[2025.12.09] UNDER CURRENT DIRECTOR ALAN MAK SEES ALEX FONG AS A HONG KONG FILM AWARD FAVORITE

Alan Mak praises Alex Fong Chung Shun's explosive performance in UNDER CURRENT

Eric Kot faints from a hanging scene in LAWYER LAWYER

Simon Yam performs the strangulation scene himself instead of using a stunt double in UNDER CURRENT
courtesy of mingpao.com

The movie UNDER CURRENT (NOI MOK) starred Aaron Kwok Fu Sing (Sing Sing), Francis Ng Chun Yu, Simon Yam Tak Wah and Alex Fong Chung Shun. The most surprising for director Alan Mak Siu Fai was Fong Chung Shun's explosive performance. Without any strong competition, the "Best Supporting Actor" at the next Hong Kong Film Awards should be in his pocket. In the face of the current cold winter of film and television, Mak Siu Fai called for the implementation of the inspection system. He suggested that the Hong Kong Film Censorship Authority or the South China Film Bureau should assume the responsibility for approval, so that Cantonese versions of films would be able to directly enter the mainland market, expand the audience base, and relax the restrictions on subjects. Fong Chung Shun hoped that Hong Kong films would improve quickly and lead the movie trend again.

Fong Chung Shun and director Mak Siu Fai have been working together for many years. The two became acquainted in 1994 through the movie LOVE RECIPE (OI CHING SIK HEUNG MEI), and then the Mak Siu Fai directed OVERHEARD (SIT TING FUNG WAN) film series all had Fong Chung Shun's performance. Even this time Fong Chung Shun did not hesitate to take the role.

Fong Chung Shun said with a smile that the character's "greed for money" was very three-dimensional. "Playing the bad guy isn't bad. The range of interpretation can be greater. With a good director, a good script and good handling, the villain can also be very outstanding." Would he become addicted to playing a villain? He laughed and said that it would depends on the director and script, but he has absolute trust in Mak Siu Fai. Mak Siu Fai said with a smile, "Just as I trust him, his performance is very explosively this time. I am waiting for him to win the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He just made the eligibility for this year and should have few opponents." Fong Chung Shun replied with a smile, "Now I don't chase awards, after being nominated many times it's something to be happy about. An award would be a bonus."

Mak Siu Fai over the years has become known for crime films. He said that in recent years no one has robbed banks and gold shops. They were caught on the day after the crime. Now they are all phone fraud cases and money laundering, but the bank account transfer scene and even opening an offshore company has no "action" scene. He did not find the dramatic tension until he found that money laundering could be done through non-profit organizations, and anonymous cash donations could be used for laundering. Then he confirmed to make this story.

In this film the Sing Sing played lawyer grew up in an orphanage, started taekwondo in elementary school, and returned to the orphanage to teach taekwondo when he grew up. Thus he was arranged to have a series of action scenes in the film. Mak Siu Fai stressed that action scenes were all arranged reasonably. At the end of the movie, Kwok Fu Sing and Ng Chun Yu faced Cheung Man Kit. Mak Siu Fai pointed out that the filming was not difficult, but the preliminary preparation time was long. Now filming action scenes emphasizes safety, and actors are no longer required to "risk their lives" as before.

However Brother Wah had a hanging scene in the film. Brother Wah described that he could have used a stand-in to perform it, but he still performed it in person. Yet after filming he felt it was too dangerous and would not dare to try it again. Fortunately at the time director Mak Siu Fai yelled cut in time. Mak Siu Fai explained that this scene originally could not use a stunt double. He expressed that he has filmed similar scenes in the past and never asked the actors to really "hang". He would definitely put a table below for the actors to stand firmly on. Everyone else would adjust and the shoot would definitely take place under safe conditions. He recalled that when he was an assistant director on the Joe Ma Wai Ho directed LAWYER LAWYER (SUEN SEI CHO), when filming Eric Kot Man Fai's torture by the hanging the actor pressed the rope hard, accidentally pressed the carotid artery and fainted for a while. Fortunately he was rescued in time. Since then he has been extra cautious with such scenes.

