Tales of Love and Romance

The Heart-Stealer

Dir/Orig Story/Scr: Mong Wan
Prod Co: Kong Ngee
Cast: Patrick Tse Yin, Patsy Kar Ling, Sima Wah-lung, Lam Wing-so, Lee Pang-fei
1958 | B&W | Digital File | Cantonese | 90min

Cheung Man-bing began his writing career in the 1920s with serious literary works before finding immense success in the 1930s as a master of pulp fiction. Under his new pen name, Mong Wan, his stories captivated readers, leading him to venture into filmmaking in the late 1930s, a career that continued through the post-war era. The Heart-Stealer, an adaptation of his own novel, is a standout from this period, blending intrigue and romance in a stylish tale. It is also one of the many urban-set films for which Kong Ngee, its production company, became renowned.

A young Patrick Tse Yin, in one of his breakout roles, shines as a suave jewellery thief who targets wealthy women, stealing both their valuables and affections with effortless charm. After a high-stakes heist in Thailand, he flees to Hong Kong, pursued by a relentless police inspector (Sima Wah-lung). But everything changes when he falls in love with a terminally ill girl (Patsy Kar Ling), igniting a desire to turn his life around. As the story unfolds, an unlikely friendship also develops between the outlaw and the lawman. The film showcases Tse at his most magnetic, in a role seemingly tailor-made for his talent and charm.

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