, like them, we have peaks and troughs as the plot develops. That's where the film rather loses it's way. At it's best, it's tightly structured with a good dynamic between the policeman and his prey. For most of the rest of it, it rather meanders along with a real paucity of detail and little effort to show us just how charisma and charm duped just about everyone. A decent effort from Lau and Leung but it's a long two hours that skimps too much on the interesting aspects of an business that spanned the world at it's peak, run by a sleazy and unscrupulous man.

Production companies