We left them chasing after each other twenty years ago - and today, on the threshold of 2024, we find them at it again. But then, what other kind of story could have brought about the epic (and wonderfully unexpected) reunion of
Tony Leung Chiu-wai and
Andy Lau? We all worship cult movie
Infernal Affairs, which the Far East Film Festival of Udine offered up to its audiences in 2003, and now it's time to dream once more: here comes
The Goldfinger, a breathtaking crime thriller written and directed by
Felix Chong (the same Felix Chong who co-wrote
Infernal Affairs) whose
Festival premiere FEFF 26 will be presenting in collaboration with the
Emperor Group of Hong Kong!
Of the myriad of echoes between past and present, the most iconic is definitely that of the two stars trading places: Tony Leung Chiu-wai (2023 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement) plays the “supervillain” while Andy Lau plays the “goodie”, swapping their roles in
Infernal Affairs in a wink to all the aficionados of that old masterpiece. It's a passing of the baton that makes the already dark and tense soul of
The Goldfinger, released in Asian theatres on December 30th, even darker and even more tense. And we can't not mention the film's third (incredible) protagonist: the city of
Hong Kong itself, adored by Fareasters and portrayed by Felix Chong in all the pomp of the economic boom of the 1980s.
Inspired by a real financial case,
The Goldfinger pits diabolical billionaire Henry Ching against honest investigator Lau Kai-yuen, head of the anti-corruption unit, in a breathless battle played out in the shadows of Hong Kong's glittering skyscrapers. Will justice be able (and willing) to triumph? With echoes of Johnnie To, John Woo and, of course, Scorsese, who “translated”
Infernal Affairs into the magnificent The Departed,
The Goldfinger is an unmissable crime drama where the best of Hong Kong cinema really shines!
What else can we say without spoiling the surprises? So see you at FEFF 26, in the heart of Udine, remembering that the international spotlights will be on the festival from the 24th of April to the 2nd of May, 2024.