The Moon Thieves

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The Moon Thieves
Theatrical poster
Traditional Chinese盜月者
Directed bySteve Yuen
Screenplay byRonald Chan
Produced byJason Siu
Ray Pang
StarringAnson Lo
Edan Lui
Louis Cheung
Michael Ning
Keung To
CinematographyKarl Tam
Edited byWong Hoi
Music byYusuke Hatano
Production
companies
Emperor Motion Pictures
MakerVille
Distributed byEmperor Motion Pictures
Release date
  • 9 February 2024 (2024-02-09) (Hong Kong)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese

The Moon Thieves (Chinese: 盜月者) is a 2024 Hong Kong heist film directed by Steve Yuen and stars Anson Lo, Edan Lui, Louis Cheung, Michael Ning and Keung To in lead roles. The film was theatrically released on 9 February 2024, in Hong Kong.

Synopsis[edit]

Vincent sells a frankenwatch – an antique watch composed of vintage parts sourced from different watches – to a customer at his father's watch shop. Uncle, the son of an influential underworld watch dealer, recognizes Vincent's talent and wants to recruit him as the watchmaker for a heist crew. Initially refusing, Vincent succumbs to Uncle's threats of exposing his deception to his father's customers. Uncle introduces Vincent to the leader of the crew, Chief, and orders Chief to gather Mario and Ms. Hong for a heist targeting three prestigious Picasso watches in Japan. Mario reluctantly agrees, while Ms. Hong declines in rage. But Yoh, Ms. Hong's son, volunteers to join the crew to earn money for his mother's cataract surgery.

The crew locates the Picasso watches at a renowned watch store in Tokyo. The crew gain access to the VIP room with Vincent and Yoh posing as wealthy customers who intend to buy an expensive watch from Chief and Mario at the target store. However, Vincent becomes distracted by the legendary Moonwatch inside the vault and fails to act according to the plan. Mario warns Vincent to take only the three watches they need. The crew carry out the heist during a fireworks show and successfully enter the VIP room. Yoh initially struggles to unlock the vault, but Vincent notices dried wax on the buttons, enabling Yoh to open it. Meanwhile, a drunk pedestrian triggers the alarm of the store's entrance, forcing the crew to retreat. Mario succumbs to greed and steals the Moonwatch during their escape. However, Mario realizes the trouble he's in with after learning about the backstory of the Moonwatch from Vincent later at the safe house. He exposes the crew's association with Uncle to the underground watch dealing market with Vincent's phone. Meanwhile, Chairman Kato, the crime lord who owns Moonwatch, orders his men to retrieve it. Chief confronts Mario about the additional watch requested by the Japanese hitmen. Mario shows Chief the stolen Moonwatch and proposes revolting against Uncle as he believes Uncle is trying to eliminate his father's longtime companions. The crew thus plans to expose Uncle and ensure their safety.

Yoh pretends to betray the crew and reveals their hideout to Uncle. Uncle's men capture the crew and bring them back to Hong Kong. Before Uncle orders Yoh to kill the others, Vincent intervenes and claims he is the only one who knows the location of the hidden Picasso watches. Uncle sends Vincent and Yoh to retrieve them. The duo goes to the post office to recover the watch parts that were mailed back to Hong Kong but encounter complications. Vincent and Yoh then decide to confront Uncle after setting up a trap door in the truck. Vincent threatens to destroy the watches unless Uncle releases Chief and Mario. Uncle reluctantly agrees and orders their release. However, as Yoh tosses the watches out of the truck to Uncle, a group of Japanese hitmen arrives on the scene. The arrogant Uncle orders his men to fire at the Japanese, but his men are swiftly gunned down. The hitmen take the Moonwatch while Uncle only secures the Picasso watches. The hitmen shoot at the truck, but the crew has already escaped through a trap door into underground pipes. They seek refuge at Tung's house, where Vincent discovers the missing parcel has been mailed back to Japan according to the return address.

In the mid-credits scene, Vincent reveals that the three Picasso watches given to Uncle were actually frankenwatches, and he proudly displays the real watches to his crewmates. Meanwhile, Uncle, unaware of the deception, attempts to sell the frankenwatches to a Russian crime lord who quickly discovers that the watches are fake. Uncle's henchman immediately abandons him, leaving a horrified Uncle at the Russians' gunpoint.

Cast[edit]

  • Anson Lo as Yoh: the younger son of Ms. Hong who volunteers to be the heist crew's lock-picking artist.[1]
  • Edan Lui as Vincent Ma: an antique watches counterfeiter who is recruited by Uncle to replace a deceased heist crew member.[1]
  • Louis Cheung as Chief: the leader of the heist crew who is loyal to Uncle's father.[1]
  • Michael Ning as Mario: an explosives specialist and a long-time member of the heist crew.[1]
  • Kwok Fung as Mr. Bard: an acquaintance of Uncle's father who orders the three Picasso watches.[2]
  • Ben Yuen as Kuen: a watch shop owner and the father of Vincent.[2]
  • Deon Cheung as Wayne: a crime lord who bought a frankenwatch from Vincent.[2]
  • Luna Shaw as Ms. Hong: a former accomplice of Chief and Mario who lost her eldest son in the previous operation.[2]
  • Ray So as Tung: a mentally-challenged worker at the post office who collects watch parts for Vincent.[2]
  • Keung To as Uncle: an arrogant and unhinged son of a deceased underworld watch dealer who tries to kill off his father's long-time subordinates.[1]

Also appearing in the film are Kazuya Tanabe as Chairman Kato, a Japanese businessman and crime lord who secretly owns the Moonwatch;[3] Ronald Lam as Arkin, a former accomplice of Chief and Mario and the watchmaker of the crew; Polly Lau and Elly Lam as news anchorwomen.[4]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

