There’s an age-old tale known as Robin Hood, where a thief steals from the corrupt and rich to give to the poor. In this scenario, who is the true villain? The 2025 heist film Smashing Frank explores this same question, as it follows Ayla (Hedwig Tam) and her troupe of thieves who target the wealthy. Named Frank, the group records and posts each heist, and they go viral when they accidentally steal from Ho Ka-wang (Ben Yuen), billionaire and head of the Unity Haven Church.
As suspicion toward the church grows, citizens begin to voice their support for Frank, encouraging the to target the church. Frank plots another heist against a member of the church, but they soon discover there’s more to Unity Haven Church than what it seems. The organization serves as a front for wealthy elites who profit from money laundering and human trafficking. Though robbery is also unlawful and wrong, can it be forgiven if it’s committed against criminals? Asia Blooming spoke with Director and Writer Trevor Choi and lead actress Hedwig Tam, while they are attending New York Asian Film Festival, about the film.
When thinking back to what inspired the film, it really boiled down to Director Choi and his love of heist movies and Hong Kong, as well as some observations on society. “I define myself as a Hong Konger, as I grew up in Hong Kong and always visit. A few years ago, I started filmmaking, and there was such a difference [in Hong Kong] when I was working as a filmmaker versus when I wasn’t. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere, where certain resources or wealth are so concentrated in one generation, and it affects the generation that comes after. It’s a Hong Kong problem, but I think it’s also a universal truth. It happens everywhere, but moreso there. The movie expresses [that concept] and the rage that the younger generation has [because of it].”
Once the idea and concept were determined, it was time for production, though that did not come without challenges. Smashing Frank was the first film in the Hong Kong film industry to attempt a crowdfunding approach. “Originally, this was a Kickstarter crowdfunding project, and there were a few cast members attached to it. The crowdfunding only raised half of the film’s budget, so we weren’t sure if the project would still be greenlit, and the original cast left the project. Luckily, a Hong Kong studio came on board as an investor, and we began to make progress again,” Choi revealed.
The next step was to re-cast the movie, the director said. “We started with Locker [Lam], who plays the male lead Hugo. Then, it came time to cast Ayla. It’s her story, so we had to find someone with her look and her personality, so there weren’t too many choices. We met with Hedwig and she came on board, and the casting became easier because Ka-Ki Sham (who plays Chun) and Renci Yeung (who plays Chelsea) were already friends with Hedwig and Locker.” Playing the lead role, Tam shared that the story instantly intrigued her once she received the proposal. “The first thing to catch my attention was that Ayla’s character is very strong. She’s kind of a villain, but she’s also just a very strong woman. This is not really typical in Hong Kong film, especially not for female characters. Her fierce and ruthless type of a character, paired with this rare genre, attracted me as soon as I read the script. It was just so different,” she shared.
Though the movie began lightheartedly, with the characters spending time joking around and getting closer, the third act of the film saw a significant shift in tone. “When the story was designed, I knew from the very beginning that the tone would shift roughly in the third act,” Choi began. “I didn’t really have the mindset of balancing the light and dark, but I wanted the audience to feel how I feel about Hong Kong, from my generation’s perspective.” For Tam, this shift also offered a new outlook on her character. “There was a really interesting scene set the night before the action, in act three. Everyone was smoking and hanging out, and at one point, Ayla told the group that it was okay if they didn’t join the big heist the next day, that she’d do it herself. In that moment, you see the humanity and complexity in the character. Also with her interactions with Granny, you can see a different side of her than the instinctual, impulsive person she also is.”
Playing a multifaceted character like Ayla meant that Tam had to pay close attention to the many nuances of her character. “She’s not a simple villain. When we first looked at the script, the first standout thing was the bonding of the group. We really worked on strengthening that bond. Then, you see her interact with Granny, and now you’re seeing Ayla from a completely different perspective. She’s not just that sense of hatred and anger, she’s something much more beyond that,” she shared. “We worked hard to create the context so that people understood Ayla wasn’t just ruthless and violent, but that she was reacting [to society].” Further describing her character, Tam emphasized the importance of looking past the surface. “Ayla is impulsive, violent, and explosive, but that was written into the script,” she explained. “In the production process, I worked with Director Choi a lot to find other perspectives and elements to really bring Ayla together. Yes, she is all those things I mentioned, but those traits also don’t cover up everything else about her.”
While Tam put on a phenomenal performance, expressing her character’s wide range of emotions, she still credited the well-written and well-portrayed character to the director. “Director Choi did amazing preparation work. Every character was assigned a film for reference, and it was described as our character’s favorite film. Then, he also prepared a very long questionnaire with many, many questions. He actually challenged us to answer them from the perspective of our character, or sometimes, he would provide the answers for us to actually give us further food for thought.”
Revealing that used The Proust Questionnaire to build his characters, the director also chimed in on their favorite films: “Ayla’s favorite film I chose for her was Fight Club, and Hugo’s favorite film was Pineapple Express. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know why it fits his personality so well. For Chun, his favorite film was Shaolin Soccer, because essentially, he just likes to be in a group, and he has that kind of spirit. And for Chelsea, her favorite film was Lost in Translation, which is kind of romantic.”
Also, the actors’ real-life friendships naturally helped strengthened their on-screen chemistry as a badn of bandits. “We’re all really great friends, so it made it very easy to discuss matters. We would put everything on the table with no worry about offending people, and no worry about embarrassment,” Tam shared. “Actually, before filming, Locker, myself, and one other person went to Japan together, and we all brought the script with us to discuss it together!”
Describing the story as one about a group of misfits or anti-heroes, both Director Choi and Hedwig Tam admitted their thoughts about Frank as an organization shifted constantly while working on this project. “It’s all about point of view,” Choi began. “If you’re a 60-year-old wealthy male going in, you would definitely view Frank as villains. But, that’s kind of the purpose of it. We presented this problem, this story, and the audience gets to choose for themselves.” Bringing up the technicalities, Tam exposes her character without hesitation. “Legally, yes, they were villains. However, she had many reasons. In that specific society, there was no upward mobility, and they were really trapped, so what could they do? It was like a last resort. What could they do in order to fight, in order to actually make a difference or do something for themselves?,” she began. “All these different things allow the audience to decide their own thoughts.”
Describing Smashing Frank in one word, Hedwig Tam chooses “wildfire,” which relates to the film as a whole, but also serves as a great descriptor for her character Ayla. “With all the context from her scenes with her friends and with Granny, we can see her humanity. But, she is still impulsive and ruthless.” For Director Trevor Choi, he believes the film can be described as explosive, because of its fast pace and attention-grabbing plot.
Smashing Frank premiered in April 2025 in Hong Kong, but made its U.S. debut on July 16 at the 24th New York Asian Film Festival.
