Eyeing gold at the box-office

COULD Jack Neo be Singapore's most misunderstood director? The critics generally pan his drama-comedies that target a broad audience and the 54-year-old acknowledges he's resigned to that fate during an interview for his latest film, The Lion Men: Ultimate Showdown.

Yet almost everything he's done has gone on to become box-office hits and Neo makes absolutely no apologies if a certain group of people do not see eye-to-eye with him when it comes to his movies.

"If I make a film that gets four or five stars from reviewers but nobody comes to watch it, that's not me," he says, during the candid hour-long chat in his office, where he often beams with pride for his body of work. He has every reason to - when not breaking his own box-office records, his movies continue to be profitable and cross the million-dollar mark easily.