Such a Cold ‘Finger’
If Felix Chong had interrogated the dynamics of financial, rather than soft, power a bit more he might have been on to something.
The Goldfinger
Director: Felix Chong • Writer: Felix Chong
Starring: Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Charlene Choi, Simon Yam, Carlos Chan, Michael Ning, Philip Keung, Alex Fong, Tai Bo, Catherine Chau, Chin Ka-lok
Hong Kong • 2hrs 5mins
Opens Hong Kong December 30 • IIA
Grade: B-
The Goldfinger | 金手指 begins with a group of protestors outside the old Central Police Station, now Tai Kwun, angry about the unfair treatment the police department is receiving (!) at the hands of, it seems, the earliest iteration of the ICAC. I’ll let the production notes take it from here: “Under the colonial government, Hong Kong was plagued by corruption. However, with the founding of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, corruption syndicates led by British government officials were brought down, putting society back on track and leading Hong Kong into a golden era of economic development.”
Such is the backstory for what may be the city’s first propaganda film, though one wrapped in a vaguely biopic-ish epic of greed, hubris and massive overreach as could only happen in the junk-bond, “leveraged buy-out”, “Greed is good” 1980s. Based loosely on the spectacular 1983 flame-out of George Tan’s Carrian Group, one of Hong Kong’s largest – if not the largest – corporate bankruptcies, The Goldfinger has a whole mess of stuff and people going for it. Felix Chong Man-keung (Project Gutenberg) heads up a crew that includes DOP Anthony Pun Yiu-ming (One More Chance), gorgeously tackalicious ’80s production design by Eric Lam Chi-kiu (Wu Kong), with help from stylist Man Lim-chung (i’m livin’ it, Mama’s Affair), editing by Curran Pang Ching-hay (Raging Fire, Chilli Laugh Story) and man for all seasons William Chang Suk-ping, set to a fairly propulsive score by Day Tai Wai (The Way We Dance, Band Four). For the most part, Chong cleaves closely to the scummy financial antics, but he can’t quite steer entirely clear of the underlying xenophobic messaging.
The CEO in a nutshell
At the height of the early-’80s stock market boom, sweet-talking Ching Yat-ying (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) is head of the Carmen Group, named after his jaded secretary Cheung Ka-man (Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin), a multinational conglomerate built on a house of cards. Few know that, with the exception of his shady allies, among them stockbroker Yam Chung (Michael Ning), who has the hots for Ka-man, and an old buddy from Ching’s days struggling as a refugee from yet another business clusterfuck in Singapore, Tsang Kim-kiu (Simon Yam Tat-wah). But dogged ICAC inspector Lau Kai-yuen (Andy Lau Tak-wah, upstanding as ever) knows something’s hinky with Carmen, particularly its billion-dollar purchase of a shiny gold office tower (based on the Bank of America Tower) and rapid re-sale. Let’s go back to the production notes: “The group’s collapse involves corruption and bribery among local, British-funded and overseas consortiums, as well as government officials. Ordered to investigate the reasons behind the collapse, Lau has his sights set on Carmen’s chairman, Ching.”
Lau’s pursuit of Ching spans decades, stymied at times by corrupt judges (British ones, natch); hostile witnesses like the shady Malaysian banker-slash-hitman bankrolling much of Carmen’s activities, Musharra Hafa (Philip Keung Hiu-man); an entitled rich kid playing with daddy’s fortune and then whining when he gets caught screwing up, Ho Ho-wan (Carlos Chan Ka-lok); and attempts on his life by mysterious interested parties. The Goldfinger does not want for drama.
Aside from the retro cheesy production design the main reason to see The Goldfinger is for the great cat-and-mouse dynamic at play between Leung and Lau, one that tricks us into believing it’s a better film than it actually is. Leung in particular leans into his skeevy AF hustler character for maximum slick, yet somehow manages to make you understand Ching’s charm, and why you might buy into his scam. But, if a bank underwrites it, is it really a scam? The Goldfinger was a, well, golden opportunity to break down the shell games the banks, policymakers, lawyers and stockbrokers play, and question the thirst for wealth that makes the city run at the expense of ethics and any normal Joe that gets caught in the machine. Have we learnt nothing since the market boom that fuelled Carmen and the implosion at the heart of films like The Big Short (answer: we have not)?
Far be it from me to defend the legacy of British empire; they left behind a mess everywhere they landed that people around the world are still dealing with. But the suggestion in The Goldfinger is that without them, Hong Kong would be a pristine financial paradise, with institutions untouched by dastardly thoughts. After all, it’s been such smooth sailing since they left. Chong spends so much time pointing the finger at dirty foreigners he misses the chance to turn the lens on the rot in our most “respected” systems and build a solid financial thriller about a scumbag CEO that finally gets theirs. And at best, he breaks even. — DEK