Trivisa

Trivisa
Official film poster
Traditional	樹大招風
Simplified	树大招风
Mandarin	Shù Dà Zhāo Fēng
Cantonese	Syu6 Daai6 Ziu1 Fung1
Directed by	Frank Hui Jevons Au Vicky Wong
Screenplay by	Loong Man-hong Thomas Ng Mak Tin-shu
Produced by	Johnnie To Yau Nai-hoi
Starring	Gordon Lam Richie Jen Jordan Chan
Cinematography	Zhang Ying Ray Cheung Rex Chan
Edited by	Allen Leung David Richardson
Music by	Nigel Chan
Production companies	Media Asia Films Milkyway Image Hairun Pictures
Distributed by	Media Asia Distributions
Release dates	12 February 2016 (2016-02-12) (BIFF) 7 April 2016 (2016-04-07) (Hong Kong)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Budget	HK$5 million[1]
Box office	HK$9.2 million[2]

Trivisa is a 2016 Hong Kong action crime thriller film produced by Johnnie To and Yau Nai-hoi, featuring the directorial debuts of newcomers Frank Hui, Jevons Au and Vicky Wong. The film is a fictionalized story about three real-life notorious Hong Kong mobsters,  [zh], Yip Kai Foon and Cheung Tze-keung, who are portrayed in the film by Gordon Lam, Richie Jen and Jordan Chan respectively.^[3][4] The film had its world premiere at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival's Forum section.^[3] The film also opened the 40th Hong Kong International Film Festival^[5] on 21 March 2016 and was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 7 April 2016.^{[6][better source needed]}

In Buddhist teaching, Trivisa is the Sanskrit term for the three poisons (or the three unwholesome roots)—greed, anger and delusion—that give rise to suffering.^[7]

Plot[]

In early 1997, mobsters Kwai Ching-hung, Yip Kwok-foon and Cheuk Tze-keung, who have never met one another, are all in Hong Kong. Thereafter, rumour has it that Hong Kong's three most notorious mobsters, known in the underworld as the "Three Kings of Thieves", are plotting together to score a final hit before the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong. However, none are initially aware of the rumour.

Yip is living as a fugitive after a gunfight with the Royal Hong Kong Police. He now makes his fortunes by smuggling counterfeit electronics. Powerful and prestigious in the past, Yip must now grovel to high Chinese officials. Although successful in his business, he becomes depressed. When the rumour comes to him, he feels the urge to give up everything and pick up his gun once again to join forces with the others.

Kwai is very cautious and uses several pseudonyms to hide his identity. Although the scale of his crimes is nowhere as large as Yip's and Cheuk's, but he has managed to commit repeated robberies that are totally unknown to the police. Small-scale robberies, which have become his expertise, have minimal risk but also little profit. As he hears of the rumour, he realizes that he will make a large fortune by collaborating with Yip and Cheuk. He initially restrains himself and chooses to ignore it. However, Kwai begins to have second thoughts.

Cheuk has recently abducted the son of a rich tycoon and successfully extorted a ransom, all while under police surveillance. Wanting to raise the bar for himself, he hears about the rumour and becomes obsessed with the idea, going to extreme lengths to seek out Yip and Kwai.

Ultimately, all three come to a sticky end. Cheuk is tricked into meeting one of Yip's former associates, now an arms dealer, having been told Yip would be present. While at the meeting, he's contacted by both Yip and Kwai, each for their own reasons. Cheuk dispatches the dealer and makes off with a truck full of dynamite, intending to use it to pull off some grand scheme. However, he hits a pedestrian, killing her and spilling the explosives all over the road. As Cheuk is piling the dynamite back onto the truck, the police arrive and he's forced to surrender.

Yip is stopped by the police shortly after ending the phone call to Cheuk, along with his two fellow smugglers, who pose as tourists. The police check the trio's IDs, and, finding no reason to detain them, let them go. However, one of the officers off-handedly insults the "mainlanders" as they walk away. The insult enrages Yip and he pursues them, gunning them down in full view of their comrades who were dining at an outdoor cafe. Those officers return fire, shooting Yip who bleeds to death while crawling towards his AK-47.

Kwai is staying with a friend and former gang-member who, with a wife and young daughter, has since gone straight. Kwai has made plans to rob the jewellers in front of his friend's apartment, though the friend believes he now sells mobile phones. Kwai hires two local gangsters to help him out but at the last minute he decides not to go ahead with the heist. He pretends to pay off the pair but, instead, stabs them and throws them into the river. Kwai's friend discovers his true motives and also overhears him on the phone to Cheuk, then pretends to be asleep.

Unconvinced, Kwai sits out the friend's door, knife in hand, with the apparent intent of killing him and his family because of what they might know. But he's unable to go ahead with it and falls asleep. He wakes to discover the family has fled and an armed police SWAT team is closing in on the rooftop apartment. The scene cuts away before his fate is resolved.

The movie finally reveals, in flashback, that Cheuk, Yip and Kwai all briefly met at the same restaurant, unaware of each others' true identities. The film closes on footage of the 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremony.

Cast[]

Reception[]

Box office[]

The film grossed HK$3,392,095 during its first three days of release in Hong Kong and opening at No. 3 during its debut weekend.^[8] By the end of its fifth week, the film has grossed about HK$9,180,000.^[2]

Critical reception[]

Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive praising the performances of Richie Jen and Gordon Lam, the editing by Allen Leung and David Richardson and calls it "an impressive calling card signalling brighter cinematic futures."^[3] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily praised the film's set design and editing and believes the film will "clearly attract festival interest.".^[9] Edmond Lee of the South China Morning Post rated film a score of 4/5 stars and praises the film's bold vision and how newcomer directors Frank Hui, Jevons Au and Vicky Wong "couldn't have made a stronger start to their fledgling careers."^[10]

Controversy[]

Trivisa was banned in China. When it won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film in 2017, the broadcast was blacked out on Mainland TVs.^[11]

In late 2015, Cheung Wai-chuen, owner of a film properties company, and Law Yun-lam, a logistics firm employee, were arrested for possession of counterfeit money that was used in Trivisa without the proper permits for storage and transportation, which the film's producers were responsible for securing.^[12] Despite being marked as props, the judge felt that the fake money looked too real: saying "Nobody could rule out the risk of people stealing these fakes and using them as real money." Cheung and Law were sentenced to four months in prison by a Hong Kong district court in May 2018, a sentence that was suspended for two years. The Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers condemned the case stating "This is against the industry's dedication to professionalism in filmmaking. The authorities' took on a case that case was unjust. Members of the Hong Kong film industry are not only disappointed and furious, it also sends shivers down our spines." Some film industry members suspected the case was influenced by Mainland China.^[11]

Awards and nominations[]

See also[]

• Johnnie To filmography

References[]

External links[]

• Trivisa at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Trivisa at IMDb