# I Did It My Way
**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)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 潜行 (Cantonese release; Mandarin-dubbed versions also distributed)[3](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099) |
| 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/) |
| 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) |
| 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/) |
| Runtime / language | 115 minutes, Cantonese[2](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Four 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)
The 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/)
## Production and release
Jason 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)
**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/)
**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)
## Box office and reception
In 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)
Critical 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)
Reviewers 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)
## Production notes
During 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)
## References
1. [Trailer: 'I Did It My Way', Far East Films](https://fareastfilms.com/fef-news/trailer-i-did-it-my-way/)
2. [I Did It My Way, Official Movie Site, Well Go USA](https://wellgousa.com/films/i-did-it-my-way)
3. [潛行(國) I Did It My Way (Mandarin), LiTV](https://www.litv.tv/movie/watch/VOD00337099)
4. [I Did It My Way (2023), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21330770/fullcredits/)
5. [I DID IT MY WAY, GSC Movies](https://www.gscmovies.com.my/i-did-it-my-way/)
6. [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)
7. [I Did It My Way (2023) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/i-did-it-my-way-2023)
8. [I Did It My Way movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-did-it-my-way-movie-review-2024)
9. [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)
10. [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)
11. [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)
12. ['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/)
13. [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)
14. [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)
15. [I Did It My Way, watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/cim-hang)
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*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*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license