Crime thriller White Storm opens Hong Kong Asian Film Festival

HONG KONG – The White Storm, a crime thriller starring three of Hong Kong’s most prolific actors, has opened the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival.

Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo and Nicholas Cheung star in the action film about a clash between an undercover cop and a drug lord that director Benny Chan called his most defining work to date.

The three actors said at the opening ceremony of the festival Friday night that while the movie is filled with explosions and gun fights, some of the more memorable scenes showed the trio at their quietest and most emotional.

“Although the three of us just sit together without moving, I found that scene very hard to shoot, hard to write, hard to act. The result was very heartwarming. I think that was one of the most memorable scenes for me,” Lau said.

Cheung said the support of his co-actors was touching, especially after he performed a dangerous stunt jumping off a cliff.

“They both saw me do a really dangerous stunt, so after I jumped and came back, they immediately gave me a beer and a cigarette…. I felt really touched because they cared and they were worried about me,” Cheung said.

The film will be release Nov. 29 in China and Dec. 5 in Hong Kong.

The film festival runs until Nov. 19, when it closes with South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, starring Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans.