Under Current Review: Aaron Kwok & Francis Ng Keep Alan Mak’s Charity Corruption Thriller Afloat

Under Current (PG13)

Starring Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng, Simon Yam, Alex Fong

Directed by Alan Mak

Hong Kong director/writer/anti-corruption crusader Alan Mak wants to rinse out the dirty laundry — aka money-laundering — in a big charity organisation here the way he exposed the compromised HK police force (the Infernal Affairs trilogy) and crooked stock market (the Overheard series).

But this time, this drama-thriller in which Mak extends his habitual distrust to an unfair legal system isn't as captivating or, despite its enveloping mystery, as intriguing.

Under Current is saved by the pair-up of Aaron Kwok as an upright, uptight lawyer, Ma, and Francis Ng as a dumpy, gruff cop, Or. But it plods on by being simplistic, predictable, sedate and basically far-fetched with not much clarity about charity.

Exactly who's the target here? Lawyers or charity do-badders?

Ma, a serious, stubbornly righteous lawyer is so nosy he follows a shady trail all the way to even the perilous drug-trafficking Golden Triangle after the chief financial officer, Yeung To (Simon Yam), of a donations powerhouse hangs himself at a swanky gala.

“You’re even doing my job for me,” Detective Or tells busybody Barrister Ma as though Hong Kong's famed anti-corruption unit, ICAC, doesn't exist.

Via flashbacks, we see Yeung, the honest numbers-man of the non-profit org being accused of embezzlement while working for his money-laundering boss, Ko (Alex Fong), who shoves cold hard cash straight to his face. Crusader-director Mak cannot resist showing innocent NGO workers doing good things with no idea of the Big Bad their slimeball leaders —the big bad boss has an even bigger badder boss — are committing.

Evil charity? Seriously? When are generic HK thrillers going to tackle real dangers like cowboy trade sanctions or diabolical pickleball noise?

Lawyer Ma is a moral-conscience champion due to his childhood trauma of watching his mother die unaided. Plus, his law firm mentor (David Chiang) exploits legal loopholes to serve only their wealthy clients with zero concern about anything else. Ma even quotes the Nuremberg trials from World War II about the folly of following orders blindly.

Gosh.

Which fits Kwok's trademark portrayal of an educated and dogged neatly-attired pretty boy — he looks like a glum Zorro Of Justice with his stern, strict moustache  — quite aptly as dead bodies, shootings, explosions, rooftop chase, a Japanese gangster and a Terminator-hitman amp up the action.

The nuttiest is a taekwondo battle between Ma, conveniently also a TKD instructor, and the hitman who actually ditches his gun for a climatic civilised-suit-vs-filthy-ruffian showdown.

Look, next to sleazy beauty pageants, who knows what goes on inside dubious charity organisations, right? They could be run by angels or criminals using them as a front to wash dirty money.

But director Mak doesn’t really put on an intricate investigative labyrinth which exposes shocking hidden sleaze behind a giant donations machine. This isn't All The President's Men, sorry, Donors' Men dirt-digging here. That takes too much brainwork.

So we’re left with a standard HK thriller with reliable old hands Kwok and Ng chugging it along adequately.

Given director Mak’s pedigree, this deal could have been sharper and better.

Now, how about you folks donating ideas for improvements? (3/5 stars)

Photo: GV Pictures