Cheah portrays an Asian secret agent named Alex Wong in the film, marking his first attempt at playing a part similar to Bond, a character he has admired since childhood.
“I’ve done comedy, thriller, vigilante and even hired-killer roles, but never a Bond role. This is my first time, and this is what I want to continue doing because I feel it is what I do best,” he said at a recent press conference.
Cheah, who also directed, wrote and produced the film, said the inspiration for “Killmaster” began in 1981 when he watched “For Your Eyes Only” in London.
“I was very young then. The whole cinema was filled with cheers and applause from start to finish, and I told myself I wanted to create films that could bring the same joy to audiences.”
The story follows Major Alex Wong, codenamed Killmaster, a highly skilled government agent tasked with a critical mission: to dismantle a terrorist network planning devastating attacks on his homeland.
His pursuit leads him to Spain, where he meets a young woman with her own vendetta against the same ruthless thugs. Together, they are drawn into a deadly game of survival, vengeance and high-stakes espionage.
Produced at a cost of nearly RM4 million, “Killmaster” was filmed over three weeks in Ibiza, Spain, with most of the expenses spent on air tickets, accommodation and meals.
“My edge is glamour, not action. I don’t want to shoot in alleys or nightclubs. I don’t want to be gritty. I want to bring back glamour, the glamour of the Bond films of the 1970s,” he said, citing “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker”.
Cheah, who has acted in “Prince of the City” and “Wild Justice”, fully financed “Killmaster” himself without government backing or production partners.
Since the start of his career in 1987, Cheah has endured many ups and downs. “I have lost money before, but it did not weaken me because this is my calling,” he said. “I was born to do this.”
Nevertheless, he stressed that the success of this film is crucial for his next project. “If audiences support this, I want my next film to feature bigger action sequences, with car, motorcycle and speedboat chases.
“I already have a connection with Gary Powell, the stunt coordinator for four Bond films starring Daniel Craig – but working with him will require a much larger budget.”
He hopes that “Killmaster”, which is shot in English, will break into foreign markets, including the United States.
The film also features Himanshu Bhatt, Jayaram Menon, Zack Aminuddin, Muizz Rosli, and Chilean actress and model Monica de Caro.
