It’s been at least 3 decades since Tony Leung last appeared in public events in Malaysia. He used to be a regular in Malaysia for personal stage shows and TVB functions back in the 80s. I saw Tony a decade ago during Anita Mui’s HK memorial concert, where he was one of the star-studded performers. News of Tony gracing “The Goldfinger” 金手指 gala premiere cum meet-the-fan at Aurum Theatre, TRX mall generated lots of buzz. It’s certainly a rare treat to catch the legendary Tony Leung in the flesh. From a heartthrob during TVB “Police Cadet” days, Tony is now an internationally acclaimed superstar who had clinched all the major Asia acting awards (Golden Horse, Golden Rooster, Hong Kong Film Awards), along with the Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement award at Venice Film Festival recently. Tony embarked on a whirlwind back-to-back promotional blitz, from HK on Wed, to Singapore on Thursday and finally, in Malaysia on Friday. Director, Felix Chong (he also co-wrote the script of “Infernal Affairs”) and producer, Ronald Wong were also part of the entourage. The movie also reunites Tony with buddy and long time collaborator, Andy Lau (last team-up in “Infernal Affairs”). Director, Felix, divulged that this flick is inspired by the BMF scandal that made major headlines in Malaysia and Hong Kong in the early 80s. Yes, long before the infamous Jho Lo and 1MBD scandal, Malaysia was also in the limelight for another financial fraud case involving George Tan of Carrian Group (purportedly a Sarawakian/Malaysian who holds a Singapore passport) and BMF. BMF stands for “Bumiputra Malaysia Finance”, an offshore subsidiary of Malaysia government-owned, Bank Bumiputera. The graft scandal was in the form of questionable loans to Carrian Group which was in the range of billions of Malaysian Ringgit. It also resulted in the brutal murder of a Malay senior auditor, sent to HK to conduct an extensive audit on the dodgy loans. The auditor was strangled and his lifeless body was dumped in a banana plantation. Tony plays antagonist Ching Yat Yin (a role based upon George Tan’s shady character), while Andy Lau is the ICAC investigator assigned to probe the financial fraud. Other in the cast includes Alex Fong, Simon Yam, Carlos Chan, Philip Keung and Charlene Choi. Tony revealed that aside from being fascinated by the storyline, the prospect of working together with Andy again is the main draw to accept the offer. Tony expressed it is challenging and refreshing to play the role of a flamboyant conman since he has only taken up 5 baddie roles in his career. The costumes , make-up and props depicting the 80s era also helped Tony to immerse into the character. “The Gold Finger” 金手指 opens nationwide on 30st December onwards.
