Cyber Heist

Last updated

Cyber Heist
Disconnectedfilm.jpg
Official film poster
Traditional Chinese 斷網
Simplified Chinese 断网
Hanyu Pinyin Duàn Wǎng
Jyutping Tyun5 Mong2
Directed byDanny Wong
Written byPhilip Lui
Howard Yip
Shum Kwan-sin
Produced by Cheang Pou-soi
Starring Aaron Kwok
Gordon Lam
Simon Yam
Megan Lai
Cinematography Cheng Siu-Keung
Edited byTsang Yu-kin
Music byJosh Cruddas
Production
companies
Sil-Metropole Organisation
Sublime Media
Entertaining Power
Media Asia Films
Lian Ray Pictures
Distributed by Edko Films
Release date
  • 9 March 2023 (2023-03-09)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryHong Kong
Language Cantonese
Box officeUS$10.2 million [lower-alpha 1]

Cyber Heist, previously known as Disconnected, is a 2023 Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Danny Wong and starring Aaron Kwok as a cyber security engineer who develops an AI programme application which can potentially disable all of Hong Kong's networks. The film co-stars Gordon Lam, Simon Yam and Megan Lai.

Contents

Production for Cyber Heist took place from 12 June to 14 October 2020 and was released on 9 March 2023. [1]

Plot

Behind the computer screens lies a mysterious web jungle displaying full of fiber optics and data, which is a fantastical space carrying useful technology and malicious viruses at the same time.

Hackers release a virus to the web, unleashing a large scale cyber attack. Fortunately, cyber security engineer and IT whiz, Kelvin Cheuk (Aaron Kwok) uses a firewall he developed called Firewall X to resolve the crisis. Unbeknownst to Kelvin, the mastermind behind this virus spread is his superior, Kenneth Chan (Gordon Lam) and Kelvin also is framed into a money laundering conspiracy as a result.

To prove his innocence, Kelvin engages in a fierce battle with Kenneth. Kelvin secretly develops an AI programme application super virus and sets foot into dangerous grounds to ambush and attack the hackers and swears to find evidence of Kenneth's crimes. At the same time, Kenneth also commands the hackers to steal Kelvin's password-cracking software setting off a network technology crisis potentially and kidnap Kelvin's daughter, Bowie, while also threatening his wife, Sandy (Megan Lai). Kelvin is pressured as the lives of his family are being threatened. Making matters worse, his AI super virus loses control and swiftly finds its way entering every computer in Hong Kong, leading to a public panic, and Kelvin faces the challenge of reviving the city's network and rescuing his family from danger between life and death.

Cast

Guest appearance

Special appearance

Production

Principal photography for Cyber Heist began on 12 June 2020 in Ho Man Tin. [3] [2] In July 2020, production was temporarily halted due to the third wave outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong before resuming in August. [4] [5] Due to the pandemic affecting Hong Kong's film market, Aaron Kwok reportedly commanded only 70% of his normal salary to support the industry. [6] A high tech office set for the film costed HK$2 million to build. [7] Production for Cyber Heist officially wrapped up on 14 October 2020 after filming its final scene in a forest in Nam Sang Wai. [8]

Release

Cyber Heist was theatrically released on 9 March 2023 in Hong Kong. [1] Edko Films has picked up the worldwide distribution rights for the film. [9] On 5 May 2022, the film released its first teaser trailer displaying a slated release date for 2022. [10] The film later released new character posters on 19 January 2023, displaying a slated release year of 2023. [11]

Reception

Box office

Cyber Heist has grossed a total of US$10.2 million worldwide combining its box office totals from Hong Kong ($632,939), Australia (US$16,653), New Zealand, (U$4,029), United Kingdom (US$2,872) [12] and China (US$9.58 million). [13]

Critical response

Edmund Lee of the South China Morning Post gave the film of 2/5 stars and calls it "a fairly watchable, action-driven crime thriller" and "is badly let down by its antiquated depiction of how the internet functions." [14] CJ Sheu of The News Lens criticizes the film's shortcomings in plot, characters and CGI effects. [15] Gabriel Chong of MovieXclusive gave the film a score of 3.5/5 and praises the film's visual representation of the internet while noting its far-fetched story and underwritten characters. [16]

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Kwok</span> Hong Kong singer and actor

Aaron Kwok Fu-shing is a Hong Kong singer, dancer, actor and racing driver. Active since the 1980s, Kwok is known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. Dubbed the "God of Dance", Kwok's onstage dancing is influenced by the late American performer Michael Jackson. He has released over 30 studio albums in Cantonese and Mandarin, mostly in the dance-pop genre, with elements of rock, R&B, soul, electronica and traditional Chinese music.

