For Nicholas Chin, The Peak is much more than a spot to take first-time visitors to Hong Kong. Beyond the vistas, lush greenery and packed trams lies the inspiration for the director's first feature film, Magazine Gap Road, a thriller set among The Peak set.
'When I was writing my script, just going up there - the mist over the windy roads, the isolated gatehouses, the glimpses of well-dressed women in cars - felt so noirish,' says Chin. 'It's not like most places in Hong Kong, which are bustling and warm. The Peak is cold. You never know what's going on there. It's a weird mix of expats, blue-blooded Cantonese families and very discreet mainland people.'
Chin's fascination with the mystery of The Peak's inhabitants drives the plot in Magazine Gap Road. The film's protagonist is Samantha (Taiwanese model-turned-actor Jessey Meng), a museum curator in a relationship with Greg (Carl Ng Ka-lung, another model-turned-actor), a wealthy antique collector who also runs an upscale prostitution ring. Samantha, a former call-girl, has put her past behind her - until she receives a phone call from Kate (Qu Ying, another catwalk regular), an escort in trouble. By agreeing to help her old friend, Samantha finds her dubious past returns to haunt her.
Chin says his story is drawn from a real-life incident in which he overheard a friend who once worked as an escort talking on the phone.
'She got a call from a friend who was still in the trade one day,' he says. 'I listened to the conversation and I was struck by how utterly different my friend sounded at that moment from the woman I knew - [she sounded] much tougher, much colder.'
In the film, Samantha risks life and limb for Kate, who is under the sway of Hans (Zheng Shiming), the same man Samantha escaped from years ago by faking her own death. Remembering how she managed to dupe Hans back then, Samantha hatches a similar plan for Kate, with the help of ex-cop Mao (Elvis Tsui Kam-kong) and her supervisor, museum boss Lee (veteran actor Richard Ng Yiu-hon, Carl Ng's real-life father).