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Cheung Mu-sing (陳木勝, Jin Moksung), the director of the Hong Kong noir film Full Alert, passed away on the 23rd at the age of 58.

According to local media such as Apple Daily, Director Cheung was diagnosed with terminal nasopharyngeal cancer at a hospital after feeling unwell while filming the movie Raging Fire (怒火, Nuhuo) last year. After battling the illness for about six months, he passed away on this day.

Born in Hong Kong in 1961, Director Cheung studied directing under the master of Hong Kong noir films, Du Chi-fung (杜琪峰, Du Qifeng). He mastered cinematography, screenwriting, and editing, and directed TV series at the young age of 24.

His film debut was Once a Thief (天若有情, Tianruo Youqing, 1990). Amidst action noir films filled with bullets and flames, it was one of the rare films to evoke sensitivity through its action scenes. It was released domestically under the title Full Alert and was a box office success. The poignant story of lovers and the rampaging action left a deep impression. Especially memorable is the scene where Andy Lau (劉德華, Liu Dehua) rides a motorcycle with Wu Qianlian (吳?蓮, Wu Qianlian) in a wedding dress on the back, which is still talked about today.

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Director Cheung showcased dazzling yet restrained visuals combined with powerful messages and detailed action choreography. Representative works include Full Alert 2 (1992), Love on Delivery (1993), Thunderbolt 2 (1995), and Born to Be King (1996).

In 1998, he directed Jackie Chan's CIA, achieving both commercial success and critical acclaim. The following year, he established a new genre of techno action with Gen-X Cops. He also directed beloved films such as BB Project (2006), True Women for Sale (2007), Connected (2008), White Storm (2013), and Paradox (2016).

His final work, Raging Fire, stars Donnie Yen (甄子丹, Zhen Zidan) and Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒, Xie Tingfeng). It was completed late last year and is awaiting release.