When filming Brother Wah's scene this time, Mak Siu Fai has arranged for a high table and stunt team to be ready in advance and told Brother Wah not to press the rope. However Brother Wah still used too much force in pursuit of the effect. "As soon as he closed his eyes, I immediately yelled cut and asked the stunt team to pick him up. Brother Wah fainted and was unconscious for a short time like a second or two. When he woke up, we asked him what he has just done. I understood that he wanted the result to be more realistic so he did that." Mak Siu Fai said that fortunately the footage could be used and no reshoot was needed.

Sing Sing in one scene was also chained and hung in mid-air, and Mak Siu Fai said that he has used multiple wires to ensure Sing Sing's safety. Fong Chung Shun joked that he was glad that he did not have to shoot action scenes, but in a scene where he was hit by a car; he had to sit in a roller-shaped carriage and rotate 360 degrees. After turning three or four times he was in rough shape but fortunately he was not hurt. However the cinematographer accidently bumped his head.

The film UNDER CURRENT was completed over two years ago but only released now, Mak Siu Fai admitted that the film was shot near the end of the pandemic. At the time everyone still had to wear masks. Reportedly the investor Emperor Motion Pictures originally hoped for a simultaneous release in the mainland. After discussing with mainland investors, he felt that the reputation and box office trend of Hong Kong films in the mainland were weak at that time. So he decided not to release it for the time being, hoping to accumulate word-of-mouth after a period of time and then find a more suitable schedule. He agreed that there was no need to crowd into Christmas or Lunar New Year with blockbusters for any unnecessary "fighting". Now without any competition before Christmas but with plenty of theaters, the film was finally release after more than two years. The delay had nothing to do with the mainland approval, because the film has already been submitted for review and obtained the dragon seal (film release license). Hence this was the direction decided by the market. Yet the current Hong Kong film market has also been sluggish. He saw that among this year's Hong Kong films, this film has the cast and story structure of the heyday of Hong Kong films. "At such a bad time I don't think I can save the market, but I hope it is a shot in the arm. I hope that the audience will go to the theater to watch the movie, at least this type of Hong Kong film is still viable."

The Hong Kong Film Awards Association's chairman Derek Yee Tung Sing said that despite the sluggish film market, this year still had more than 40 Hong Kong films and sufficient quantities for nominations. Yet he was already worried that the production of Hong Kong films will continue to shrink in the future, and the Hong Kong Film Awards will have difficulty going further. Mak Siu Fai admitted that this situation "would inevitably happen". If funds would continue to be invested without return, investment would naturally shrink. He said, "Whether the Hong Kong Film Awards would have an award or not is another matter, the current number of films productions is difficult to support the entire industry. Many people have been forced to change careers." He thought that this really needed further consideration.

In order to revitalize the industry, Mak Siu Fai put forward two suggestions: first was to implement the inspection system. The Closer Economic Partnership Accord has already allowed the Cantonese version of Hong Kong films to be released in the Greater Bay Area, but since the inspection system has not been implemented, he recommended for the Hong Kong Film Censorship Authority or the South China Film Bureau take on the responsibility of approval, so that Cantonese versions of films would be able to directly enter the mainland market and expand the audience base; the second was to relax the subject matter restrictions to train directors to master the rhythm, atmosphere and technology to support the development of the entire industry. If filming can be opened, it would help restore the diversity and competitiveness of Hong Kong films. He emphasized that policy support was the key, otherwise the number of Hong Kong-produced films will continue to decline and the industry will be difficult to sustain.

Fong Chung Shun also lamented that Hong Kong films are currently in a low ebb, but an era must begin to change. "After filming for more than 30 years, Hong Kong films used to be sold to Taiwan and South Korea in the past and were in a leading position. Now instead Korean films are very strong, and it is another era. I hope that Hong Kong films would adapt quickly and improve quickly to lead the movies trend again!"