A fortune teller (Gordon Lam) fails to help a prostitute who is facing a deadly calamity. When he meets a young boss (Lokman Yeung) of a tea restaurant, he predicts that his bloodthirsty tendencies will lead him to a prison sentence for murder. The fortune teller tries to change the young man's fate. An experienced detective (Berg Ng) believes the young man is a psychopathic killer and relentlessly pursues him after witnessing him kill a cat. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose, signifying the approach of the inevitable calamity.

Directed by Soi Cheang and produced by Johnnie To, Mad Fate is their second collaboration after Accident (2009). The film's screenplay was written by Yau Nai-Hoi from Milkyway Image. Mad Fate combines supernatural destiny, suspenseful thrills, and bloody violence, while Cheang showcases his highly stylized visuals to depict a dark and desolate Hong Kong. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and is selected as the opening film for the 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Soi Cheang (b. 1972, Macau) is a Hong Kong—based actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer. His distinct but versatile style explores genres of crime, thriller, action, and sci-fi dramas set in Hong Kong or beyond in Asia. After working as an assistant director for Andrew Lau, Wilson Yip, Johnnie To, and Ringo Lam, he made his filmmaking debut with Diamond Hill (2000). Cheang is known for Dog Bite Dog (2006), Motorway (2012), Limbo (2021), and The Monkey King saga (since 2014). Cheang’s Motorway and Limbo respectively won Best Film from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.