{ "id": "epznyk88fz", "slug": "i-did-it-my-way", "title": "I Did It My Way", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2023-2024-films", "label": "2023–2024 films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2023-2024-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "China · 2021 and later: Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" } ] } ], "excerpt": "I Did It My Way (潛行) is a 2023 Hong Kong action crime film directed by Jason Kwan, produced by and starring Andy Lau as a lawyer-drug lord selling methamphetamine on the dark web, with Gordon Lam as an undercover cop; released December 2023 in China.", "snippet": "I Did It My Way (潛行) is a 2023 Hong Kong action crime film directed by Jason Kwan, produced by and starring Andy Lau as a lawyer-drug lord selling methamphetamine on the dark web, with Gordon Lam as an undercover cop; released December 2023 in China.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2023-2024-films", "markdown": "# I Did It My Way\n\n**I Did It My Way** (潜行) is a 2023 Hong Kong action crime film directed by Jason Kwan and produced by and starring [Andy Lau](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-lau), in which Hong Kong police pursue a drug lord who sells narcotics through the dark web.[1](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/) The cast includes Andy Lau, Gordon Lam (Lam Ka-tung), Eddie Peng, Cya Liu, and [Simon Yam](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-yam).[1](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/) It opened in mainland China on December 29, 2023, in Hong Kong on January 11, 2024, and in the United States on January 12, 2024.[1](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/) • [2](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 潜行 (Cantonese release; Mandarin-dubbed versions also distributed)[3](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099) |\n| Director / producer | Jason Kwan (also director of photography); produced by Andy Lau[2](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/) |\n| Lead cast | Andy Lau, Gordon Lam, Eddie Peng, Cya Liu, Simon Yam, Kent Cheng, Philip Keung, Hedwig Tam[2](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way) |\n| Release dates | Mainland China December 29, 2023; Hong Kong January 11, 2024; United States January 12, 2024; Malaysia January 18, 2024[1](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/) • [5](https://www.gscmovies.com.my/i-did-it-my-way/) |\n| Runtime / language | 115 minutes, Cantonese[2](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way) |\n| Hong Kong box office | HK$11,324,153 from 182,957 admissions over a 58-day run (January 11 to March 8, 2024)[6](https://www.ccidahk.gov.hk/tc/publication/Hong%20Kong%20Film%20Industry%20Data%202024.pdf) |\n| Awards recognition | Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Action Design at the 2024 Hong Kong Film Awards[3](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nFour tons of methamphetamine arrive secretly in Hong Kong under the cover of a typhoon, to be sold on the dark web.[5](https://www.gscmovies.com.my/i-did-it-my-way/) The mastermind is a harmless-looking lawyer named Lin Zhen'an (Andy Lau), who uses live drug trafficking on the dark web while killing people and using the law to escape consequences; he does not know he has been boxed in by the police and his enemies, and his closest brother and beloved wife become entwined in the fallout.[1](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/) The police must find the \"boss\" behind the dark web operation and push their long-embedded undercover officer to the front line.[3](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099)\n\nThe undercover officer is Sau Ho (Gordon Lam), who has spent more than a decade inside the drug organization; his handler is Yuen Muk Yu (Lam Suet), his wife is Maggie Kong (Hedwig Tam), and George Lam (Andy Lau) is a barrister whose fiancée Vivian Ha (Cya Liu) is pregnant. Eddie Fong ([Eddie Peng](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-peng)) is superintendent of the Cybercrime Investigation Unit, and Chung Kam Ming (Simon Yam) is his superior.[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023) Lau's character is billed as George Lam in the English cast list.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/)\n\n## Production and release\n\nJason Kwan, who had co-directed *[Chasing the Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/chasing-the-dragon-film)* and its sequel, directed the film and also served as its director of photography.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-2024) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/) Chin Ka-lok was the action director, Day Tai composed the score, and Alan Wai-Lun Cheng edited.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/) The film was produced by Andy Lau's company among other studios, with Shanghai Ben Xiaohai Film and Television Culture Media and Focus Films among the production entities.[9](https://ive.edu.hk/hw/uploads/ive/images/campus/lib/pdf/booklist25.pdf) • [7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023)\n\n**Casting significance.** The film marked Andy Lau's return to a major villain role on the big screen for the first time since *[Protégé](https://www.edgepedia.org/protege)* (2007), a gap of 16 years, and he also fired a gun on screen for the first time in many years, a point director Kwan highlighted at the premiere.[10](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25794171?commTag=true) • [11](https://m.thepaper.cn/detail/25772863) It reunited Lau and Gordon Lam on screen for the first time since *Firestorm* (2013).[12](https://theasiancut.com/review/i-did-it-my-way-jason-kwan-andy-lau-review/)\n\n**Promotion.