Alan Mak’s Anti-corruption Trilogy Set to Premiere in Lunar New Year

Following his success in the “” and “Overheard” series, famous writer-director Alan MAK is planning a new trilogy about anti-corruption with the first instalment titled “Integrity” already in post-production and set to hit theatres in Hong Kong and China in February for the Lunar New Year.

“Integrity” has brought A-list Hong Kong actors and actresses including , , Karena LAM and , etc. The action-thriller is written and directed by Alan MAK, co-produced by Alex CHONG and Ronald WONG, all of which are veterans in the Hong Kong film industry with MAK and CHONG best known for their co-directorial franchises, “Infernal Affairs” and “Overheard”. The film follows the story of a multi-year investigation into a conglomerate being on the brink of collapse after the disappearance of the CEO and the whistle-blower. A top ICAC agent is forced to team up with his estranged wife to salvage the case, risking their lives to bring the witness back to Hong Kong.

Sean and Nick team up again in “Integrity” 5 years after their collaboration in director Benny CHAN’s “” (2013). But they did not have many scenes together this time. Nick wished he had more scenes with Sean. “It is such a pity. Sean is one of the actors I want to collaborate with the most,” he said. “I shot my scenes in Hong Kong to save money so that Nick can go to to film his scenes in the snowy mountains!” Sean responded, but he also praised Nick for making a great leap from acting to directing. When asked if he would be interested in working on a film with Nick as the director, he shook his head vehemently. “He would definitely seek revenge!” he joked.

Karena is excited about having her first Lunar New Year film release. She was so devoted into the film and stayed in Australia for over half a month for her scenes, even though she missed her two daughters very much. While her partnering with Sean as a couple in the film is expected to bring audience a completely new spark, she does not have as many scenes with Sean as she does with Nick. “Director MAK arranged for Karena and Nick scenes to be without romance. They would not be as exciting and loving as those between me and her,” Sean kept joking.

Anita plays the villain for the first time in her career in “Integrity”, which is her first film in five years. It also marks the reunion of Anita and Sean since their last collaboration in “Ciest la vie, mon chéri” (1993). But they are not a couple but opponents going head to head against each other in court this time. The director sees the chemistry of them working together. “Though they were not doing a gun action sequence, they controlled the intense rhythm very well. It was great to watch,” said MAK.

The director, whose father and elder brother are both police officers, revealed that the inspiration of the film came from a cigarette smuggling case. “In 2003, ICAC dealt with a case of illicit cigarette trade, which caused quite a stir in Hong Kong. From then on, I had always wanted to shoot a film around smuggling. However, the Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) is a relatively closed-door department. Ordinary citizens do not understand how it operates. Thanks to a collaboration opportunity with ICAC two years ago, I got to talk with some ICAC officials and began to learn more about it. That is how I shaped the story of ‘Integrity’, said MAK.

The film is scheduled for official release in cinemas in China and Hong Kong on 5 Feb and 7 Feb respectively.