A Guilty Conscience (2023 Film)

''A Guilty Conscience'' is a 2023 Hong Kong mystery crime comedy film written and directed by Jack Ng, in his directorial debut. It stars an ensemble cast including Dayo Wong, Louise Wong and Tse Kwan-ho. The film follows the trial of a single mother (Louise Wong) wrongly charged with the murder of her daughter. An attorney (Dayo Wong) vows to clear her name.

''A Guilty Conscience'' was released on 21 January 2023, coinciding with Chinese New Year's Eve. It received acclaim for its screenwriting, direction and acting, particularly that of Dayo Wong, Louise Wong and Tse. The film grossed HK$114,293,675 and became the highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong to date, surpassing the 2022 film ''Warriors of Future''.

Plot

In 2002, Adrian Lam (Dayo Wong), a former barrister-turned- magistrate who recently demoted by his superior due to his attitude to colleagues, has return to the field of barrister-in-law after suggested by his friend/senior barrister T. K. Ho (Vincent Kok). Ho referred a case to Lam, which the defendant Jolene Tsang (Louise Wong), a former model-turned-single-mother, has involved child abuse to her daughter, Elsa, who is now in coma.

Lam takes over Tsang's case as her attorney, in partner with fellow barrister Evelyn Fong (Renci Yeung) who is suggested by her mentor Ho, and legal executive Prince (Dee Ho Kai-Wah). Through the first trial in court, they examined witness Ball Chan, a security guard in Tsang's residential area. However, Fong has found a loophole in Chan's testimony. Later that night, Elsa wakes from the coma, Lam, Fong and Prince come to hospital in order to record a testimony from Elsa, but she later died from a cerebral bleed. Tsang is then charged manslaughter.

Lam found Tsang's lover, Desmond Chung (Adam Pak), and acknowledges Desmond has appeared at Tsang's residence that night. Lam enlisted Desmond as the key witness in the trial, but Fong worried about the situation of Desmond's, who is also the husband of Victoria Chung (Fish Liew), a daughter of powerful tycoon and an enemy of Tsang, which will be a threat to the case. At the final trial, due to Lam's mistake of not taking a formal testimony record, Desmond suddenly changed his testimony, which resulted in Tsang's 17 years of prison sentence. Condemned by Fong, Lam realized himself has made the biggest mistake ever and ended up in despairing himself. After his former classmate and now ICAC assistant commissioner Luk (Bowie Lam) found and encouraged him, Lam decided to move his law firm to Mong Kok to help more people in order to redeem his wrong-doings.

Two years later, Ball Chan, who went disappearance after the trial and returned to Hong Kong due to his terminal illness, has confessed himself to Lam and Prince shortly prior to his death, which he was once bribed by the Chung's couple to fabricate his testimony in order to frame Tsang up. Lam determined to initiate the reversion of Tsang's conviction, and reconciled with Fong, who initially rejected Lam but later decided to forgive him after enlightened by Ho.

The High Court approved the reversion, but at the meantime, the Department of Justice (DoJ) decided to convict Tsang against murder. The DoJ assigned senior prosecutor Kam Yuen-Shan (Tse Kwan-Ho) to charge against Tsang. After the first trial, where Lam has realized a loophole by Kam, decided to revisit Tsang residence to reconstruct the case with Fong. The two realize Victoria has visit the residence before Desmond's arrival, during Tsang's hangover in the sitting room after taking care of Elsa in sleep.

Lam decided to take a move to recording crime-committing evidence of Victoria, by sending his man to take wiretapping to the Chung's residence. Lam then used the recording to ambush the trial, which lead to Kam's objection. Meanwhile, Chungs' legal adviser and longtime friend, barrister James Tung (Michael Wong), takes a counteraction to Lam, to make him into police custody against his wiretapping action.

Lam make himself on time to arrive to court with Prince, who helped with tricks to make the police to release him. Lam made up a plan with Fong in the final trial, to make Tung and the Chungs to confess the truth. Lam also suggest a plan to Kam, after Kam is revealed to know the truth, they finally agree to allied. At the trial, both Lam and Kam made Desmond to confess that both Desmond and Victoria were the real murderers to Elsa, which Victoria had Elsa crashed to the table corner which resulted into cerebral bleeding, and Desmond then fed her with water to accelerate to her death. Tsang breaks into tears after learning the desperate truth from the confession of his lover. Tsang is cleared of her murder charges and finally get her release. The Chungs and Tung are then arrested by the ICAC, lead by Luk, and the police for their crimes.

Lam, Fong, Prince and Tsang celebrates of their victory, and Lam decided to partner with Fong and Prince to form a new law firm, which Lam continues to help more civilians in his commitment of good deeds.

Cast

* Dayo Wong as Adrian Lam, a barrister who act as attorney in Jolene Tsang's case.
* Tse Kwan-ho as Kam Yuen-Shan, a prosecutor of the Department of Justice who is assigned to charge against Tsang.
* Louise Wong as Jolene Tsang, defendant of Lam's murder case.
* Fish Liew as Victoria Chung, wife of Desmond Chung
* Adam Pak as Desmond Cheung, husband of Victoria Chung
* Michael Wong as James Tung, a retired senior barrister and a longtime friend of the Chung's family
* Dee Ho as Prince, a legal executive to Adrian Lam
* Renci Yeung as Evelyn Fong, a barrister work under T.K. Ho's law firm
* Bowie Lam as Luk Ting-Hang, an ICAC assistant commissioner and classmate of Lam during law school at university
* Vincent Kok as TK Ho, friend of Adrian and superior of Evelyn Fong
* Sheldon Lo as Ben, a solicitor and assistant of James Tung

Production

Screenwriter Jack Ng has aspired to be a director since his graduation from Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts in 2000. However, he decided to turn to screenwriting which lasted for more than 20 years. After co-writing '' Anita'' with writer/director Longman Leung, producer Bill Kong invited Ng to make his directorial debut feature. With a mid-range budget and co-funding by the Hong Kong Film Development Fund, Ng came up a theme idea of court drama, and both Ng and Kong cast Dayo Wong as the lead actor.

Filming began on May 23, 2022 and wrapped up on July 2, 2022. The court scenes were mainly filmed in North Kowloon Magistracy, which has been a historic building since it ceased operation.

References

External links

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2023 films
2023 crime films
2023 comedy films
Courtroom films
Hong Kong crime comedy films
Hong Kong mystery films
Films about domestic violence
Works about child abuse
Films about lawyers
2020s Cantonese-language films
Films based on actual events
Films set in Hong Kong
Films shot in Hong Kong
2023 directorial debut films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guilty Conscience (2023 film), A