UNDER CURRENT (内幕) (2025)

Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Alan Mak
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam, Francis Ng, Alex Fong, Kathy Yuen, Niki Chow, Gladys Li, Power Chan, Felix Lok, German Cheung, David Chiang, Nina Paw
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Disturbing Scenes and Violence)
Released By: Golden Village and Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 December 2025

Synopsis: A renowned charity foundation is holding its annual charity party. It’s a glamourous meeting of the foundation’s friends, associates and the city’s most elite socialites. Just as foundation chairman Ko Shing-man (Alex FONG) is about to give his annual speech to the attendees, Yeung To (Simon YAM) - the foundation’s chief financial officer - suddenly hangs to his death on the stage. As suspicions surround Yeung’s death, rumors of a missing $200 million charitable donation begin to run rampant, attracting the attention of the masses. The mystery brings barrister Ma Ying-fung (Aaron KWOK) and police officer Orr Ting-bong (Francis NG) together as they form a temporary partnership to uncover the truth behind the foundation’s dealings. Can they expose all the dark truths behind the foundation’s wrongdoings and restore justice? 

Movie Review:

Alan Mak is a veteran of crime thrillers, having co-written the ‘Infernal Affairs’ trilogy with his partner-in-crime Felix Chong, as well as written and directed the ‘Overheard’ trilogy also with Chong. Although both have since gone off on their own with varying degrees of success, ‘Under Current’ demonstrates that Mak remains a steady, assured hand at the genre. It also is a reminder of old school Hong Kong star power, with the rare gathering of such luminaries as Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng, Alex Fong and Simon Yam giving the movie polish, poise and prowess.

Starting off with a shocking death by suicide of a charitable foundation’s CFO Yeung To (Yam) on the occasion of its glitzy annual fundraising gala, Mak weaves an intriguing chain of events that would expose not only the shady dealings of the said foundation Tsai Bat Tong but also its puppet masters. In the aftermath of the sensational public hanging, principled barrister Ma Ying-fung (Kwok) finds himself in an unlikely alliance with criminal investigations detective Or Ting-pong (Ng), both of whom are united in their commitment to serve justice and the truth.

Without giving away too much, let’s just say their investigation will lead them to the foundation’s president Ko Shing-man (Fong), who not surprisingly is a front for a more nefarious mastermind. On Ko’s end, besides trying to throw the police off his tail, he is also desperate to uncover HK$200 million missing from the foundation’s accounts, which will lead to a third-act turn of events that unfold in The Golden Triangle. It doesn’t take a lot to guess that it has something to do with money laundering and worse, drug trafficking; and while purely coincidental, it is unfortunate given the current state of relations between China and Japan that one of the masterminds happens to be a Japanese.

Yeung’s death doesn’t mean that Yam only appears at the start of the movie; instead, Mak uses a series of flashbacks to paint a stirring portrait of a man who had not lost his moral conscience, despite being party to Tsai’s criminal activities. Thanks to the masterful editing by Curran Pang, these flashbacks are nicely integrated into the present-day storyline anchored by Ma and Or, and even though the truth ultimately proves less revelatory than some may hope, it is still nonetheless a compelling procedural that hooks you in and holds your attention throughout its two-hour duration.

For that, Mak owes big time to his ensemble of acting veterans, each of which elevate the material in their own ways. Kwok cuts a commanding presence as the stoically upright Ma, and while the role is probably little of a stretch for Kwok, the gravitas he brings is undeniable. Next to Ma, Ng plays Or with a nice self-deprecating touch, and the dynamic between them is one of the most enjoyable elements of the film. Fong has been a regular supporting part in Mak’s films, and once again demonstrates why he is one of the most underrated Hong Kong actors around. And last but not least, Yam brings unexpected poignancy to a man determined to write his own legacy.

To Mak’s credit, even though there are subplots aplenty – including Ma’s guilty conscience after successfully defending a wealthy client obviously guilty of the crime of rape he is on trial for, Ma’s tense relationship with his mentor (David Chiang) cum head of the law firm cum father of his girlfriend (Niki Chow), and the aforementioned mentor’s friendship with Yeung – the movie as a whole still holds together pretty well. Indeed, for those who recall Mak’s thematically similar effort five years ago titled ‘Integrity’, we dare say ‘Under Current’ is the far superior film.

It is no secret that the Hong Kong film industry is going through a deep winter, but ‘Under Current’ reinforces where and how the industry can still define a niche, gather its strengths and find its audience. Certainly, Mak proves a far, much better hand at the genre than the ‘Storm’ series, and the seasoned cast of veterans here show how invaluable solid acting is. Just because it’s been a while since we’ve had this much visceral excitement from the tried-and-tested crime genre, ‘Under Current’ is a familiar but no less compelling watch that also serves as a major dose of welcome nostalgia.

Movie Rating:

(Engaging, witty and thoughtful, Alan Mak's return to the crime genre, together with its seasoned cast of veterans, serves up a welcome dose of nostalgia)

Review by Gabriel Chong