| Mad Fate | |||||||||||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Soi Cheang | ||||||||||||||
| Producer: | Johnnie To Yau Nai-hoi Elaine Chu | ||||||||||||||
| Screenplay: | Yau Nai-hoi Melvin Li | ||||||||||||||
| Story: | Yau Nai-hoi Au Kin-yee | ||||||||||||||
| Starring: | Gordon Lam Lokman Yeung Berg Ng Ng Wing-sze Peter Chan | ||||||||||||||
| Music: | Chung Chi-wing Ben Cheung | ||||||||||||||
| Cinematography: | Cheng Siu-keung | ||||||||||||||
| Editing: | David Richardson Allen Leung | ||||||||||||||
| Studio: | MakerVille Company Noble Castle Asia Milkyway Image | ||||||||||||||
| Distributor: | Golden Scene Company | ||||||||||||||
| Runtime: | 108 minutes | ||||||||||||||
| Country: | Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||
| Language: | Cantonese | ||||||||||||||
| Gross: | US$1.5 million[1] | ||||||||||||||
Mad Fate (Chinese: 命案) is a 2023 Hong Kong mystery thriller film directed by Soi Cheang, produced by Milkyway Image, and stars Gordon Lam, Lokman Yeung, Berg Ng, Ng Wing-sze and Peter Chan. In addition to being the film's director, Cheang also served as a film's executive producer. The film followed a fortune-teller who crosses paths with a young man with a strong desire to commit murder and tries to change the latter's destiny.
Mad Fate made its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 19 February 2023 as a Berlinale Special.[2] The film also opened the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 30 March 2023[3] before its theatrical release in Hong Kong on 20 April 2023.[4]
Mad Fate made its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 19 February 2023 as a Berlinale Special.[2] It also made its Asian premier as one of the two opening films at the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 30 March 2023, where director Cheang was also chosen as the Filmmaker In Focus.[3] [5] The film was later theatrically released in Hong Kong on 20 April 2023.[4]
The film was showcased for its North American premiere at the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival in 'Hong Kong Panorama' section on 22 July 2023.[6] [7]
Mad Fate topped the box office chart during its opening day in Hong Kong with gross of HK$450,000, beating out The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed HK$370,000 that day.[8] The film finished at No. 3 at the end of its opening weekend, grossing HK$2,962,028 (US$377,438) during its first four days of release.[9] The film remained at No. 3 during its second weekend with a gross of HK$3,494,876 (US$445,229) while accumulating a total gross of HK$6,456,904 (US$822,577) by then.[10] During its third weekend, the film grossed HK$2,306,888 (US$293,953), moving down to No. 4, while accumulating a total gross of HK$8,763,792(US$1,116,719) by then.[11] The film remained at No. 4 on its fourth weekend grossing HK$1,233,621 (US$157,329), and have grossed a total of HK$10,000,114 (US$1,275,362) by then.[12] On its fifth weekend, the film moved down to No. 5 with a gross of HK$735,519 (US$94,098), while having accumulated a total gross of HK$10,735,733 (US$1,373,470) by then [13] The film moved down to No. 7 in its sixth weekend with a gross of HK$485,970 (US$62,035) while having grossed a total of HK$11,221,703 (US$1,432,490) by then.[14] During its seventh weekend, the film came in at No. 9 with a gross of HK$212,081 (US$27,059), while accumulating a total gross of HK$11,433,784 (US$1,458,837) so far.[15] [16]
Lee Marshall of Screen Daily praises Cheng Siu-keung's cinematography and Lokman Yeung's performance, while noting the film's tonal shifts.[17] Edmund Lee of the South China Morning Post gave the film a score of 3.5/5 stars and praises its inspired premise and screenwriters Yau Nai-hoi and Melvin Li's clever use of coincidences.[18]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Film Awards | April 14, 2024 | Best Film | Mad Fate | Mad Fate | [19] [20] | |
| Best Director | Soi Cheang | |||||
| Best Screenplay | Yau Nai-hoi, Melvin Li | |||||
| Best Cinematography | Cheng Siu-keung, To Hung-mo | |||||
| Best Editing | Allen Leung, David Richardson | |||||
| Best Art Direction | Bruce Yu, Cat Leung | |||||
| Best Costume & Make Up Design | Bruce Yu, Karen Yip | |||||
| Best Action Choreography | Jack Wong Wai-leung |