The Conman
Year: 1998
Director: Wong Jing
Producer: Wong Jing
Cast: Andy Lau (King),
Athena Chu
(ching ching),
Nick Cheung
(Skinny Dragon),
Angie Cheung
(Fanny),
Emotion
Cheung (Chung),
Waise Lee
(Handsome),
Frankie Ng
(Rocky) and others...
Review
King (Andy Lau) is one of the top gamblers in Hong Kong. However, his need to have another woman breaks his marriage to Fanny (Angie Cheung). He is to take on Bad Temper (Ben Ng), a tough as nails gambler who resorts to violence when he learns that after their game, King had cheated by using a bug in his glasses. To make things worse, Fanny calls King to tell him that she is pregnant and that she will never see the baby. A fight erupts and in self defense, King kills Bad Temper. Arriving in the hospital, King learns he is being charged with murder. He spends 5 years in jail and he is now colorblind. He decides to take up a new career, in taking bets on horse races.
5 years pass, Skinny Dragon (Nick Cheung), a young hoodlum who runs afoul of crooked cop Eastwood (Karel Wood). After being publicly humiliated, Skinny Dragon is asked by his uncle to get King at the prison the following day. Skinny Dragon has always idolized King and this is a perfect opportunity to learn from him. Skinny Dragon takes King to a nightclub where his sister Ching Ching (Athena Chu) works. When Ching Ching runs afoul of Rocky (Frankie Ng), an expert in pool, King helps her and wins $30,000 as well by beating Rocky in pool. At a wedding party, Skinny Dragon and King see Eastwood play a card game. When Skinny Dragon loses $10,000, King tells Skinny Dragon that Eastwood has cheated and he even knows his method. King bets all the money and he wins. An attempted hit on the two go bad and Eastwood gets his butt kicked not only by Skinny Dragon and King, but the family of the party as well when Skinny Dragon and King set up Eastwood by telling the family he used newspaper as a red pocket.
Things seem to go well for Skinny Dragon and King. They meet Ching Ching's fiancée, Raymond, who was studying in the States. However, the truth is Raymond had never been to the States and he had been seeing a much older woman. When Skinny Dragon discovers this, he decides to set Raymond up for one huge prank. Ching Ching is hurt but is happy King and Skinny Dragon, assisted by Rocky, could help her learn the truth. They decide to go for bigger competition. On one of Rocky's gambling ships, they meet Handsome (Waise Lee), who is actually the brother of Bad Temper. That night, King also finds his old friend Chung (Emotion Cheung), who tells King the news that Fanny had killed herself that night he got arrested. The truth is that Chung and Fanny had an affair while King was in prison and they raised King's son, Little King. Fanny eventually forgives King and lets him see their son.
Seeing Little King has helped given King his sense of color back. However, trouble comes in Handsome. He is not mad at King for killing his brother. In fact, Handsome never liked his brother. He wants King to challenge his boss, Macau Mon (Jack Kao) because he wants to take over the gang. When King refuses, Handsome and Eastwood hurt Little King and kidnap Fanny and Chung. With no other choice, King must help, but Skinny Dragon has a way to make things right and he gets help from a video director, Squirrel (Wong Jing) to help. The bet: The World Cup final, France vs. Brazil and also a card game. Will King and Skinny Dragon's plan succeed or will they die??
Photos
Nick holding a gun in The Conman
Nick and Andy Lau in The Conman