<i>Golden Faith</i> Hong Kong TV series or program

Golden Faith is a 2002 Hong Kong television drama produced by TVB, starring Gallen Lo, Deric Wan, Jessica Hsuan, Raymond Lam, Anne Heung, Myolie Wu, Tavia Yeung, Michelle Ye, Paul Chun, Lau Dan, Shek Sau, Kwok Fung, Lau Kong, and Gigi Wong. It was Gallen Lo's final performance in a dramatic epic before leaving TVB, Deric Wan's comeback role, Myolie Wu's breakthrough, and Felix Lok's first major role. It was billed as "a major production from the makers of At the Threshold of an Era".

<i>Supercop 2</i> 1993 Hong Kong action film

Supercop 2 is a 1993 Hong Kong action film directed by Stanley Tong and starring Michelle Yeoh. It is a spin-off of Jackie Chan's Police Story film series involving the character Yeoh portrayed in Supercop.

<i>The Banquet</i> (1991 film) 1991 Hong Kong film

The Banquet, also known as Party of a Wealthy Family, is a 1991 Hong Kong comedy film. It was quickly filmed for a Hong Kong flood relief charity, after the Yangtze River flooded in July of that year, killing over 1,700 people and displacing many more in the eastern and southern regions of mainland China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Ma</span> Musical artist

Kenneth Ma Kwok-ming is a Hong Kong actor contracted to TVB.

<i>Divergence</i> (film) 2005 Hong Kong action-crime film

Divergence is a 2005 Hong Kong action film directed and produced by Benny Chan, from a screenplay by Ivy Ho. The film stars Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng and Daniel Wu.

<i>Firestorm</i> (2013 film) 2013 Hong Kong film

Firestorm is a 2013 Hong Kong action film written and directed by Alan Yuen, produced by and starring Andy Lau. Lau plays a hard-boiled police inspector who takes the law to his own hands in order to take down a group of violent criminals who have taken multiple innocent lives while repeatingly evading justice. The film was converted to 3D during post-production, making it the first 3D Hong Kong police action film.

<i>Wild City</i> 2015 Hong Kong film

Wild City (迷城) is a 2015 Hong Kong-Chinese action film directed by Ringo Lam and starring Louis Koo, Shawn Yue, Tong Liya and Joseph Chang. It was released on 30 July 2015 in China and on 20 August 2015 in Hong Kong. It is Lam's first feature film since 2007's Triangle.

<i>Triads: The Inside Story</i> 1989 Hong Kong film

Triads: The Inside Story is a 1989 Hong Kong crime drama film directed by Taylor Wong and starring Chow Yun-fat and Roy Cheung.

<i>Port of Call</i> (2015 film) 2015 Hong Kong film

Port of Call is a 2015 Hong Kong crime thriller film written, edited and directed by Philip Yung and starring Aaron Kwok as a veteran police detective who solving a murder mystery with unusual methods to prove his belief of virtue in human nature. The film is based on a real murder case where a dismembered corpse of a murdered 16-year-old female prostitute was found in Hong Kong in 2008. Port of Call was the closing film at the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 6 April 2015. The film was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 3 December 2015. Port of Call won seven awards at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards including acting awards Best Actor for Kwok, Best Actress for Jessie Li, Best Supporting Actress for Elaine Jin, Best Supporting Actor and Best New Performer, both for Michael Ning, as well as Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography, while also nominated for six other awards. The film also won many other awards and nominations at the Golden Horse Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and Asian Film Awards. It was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.

<i>Heat Team</i> 2004 Hong Kong film

Heat Team is a 2004 Hong Kong action film directed by Dante Lam and starring Aaron Kwok, Eason Chan and Yumiko Cheng.

<i>The Shootout</i> (film) 1992 Hong Kong film

The Shootout is a 1992 Hong Kong action film directed by Michael Mak and starring Aaron Kwok, Fennie Yuen, Bryan Leung and Sean Lau.

