During the Lehman Brothers minibond fiasco in 2008, many Hong Kong families lost lots of money. It also exposed the helplessness of ordinary people in a financial crisis.
Hong Kong director Johnnie To Kei-fung's latest thriller, Life Without Principle, explores how our sense of morality can weaken in such times.
In the film, a bank teller, a criminal and a police officer are brought together after they find a bag containing HK$5 million.
Teresa (Denise Ho Wan-sze) works in a bank, but fears she is about to lose her job. She has resorted to selling high-risk financial products to unwitting customers.
Panther (Lau Ching-wan) is a small-time crook who trades illegal futures . He's determined to make enough cash to post bail for a friend in prison.
Inspector Cheung (Taiwanese pop star Richie Jen), meanwhile, faces financial ruin when his wife places a down payment on a house they can't afford. A half-sister who shows up suddenly further threatens his middle-class lifestyle.