** A promotional campaign had Andy Lau and cast member George Lam covering the 1982 song \"Hard to Separate Good and Evil\", with a music video made using AI-generated visuals of the two; its director, Junie Lau, was discovered by Andy Lau through social media after winning an international competition with a self-made AI music video.[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023)\n\n## Box office and reception\n\nIn Hong Kong the film ran for 58 days from January 11 to March 8, 2024, earning HK$11,324,153 from 182,957 admissions.[6](https://www.ccidahk.gov.hk/tc/publication/Hong%20Kong%20Film%20Industry%20Data%202024.pdf) It received nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Action Design at the 2024 Hong Kong Film Awards.[3](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099)\n\nCritical response was mixed to negative. The *South China Morning Post* gave it 2 out of 5 stars, writing that an illogical screenplay rendered Lau's crime boss unreasonable to the point of comedy and that the visualization of the dark web looked foolish.[13](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3247770/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-andy-lau-led-crime-thriller-about-drugs-asias-dark-web-ruined-bad) CNA Lifestyle's review scored it 3 out of 5, judging that the film nailed the matchup between Lau and Gordon Lam but wasted Eddie Peng, and calling its structure a blend of an undercover-cop tale, a Hong Kong thriller, and a cybercrime picture.[14](https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/8days/i-did-it-my-way-review-crime-thriller-spends-too-much-time-andy-lau-lam-ka-tung-bromance-leaves-eddie-peng-out-cold-423851) RogerEbert.com described it as well-polished action filmmaking with a strong ensemble cast, while noting a conventional plot.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-2024) On aggregate ratings it held an IMDb score of 5.2/10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 20%.[15](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/cim-hang)\n\nReviewers repeatedly identified the same strengths and weaknesses: strong performances from Lau and Lam, high production values, and a well-staged wine-cellar fight scene for Eddie Peng, set against a familiar undercover-cop storyline and a screenplay with numerous writers attached.[12](https://theasiancut.com/review/i-did-it-my-way-jason-kwan-andy-lau-review/) • [14](https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/8days/i-did-it-my-way-review-crime-thriller-spends-too-much-time-andy-lau-lam-ka-tung-bromance-leaves-eddie-peng-out-cold-423851) • [8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-2024)\n\n## Production notes\n\nDuring filming of a stunt sequence in Tsing Yi, Gordon Lam was injured while protecting a child actor he was holding from falling on uneven ground with gravel and rocks; he was temporarily immobilized and taken to hospital, and four days later was well enough to attend the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards.[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023) Filming the Malaysian island ambush scene, which featured a shootout and an explosion on a beach set, required twelve nights of shooting amid nightly heavy rainstorms, with RED rainstorm signals issued on certain nights; by itself, the explosion took three to four hours to capture on film.[7](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Trailer: 'I Did It My Way', Far East Films](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/)\n2. [I Did It My Way, Official Movie Site, Well Go USA](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way)\n3. [潛行(國) I Did It My Way (Mandarin), LiTV](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099)\n4. [I Did It My Way (2023), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/)\n5. [I DID IT MY WAY, GSC Movies](https://www.gscmovies.com.my/i-did-it-my-way/)\n6. [Hong Kong Film Industry Data 2024, Hong Kong Film Development Council](https://www.ccidahk.gov.hk/tc/publication/Hong%20Kong%20Film%20Industry%20Data%202024.pdf)\n7. [I Did It My Way (2023) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023)\n8. [I Did It My Way movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-2024)\n9. [New Book List April 2025, IVE library catalog entry for 潛行](https://ive.edu.hk/hw/uploads/ive/images/campus/lib/pdf/booklist25.pdf)\n10. [首映｜电影《潜行》：\"千面刘德华\"再演毒枭, The Paper](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_25794171?commTag=true)\n11. [首映｜电影《潜行》：看刘德华演反派，展现新型犯罪, The Paper](https://m.thepaper.cn/detail/25772863)\n12. ['I Did It My Way' Fails to Live Up to Its Potential, The Asian Cut](https://theasiancut.com/review/i-did-it-my-way-jason-kwan-andy-lau-review/)\n13. [I Did It My Way movie review, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3247770/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-andy-lau-led-crime-thriller-about-drugs-asias-dark-web-ruined-bad)\n14. [I Did It My Way Review, CNA Lifestyle / 8days](https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/8days/i-did-it-my-way-review-crime-thriller-spends-too-much-time-andy-lau-lam-ka-tung-bromance-leaves-eddie-peng-out-cold-423851)\n15. [I Did It My Way, watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/cim-hang)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2023–2024 films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"I Did It My Way\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[I Did It My Way](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"I Did It My Way\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/i-did-it-my-way. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "I Did It My Way is a 2023 Hong Kong action crime film directed by Jason Kwan, produced by and starring Andy Lau as a lawyer-drug lord selling methamphetamine on the dark web, with Gordon Lam as an undercover cop; released December 2023 in China." }