No. of episodes: 30
Genre: Comedy
Original network: TVB
Native title: 荷里活有個大老千
The drama was first aired in Jan – Feb 2019 but I only start watching it recently as the genre is not the best or most anticipating script of all time.
What pull me back? The cast and mainly because its Selena Li and Kent Cheng. Fun fact, most of the characters are inspired by real actors back in the days.
Before things happened
Lung Sei 龍四 (acted by Kent Cheng) is a professional con artist that con rich man’s money and one day all of them gang up to track him down.
With the help of Lung Feng 龐峰 (acted by Paul Chun), Man Hung 文雄 (acted by Kent Tong) and his men found him and even frame him.
After Lung Sei was caught and tortured by Man Hung’s man, he even threaten his then fiance to be his woman. Lung Sei was framed to hide drugs and imprison for 2 years.
End up Bak Hap 方百合 (acted by Angie Cheong) swallow the pain herself and broke up with the badly injured Lung Sei in the prison visiting room.
Story
After the professional con artist is being framed and release from the prison, he disappear from his circle of friends that are all trained con artist.
Ding Ling 丁玲 (acted by Elaine Jin) and her daughter Ding Siu Yu 丁小雨 (acted by Ada Wong) went to the defective agency sponsored by Lung Sei to request for help to trace him.
Acting in Hollywood Studio
After Lung Sei was released from the prison, he venture into the entertainment industry. That is when we move the entire story to Hollywood Studio.
Lung Sei recruited two mentees under him and both Shu Keie 舒奇 (acted by Babyjohn Choi) and Mak Gei 墨基 (acted by James Ng) turn from backstage staff to actors.
Marilyn 瑪利蓮 (acted by Selena Li) bring in 3 girls that aspire to be movie stars to Hollywood studio.
Ming Zhu 陳明珠 (acted by Connie Man) is the eldest among them, together with her, Fen Fung 蕭芬芳 (acted by Bonnie Chan) and Siu Yan 薛小燕 (acted by Virginia Lau).
Birth of ICAC
The drama set in the era slightly before the birth of ICAC where corruption is everywhere and people deem police as a useless, blood sucker job.
The mastermind of all the criminal action is head by Man Hung, the head of the police force. If you watched The Defected before you will know how scary it is when power will eat someone up.
In the mid of the drama, it is when ICAC set up and their first target is Man Hung. From the ICAC 2019, you will see people respect them more. But in the drama, even the police officers under Man Hung don’t give a d**n of them.
Life of a con artist
Once a con artist, forever one. The drama being with the life of Lung Sei before he was framed and jailed. The ending of the drama links both being a con artist and also actors/actress.
Just one take, but everyone risking their lives. Which I really like how the drama built the tension up to that “scene”.
Rating: 🥔🥔🥔🥔