Notable Cast: Gordon Lam, Bipin Karma, Tai Bo, Ben Yuen,
Michael Ning, Chin Siu-Ho Aaron Chow Chi-Kwan, Tony Ho, To Yin-Gor, Bitto Singh
Hartihan
“To those who keep working hard for Hong Kong cinema,
passing the flame to future generations.”
These are some of the final words that scrawl across the end
credits of Hand Rolled Cigarette, the 2020 Hong Kong crime thriller
which has quietly earned a fistful of accolades prior to its most recent
screening at the New York Asian Film Festival. For a film so indebted to
recapturing some of the gritty artistic merit of late 80s and early 90s
Hong Kong capers, it’s a resounding punctuation to the film’s punchy third act.
However, it’s a fitting one that exists as a magnetic pole to guide the themes,
style, and choices being made throughout the film.
Considering the director, Kin Long Chan, is crafting his
debut with Hand Rolled Cigarette - it’s also a statement of intent,
shepherded by an obvious love for the heavyweights of the previously mentioned
‘golden era.’ The choices laid out on the table by Chan should not surprise,
really, particularly with his past cinematic history.