The Moon Thieves was announced during the film presentation of Emperor Motion Pictures in March 2023, with Steve Yuen set to direct and boy group Mirror members Edan Lui, Anson Lo and Keung To cast in lead roles.[5] The story is loosely based on the 2009 heist at Tenshodo in Ginza and the 2010 post office robbery in Hong Kong.[6] In April 2023, production began with Louis Cheung and Michael Ning added to the cast.[7] An official trailer was released in October 2023.[8]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography began in March 2023 in Tokyo, Japan,[9] and wrapped up in two weeks.[10] Filming resumed on 27 April in Hong Kong,[7] and wrapped on 1 May.[11] Filming locations include a tailor shop in Prince Edward, a post office in Yau Tong and Chun Wang Street in Tseung Kwan O.[12]

Release[edit]

The Moon Thieves was theatrically released on 9 February 2024, in Hong Kong.[13] The film is also selected to be the opening film of the 19th Osaka Asian Film Festival.[14]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

The Moon Thieves grossed over HK$10 million on the fifth day after its theatrical release.[15] As of 2 March 2024, the film has grossed over HK$25 million.[16]

Critical response[edit]

Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars and described it as "very silly yet fiendishly watchable", acknowledging the incorporation of elements from Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven and entertaining plot mechanics that showcase the workings of locks and watches, but pointed out its pre-packaged feel and the miscasting of Keung To, resulting in a film that is oddly enjoyable despite its absurdity.[17] Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gave the film 3.5/5 stars, praising its playful storytelling, slick visuals, and charismatic performances delivered by the majority of the cast, but criticized the miscasting of Keung To as the main villain.[1] Tara Brady of The Irish Times gave the film 3/5 stars and described the film as entertaining, falling somewhere between Hong Kong 1990s action flicks and Soderbergh's Oceans films, and praised the fun elements of lock-picking and watch mechanics, but criticizing the miscasting of Keung To and the occasional out-of-place performances by the ensemble.[18] Conversely, Thomas Kong of Esquire provided a contrasting opinion, highlighting the surprisingly impressive performances by the MIRROR members, with Edan Lui's clever and natural portrayal and Anson Lo's ability to evoke sympathy, while emphasizing the challenging and standout role played by first-time villain actor Keung To.[19] Ho Siu Bun of am730, who focused on the plotline, described the film as moderately entertaining, as it incorporated familiar elements of Hong Kong crime movies and explores an unfamiliar theme of watches as the target of the heist, but criticized its inconsistent storytelling and lack of character development.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Edmund (5 February 2024). "The Moon Thieves movie review: boy band Mirror's Anson Lo, Keung To and Edan Lui star in heist thriller that's fun to watch – even if one of them is miscast". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e 何故 (8 February 2024). "《盜月者》超乎預期　MIRROR三子銀幕上最精彩一次演出" (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  3. ^ "香港映画「盗月者」大阪アジアン映画祭のSPオープニング飾る、ユエン・キムワイが来日" (in Japanese). Natalie. 5 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  4. ^ "盜月者｜盧瀚霆連拍3晚通宵戲頭都暈 Edan開騷曬蘋果肌" (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ "英皇電影巡禮｜雲集香港影壇最強卡士 古天樂梁朝偉現身撐場齊人過金像獎" (in Chinese). Headline Daily. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  6. ^ 許育民 (14 February 2024). "盜月者｜改編2010年郵袋搶劫案　完美港日盜竊計劃因內訌被搗破" (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b 莫匡堯 (28 April 2023). "盜月者︱與三位鏡仔合照專登趷高　張繼聰：唔貪心攞返真實高度啫" (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  8. ^ 許育民 (14 October 2023). "盜月者｜預告呂爵安偷登月手錶　姜濤驚喜演歹角盧瀚霆係夾萬專家" (in Chinese). HK01. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  9. ^ "AL孖Edan飛日本 逾百鏡粉送行" (in Chinese). Sing Tao Daily. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  10. ^ 林得懿 (12 April 2023). "Anson Lo現身旺角鬧市拍《盜月者》　逾50粉絲守候" (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^ "盧瀚霆拍《盜月者》 今晨9時煞科：辛苦台前幕後所有人" (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 1 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  12. ^ 李國樑 (8 February 2024). "盜月者取景｜姜濤駁火槍戰場面呢到拍 3大鏡粉必到朝聖場景！" (in Chinese). U Lifestyle. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  13. ^ 許育民 (16 February 2024). "盜月者｜粉絲投訴謝票場開賣即爆　英皇電影︰無預留任何一張戲票" (in Chinese). HK01. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  14. ^ "《盜月者》成大阪亞洲電影節開幕電影 Anson Lo︰榮幸能參與" (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 3 February 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  15. ^ "盜月者丨開畫5天票房破1000萬 戲中「Dickson」原來係型格靚仔蘇振維" (in Chinese). am730. 14 February 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  16. ^ "《盜月者》票房破2500萬 Edan皮膚敏感 面留紅印" (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 3 March 2024. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  17. ^ Felperin, Leslie (20 February 2024). "The Moon Thieves review – absurd boyband heist movie is fiendishly watchable". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  18. ^ Brady, Tara (22 February 2024). "The Moon Thieves review: Cantopop stars can look out of place in this chaotic horology heist". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  19. ^ Kong, Thomas (15 February 2024). "盜月者｜呂爵安盧瀚霆闖日本偷名錶 姜濤首演反派做事不擇手段" (in Chinese). Esquire. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  20. ^ 何兆彬 (11 February 2024). "影評｜《盜月者》富娛樂性 題材有新意" (in Chinese). am730. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.

External links[edit]

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