<i>Trivisa</i> 2016 Hong Kong film

Trivisa is a 2016 Hong Kong action crime thriller film produced by Johnnie To and Yau Nai-hoi, featuring the directorial debuts of newcomers Frank Hui, Jevons Au and Vicky Wong. The film is a fictionalized story about three real-life notorious Hong Kong mobsters, Kwai Ping-hung, Yip Kai Foon and Cheung Tze-keung, who are portrayed in the film by Gordon Lam, Richie Jen and Jordan Chan respectively. The film had its world premiere at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival's Forum section. The film also opened the 40th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 21 March 2016 and was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 7 April 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Bank robbery</span> 2016 bank cyber heist

The Bangladesh Bank robbery, also known colloquially as the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist, was a theft that took place in February 2016. Thirty-five fraudulent instructions were issued by security hackers via the SWIFT network to illegally transfer close to US$1 billion from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York account belonging to Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh. Five of the thirty-five fraudulent instructions were successful in transferring US$101 million, with US$81 million traced to the Philippines and US$20 million to Sri Lanka. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York blocked the remaining thirty transactions, amounting to US$850 million, due to suspicions raised by a misspelled instruction. As of 2018, only around US$18 million of the US$81 million transferred to the Philippines has been recovered, and all the money transferred to Sri Lanka has since been recovered. Most of the money transferred to the Philippines went to four personal accounts, held by single individuals, and not to companies or corporations.

<i>Project Gutenberg</i> (film) 2018 action film by Felix Chong

Project Gutenberg is a 2018 Hong Kong–Chinese action film written and directed by Felix Chong, and starring Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok.

<i>Where the Wind Blows</i> 2022 Hong Kong film

Where the Wind Blows, previously known as Theory of Ambitions, is a 2022 Hong Kong crime thriller film written and directed by Philip Yung and starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai respectively as Lui Lok and Lam Kong, two notorious corrupt Hong Kong police officers during the 1960s.

<i>The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell</i> 2023 Hong Kong film

The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell is a 2023 Hong Kong action film directed by Herman Yau and starring Aaron Kwok, Louis Koo and Sean Lau. The film is a thematic sequel to the 2019 film The White Storm 2: Drug Lords, featuring a new storyline and characters.

<i>Rob N Roll</i> 2024 Hong Kong film

Rob N Roll is a 2024 Hong Kong action comedy film produced by Derek Yee directed by Albert Mak. The film stars Aaron Kwok as a robber who forces two dispirited, middle-aged men played by Gordon Lam and Richie Jen, to participate in a heist.

<i>Under Current</i> 0000 Hong Kong film

Under Current is an upcoming Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Alan Mak and starring Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam and Francis Ng. Kwok stars as a barrister who collaborates with a police officer (Ng) to investigate the mysterious death of a financial director (Yam) of a charity organisation.

<i>Fallout</i> (2024 film) Hong Kong film

Fallout is an upcoming Hong Kong action disaster film produced and directed by Anthony Pun, and also produced by and starring Andy Lau. Touted as the first nuclear radiation disaster-themed blockbuster production from Hong Kong, the film revolves around an accidental radioactive leak in the city which puts the lives of 7 million citizens at risk.

References

  1. 1 2 "【斷網】郭富城首演電腦奇才 三大影帝穿梭網上與現實鬥智鬥勇".
  2. 1 2 3 "郭富城《斷網》拍攝人人有工開 城城家棟相隔近十年後再合作".
  3. ↑ Hsia, Heidi (16 June 2020). "Aaron Kwok happy to be filming a movie again". Yahoo! Life. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "城城新片《斷網》停工避疫". 21 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Aaron Kwok Got To Eat Dinner With His Family For 2 Straight Months Thanks To COVID-19 (Yes, That's A Big Deal To Him)".
  6. ↑ "【新冠肺炎‧同渡時艱】傳郭富城收7折片酬拍鄭保瑞新戲".
  7. ↑ "AARON KWOK'S FAVORITE IS THE TIME TUNNEL TO THE OFFICE". 31 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Am730. "《斷網》疫境下順利煞科 郭富城林家棟穿梭虛擬與現實大鬥演技". Am730.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Edko Films picks up international rights to Hong Kong trio (exclusive)".
  10. ↑ "郭富城演IT高手 《斷網》花2千萬CG落重本". 5 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "郭富城駭客犯罪片《斷網》公開主角海報 三大影帝智勇角力". 19 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Cyber Heist - Box Office Mojo".
  13. ↑ "China Box Office - 03/23/2023".
  14. ↑ "Cyber Heist movie review: Aaron Kwok plays computer hacker in action thriller with a laughably shallow understanding of how the internet works". 7 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Cyber Heist' Is a Regressive Take on the Smart City". 24 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Cyber Heist (2023) - MovieXclusive".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.