Under Current

Story: Tsai Bat Tong is a non-profit foundation whose CFO, Yeung To (Simon Yam), hangs himself during an event. Lawyer Ma Ying-fung (Aaron Kwok) - currently grappling with a guilty conscience after the victim of a rapist he successfully defended committed suicide — is asked by Detective Or (Francis Ng) to assist in investigating a member of his law firm, as there are links to Yeung To’s death. When Ma briefly gets his hands on a notebook belonging to the late Yeung, only for it to vanish without a trace, he senses something is amiss and agrees to help the detective. Meanwhile, under the leadership of Ko Sing-man (Alex Fong), the TBT Foundation is struggling with the apparent disappearance of HK$200 million. No one knows the money's whereabouts, and even Ko’s right-hand man, Ku (Power Chan), cannot provide answers. Mr. Kah (Felix Lok), the firm's true boss, who uses the foundation for money laundering, is far from pleased about this situation. Detective Or and Ma discover that Yeung had hired a private investigator before his death; however, when they go to see him, he is killed by a hitman. Left with no other choice, the pair follows the few remaining leads, gradually drawing closer to the truth.

Review: Few people likely harbor illusions about expecting an outstanding film from Alan Mak anymore, especially when he is behind the camera solo rather than with his colleague Felix Chong as was the case with "Overheard 3" for example. Nevertheless, I held out some hope, given that the cast includes Simon Yam and Francis Ng. Initially, the film does indeed promise suspense: the mystery surrounding Yeung To’s suicide unfolds into a conspiracy, money laundering is exposed, and even the villains are in the dark about the whereabouts of the missing 200 million. The narrative’s shifts across different timelines also raised hopes for a complex story, further bolstered by an odd-couple pairing of a disillusioned lawyer and a hard-bitten detective. Yet, even at that stage, I remained skeptical... And my reservations proved well-founded. The deeper the film delves into its ostensibly intricate plot, the more disappointing the overall picture becomes. Unfortunately, the characters fail to turn things around, either.

From the very beginning, "Under Current" gives the impression of wanting to revive the Hong Kong cinema of yesteryear; director Alan Mak thus joins a long line of filmmakers who recruit veteran stars, with an average age of over 60, for lead roles. These actors must navigate a plot that is clever in its complexity, yet ultimately proves to be merely muddled and excessively self-important. Initially, one might get the impression that the film is a chase from clue to clue, driven by solid police work. However, this illusion is quickly shattered, for instance, when the action suddenly shifts to the Golden Triangle. From that point on, it becomes apparent that the various locations and scenes were included in the script solely to pad it out with a few "nice" moments. There is little genuine cohesion here, leaving the characters to serve as the glue holding the disparate parts together — a task they unfortunately fail to accomplish.

A minor highlight of the film is Francis Ng ("Crisis Negotiators"); one always wonders what quirks he might bring to his character this time around. He does not disappoint, even though the script itself gives him very little to work with. Aaron Kwok ("The White Storm 3") is simply Aaron Kwok, or rather, he once again plays a cool, aloof hero who has his heart in the right place but struggles to show it. To compensate, his character is given a taekwondo class of young children whom he teaches how to be good people by forcing them to do volunteer work. Our hero is also tormented by past trauma, but this is dredged up via flashbacks in such a haphazard manner that one wonders what the point was supposed to be. Yet this is just one of many script elements that one expects to eventually tie together or serve some other purpose. No such luck.

Incidentally, the villain turns out to be a much smaller player than we had assumed. Alex Fong does get to showcase his acting talent in one particular scene, however, proving once again that "Under Current" contains individual moments that are suspensefully executed and successfully build atmosphere. Yet this only makes it all the more painfully obvious just how clumsily the whole thing is stitched together. There are occasional time jumps, giving the viewer more information than the investigators, but Alan Mak fails to make them feel purposeful. One might at least expect the truth of what actually happened to be revealed gradually, but the execution lacks suspense and the developments are not spread across the run-time well enough. Aside from that, there are countless subplots involving various characters that lack any real substance. The lawyer has a falling-out with his mentor, the detective fades into the background for too long towards the end, and then there is a forced attempt to stage an action-packed showdown.

On the plus side, the action doesn't get boring. The "Taekwondo" final showdown, featuring Aaron Kwok’s face digitally superimposed onto the fighter, isn't bad, though the same cannot be said for the CGI, particularly the explosions. Furthermore, while there is a finale, it ultimately feels somewhat... anticlimactic. As previously noted, the story itself proves to be surprisingly shallow. At a time when revelations surface about anti-racism NGOs funding racists simply to justify their own continued existence, the premise of "Under Current" feels incredibly timely. Yet, the film fails to do anything with this concept beyond the observation that NGOs make excellent vehicles for money laundering - something any reasonably intelligent viewer already knew. Ultimately, there isn't much left to recommend the film. Yes, there are a few entertaining scenes, and you won't be bored for long stretches. However, given the potential, not least thanks to the cast, the outcome could have been so much better; sadly, the only conclusion to draw is: better stay away from this flick.

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