Guilt by Design (Chinese:催眠·裁決) is a 2019 crime thriller film written and directed by Lai Siu-kwan, Paul Sze, and Lau Wing-tai. A Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, the film stars Nick Cheung, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Hans Zhang, Paul Chun, Kent Cheng, Cheung Siu-fai, and Elaine Jin. It is one of the award-winning film projects of the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum.
Plot
On the last day of the trial for the Lin family murder case that shocked Hong Kong, as the jury was about to retire to deliberate, one of the members, Xu Lisheng (Zhang Jiahui), suddenly receives a message that his daughter Yinyin (Amy) has been kidnapped. The mysterious kidnapper demands that Lisheng, a former international hypnosis expert, use hypnosis to ensure the jury finds the defendant guilty, or his daughter will be killed. This means Lisheng must secretly hypnotize at least four people in a confined space, under everyone’s watch, without any professional tools. Lisheng quietly forwards the kidnapping message to his brother-in-law, Yang Kai (Zhang Han), a former member of the domestic special forces, before entering the jury deliberation room.
Cast
Nick Cheung as Hui Lap-sang, a psychiatrist and hypnotist who serves as a juror in the Lin Family Yacht murder
Hans Zhang as Yang Kai, an ex-soldier and Hui's brother-in-law
Paul Chun as Lam Kwok-kuen, a billionaire and the father of Lam Pak-ming, the culprit of the Lam Family Yacht murder
Kent Cheng as Leung, a social worker and the chairman of the jury for the Lam Family Yacht murder
Cheung Siu-Fai as Tang Siu-Keung, a hitman hired by Lam Kwok-kuen
Elaine Jin as Lau, a housewife and one of the jurors for the Lam Family Yacht murder
Babyjohn Choi as Chan Wing-hei, a geographer and one of the jurors for the Lam Family Yacht murder
Cecilia So as Fong Wai-shan, one of the jurors for the Lam Family Yacht murder
Jo Kuk as May Yim, one of the jurors for the Lam Family Yacht murder
Jiro Lee as Chow Hung, one of the jurors for the Lam Family Yacht murder who was bribed by Lam Kwok-kuen
Vincent Wong as Lam Pak-ming, Lam Kwok-kuen's son who murdered on his family's yacht
Derek Kok as Peter, a businessman and friend of Hui Lap-sang
Ai Mi as Hui Chung-yan, the daughter of Hui Lap-sang
Renci Yeung as Lam Tsz-ying, the wrongly accused defendant of the Lam Family Yacht murder
