User reviews

Quite a lot of this reminded me of "Tron" (1982) as "Cheuk Ka-chun" (Aarok Kwok) finds himself the new chief executive of a software security company that he discovers is being used to facilitate some pretty huge money laundering operations. Using sophisticated firewall evasion and backdoor programmes, billions of HK dollars are being pinched from banks that are being simultaneously thrown into chaos whilst they are robbed. The police suspect him, and have him in for questioning when $800k appears in his bank account - exactly the sum he needs to ensure his ailing daughter gets the specialist treatment she needs. He agrees to work with the police (Simon Yam) to bring down his duplicitous boss "Chan Ming-chi" (Gordon Lam) and the golf-loving kingpin. What now ensues are a series of set piece action scenarios that use (not very sophisticated) CGI to help deliver a solid, if rather procedural story that develops quite a few flaws in the narrative as it heads to it's denouement. To be fair to director Hing Fan Wong, he does attempt to create some depth to the characters. There are mitigating factors in the behaviour of many the characters caught up in a whirlwind of technology and easy money - and maybe we might consider partaking of some "victimless crimes" were we in a similar position; but this story is just too lightweight and it takes far too long to become interesting. It's OK, this, but nothing more.

The characters in this story is actually pretty well written. A good guy framed and caught in the middle between cops and robber. And yet another bad (but kind of good) guy caught between the ultimate bad boss and his own bottom line. Their delimnas drives them together for an resolution.

What drowns all this out is a myriad of CGI that is just pad on the fat. They are not necessary. The money spent could have gone to more rewrites and fleshnout the story. Like the typical sick child burden is too much of a template. Like the extreme bad boss is too one dimensional. Like the little brother that didn't get any dialogue but is there to be paraplegic sorrow point .....etc.

Cyber Heist is a seriously misjudged, overlooked and underrated thriller that isn't only fascinating for people interested in economy and informatics but also for anyone craving interesting characters and tense plots that entertain from start to finish. The story revolves around cyber security engineer Kelvin Cheuk who uncovers a money laundering scheme at his company. One of his colleagues gets murdered, another one's brother gets brutally assaulted and Kelvin Cheuk is quickly blamed for a crime he never committed due to his own criminal past. He decides to cooperate with the police in order to clear his name but his employer has significant control over him when kidnapping the cyber security engineer's daughter who suffers from a serious medical condition. The showdown between the two men soon involves their colleagues, families, friends, the police and the mysterious antagonist hiding in the shadows.

This movie convinces on all levels in my opinion. The plot is varied, tense and fast from start to finish. The film's characters are diversified, profound and realistic. The acting performances are emotional, focused and talented. The visual effects are astonishing and bring elements such as cyber security to life in such a way that even those who aren't familiar with it will understand its different details very easily. The movie has an excellent running time without any lengths. As opposed to many other Chinese movies, this one isn't oversaturated with political propaganda other than the negative portrayal of predatory capitalism. Once the wild ride is over you will certainly feel like watching this movie again in the future and recommending it to your friends.

I went to the cinema to watch this movie without any expectations other than desiring to be entertained. What I have ultimately received is one of the greatest movies of the year and one of the most creative thrillers in a long period of time. I have thought hard and long about this movie but couldn't identify any negative elements in it which ultimately justifies giving it the highest possible rating which doesn't happen very often. My suggestion for you is to keep an open mind, ignore the exaggeratedly negative reviews and enjoy this surprising movie from start to finish.