Hypnosis film brings Nick Cheung a fresh touch

As one of the most diligent stars in Hong Kong, Nick Cheung stars as a hypnotist in his latest film Guilt by Design, his fourth movie to hit domestic theaters this year.

Directed and written by a trio of newcomers, Kenneth Lai, Paul Sze and Lau Wing-tai, the suspense thriller features Cheung as a hypnotist who is a member of a jury.

When Cheung's character is attending a trial, he receives a call that pressures him to induce hypnosis on the other jury members to reverse a verdict, or else his daughter – kidnapped by mysterious criminals – will be murdered.

Cheung, a two-time Best Actor winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards, said the role was a new experience, as it was the first time he's played a hypnotist in an acting career spanning three decades.

During the recent Beijing premiere, Cheung said he read a lot of books and searched online about hypnosis, and invited professional hypnotists to demonstrate how people react when induced into a hypnotic state.

The movie also stars Zhang Han, best known for China's all-time, highest-grossing blockbuster, Wolf Warrior 2.

Zhang plays the Cheung's brother-in-law, a former special forces member who becomes key in the hunt for the criminals.

The film was released across China on Friday. Unfortunately, its screen share abruptly fell from 17.2 percent on opening day to 4.7 percent as of Monday, due to its powerful rival, Better Days, a coming-of-age hit about school violence.