ACTOR Faizal Hussein has long wished to star in an international kung fu film ever since he watched Shaw Brothers productions in his youth. His wish has finally come true.
Faizal, 50, who shone as an assassin in Bunohan, stars alongside Shaw actress Kara Hui in
action flick Mrs K, directed by Ho Yuhang.
The film opens on Thursday.
Delighted to be cast as an assassin again, Faizal steals the show with beautifully-choreographed fight scenes with Hui, a four-time Hong Kong Film Awards winner.
Recounting his experience on set, Faizal said his character was mostly silent, letting his kicks and punches “do most of the talking”.
“I am a nameless, lethal killer hired by a deranged policeman played by Simon Yam.
“He wants to hunt down Mrs K and punish her for a robbery she committed years ago, in which she injured him.”
Faizal and Hui ensured that they would not get hurt in their fight scenes, which involved slamming each other down on stall tables and banging their heads against walls and grilles.
“I cut my forehead when Kara slammed me against a grille. Blood dripped down my face, yet I continued until the director said ‘cut’.
“I told them, ‘Ouch!’,” Faizal said at the film’s preview at GSC One Utama in Petaling Jaya.
He said his favourite scene with Hui took place at an underpass near Jalan Pudu in Kuala Lum-pur, adding that it was his meanest scene in the story.
“She runs after me at the Pudu wet market and enters this dark underpass. She lights the way with her mobile phone.
“Here is when I attack her, like a monster emerging from its cave!”
He also enjoyed working with Hong Kong actor Yam, whom he described as charming and courteous.
“Simon listened to music most of the time.
“He was a true professional. He stuck to his time-table, reminding us to meet him at a certain place and time for our shoot.
“Despite his character’s grim look, he smiled a lot and was polite.”
Mrs K is Faizal’s first collabora-tion with Ho, and is inspired by the director’s childhood love of spaghetti westerns.
While its script is original, Ho’s fifth feature film pays tribute to Quentin Tarantino’s action films such as Jackie Brown and Kill Bill.
Mrs K stars Hong Kong actor Anthony Lau Wing, Taiwanese singer Wu Bai, Hong Kong directors Fruit Chan and Kirk Wong, Malaysian director Dain Said of Bunohan fame and new actress Siow Li Xuan.
It was screened at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea last year.