Smashing Frank
| Smashing Frank | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 搗破法蘭克 |
| Jyutping | Dou2 Po3 Faat3 Laan4 Hak1 |
| Directed by | Trevor Choi |
| Written by | Trevor Choi |
| Produced by | Charles Yen |
| Starring | Hedwig Tam Locker Lam Kaki Sham Renci Yeung Ben Yuen |
| Cinematography | Alfred Pong |
| Edited by | Wong Hoi Daniel Lee |
| Music by | Jack Tse |
Production companies | 16By9 Entertainment Power |
| Distributed by | Intercontinental Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
Smashing Frank (Chinese: 搗破法蘭克) is a 2025 Hong Kong heist film directed and written by Trevor Choi. Co-produced by Entertaining Power and the YouTube channel 16By9, it is the first Hong Kong film produced through crowdfunding. The film stars Hedwig Tam, Locker Lam, Kaki Sham, and Renci Yeung as members of the titular heist crew Frank, who engage in robberies targeting the wealthy, only to uncover a larger conspiracy orchestrated by crime lord and billionaire (Ben Yuen).
The screenplay for Smashing Frank was developed by Trevor Choi as part of a filmmaking course taught by Fruit Chan and was completed in early 2019 under Chan's mentorship. In 2021, Choi founded the 16By9 and launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter on the channel's first anniversary to produce their debut feature film basing on the screenplay of Smashing Frank.
The campaign successfully raised HK$2.5 million in May 2022, but the project faced a creative overhaul due to new investments in April 2023, causing the original cast led by Hanna Chan and Alma Kwok exiting and some backers requesting refunds. Principal photography took place from June to August 2023 with a new cast and experienced a two-year delay in post-production. The film ultimately received its theatrical release in Hong Kong on 17 April 2025.