European Premiere | In Competition | White Mulberry Award Candidate
Hong Kong, Japan, 2025, 107’, Cantonese, Japanese, Mandarin
Directed by: Njo Kui-ying
Screenplay: Njo Kui-ying, Mani Man, Li Suk-ming
Cinematography (color): Nathan Wong
Editing: Barfuss Hui
Production Design: Yoshimoto Yukihito, Yan Sin-yeung
Music: Sara Fung, Njo Kui-ying
Producers: Mani Man, Suzuki Yusuke
Cast: Jeffrey Ngai (No. 4), Minami Sara (Hoshino Kumo), Mori Yurito (Boss), Daniel Hong (Agent B), Waki Tomohiro (Nishida Ken), Endo Yuya ( Yamashita Yuto), Chu Pak-him (Agent W), Saito Takumi (Sakamoto), Rosa Maria Velasco (Abbot), Takenaka Naoto (Sonjya)
Date of First Release in Territory: October 3rd, 2025
Hong Kong action cinema gets a heavy dose of adrenaline with
Road to Vendetta. The Hong Kong-Japan co-production marks the feature directorial debut of Njo Kui-ying, a former pop idol who is finally getting his chance on the director’s chair at the age of 50.
The film is equally important for up-and-coming star Jeffrey Ngai, a variety show star getting his first proper lead film role after several popular TV series and key supporting performances in major commercial films like
Table for Six 2,
Little Red Sweet and
Cesium Fallout. Packing a modern action hero’s restrained coolness and chiseled physique, Ngai stars as the nameless No. 4, a professional assassin groomed by a mysterious cult-like pan-Asian organisation since he was a child. For his latest job, he is sent to Japan to murder a mid-level yakuza boss.
In an arcade-set action sequence, No. 4’s mission goes sideways when the client – a young Japanese woman named Kumo (Minami Sara) – shows up and asks him to kill another target. But when she reveals that she can barely afford one target to begin with, No. 4 is forced to babysit her while she raises the money, giving the story a chance to slow down for a friendship to develop.
Though the arc of a ruthless murderer discovering his humanity is a genre staple by now, Njo builds the No. 4-Kumo dynamic in amusing ways, such as having them communicate awkwardly via translation app rather than using the traditional Hong Kong cinema method of having them magically understand each other.
The action does pick up again when No. 4 and Kumo are forced to go on the run from revenge-hungry gangsters. With vibrant colours, a pulsating soundtrack (co-written by Njo himself), and slick editing by Barfuss Hui (who also edited the ultra-stylish
G Affairs),
Road to Vendetta will please action fans who prefer their violence to be bathed in the neon colours of modern Hong Kong cinema. Though Njo’s visual palate is clearly influenced by the likes of
John Wick and early aughts Hong Kong action films, the old-school choreography by veteran Japanese action choreographer Sakamoto Koichi – best known for his work on
tokusatsu staples like
Super Sentai,
Kamen Rider and
Power Rangers – strikes just the right balance between fluidity and brutality. The extended swordfight in the finale even sees Sakamoto cleverly infusing elements from traditional
jidaigeki samurai films into the mix.
Eager to prove himself, Njo pulls out all stops to deliver an impressive entertainer that is snazzy enough to look like the work of an action veteran. Though the intriguing idea of a clandestine assassin organisation operating via noodle shops across Asia could use further development in the script by Njo, co-producer Mani Man and Li Suk-ming,
Road to Vendetta proves that the Hong Kong film industry can still deliver polished, crowd-pleasing action films even in hard times.
Njo Kui-ying
Njo Kui-ying entered the entertainment industry in 2008 as the leader of idol group Bro5, taking part in dance choreography and music production in addition to performing. After the group disbanded in 2013, he transitioned to advertising production and teaching dance. He also worked as an assistant director on the film Deliverance (2024). Road to Vendetta is his feature directorial debut.
FILMOGRAPHY
2025 – Road to Vendetta