Starring Dayo Wong, Michael Hui, Michelle Wai, and Chu Pak Hong, the film explores themes related to Hong Kong's deathcare and follows a wedding planner (Wong) who enters the funeral industry through a partnership with a traditional Taoist priest (Hui), seeking to understand the meaning of life and death through funeral rituals.

To modernize the parlour, Dominic begins accepting tailor-made requests and sells merchandise, but Master Man disapproves of his non-traditional approach.

During dinner, Dominic shares his life stories and thanks Man for teaching him about caring for the deceased, contrasting it with his previous focus on the living.

Once Man is discharged, Yuet takes on the responsibility of caring for him, but he continues to reject her help due to his misogynist Taoist views, even slapping her when she tries to assist.

Many guests from the funeral business vehemently oppose the idea of women as Taoist priests, but Dominic refutes their arguments, further revealing that it was Man's final wish for Yuet to take part.

Also appearing in the film are Elaine Jin as Lin, a restaurant owner near Master Man's funeral parlour who becomes acquainted with Yuet;[4] Chung Suet Ying as Suey, Dominic's loyal assistant who supports his career transition;[5] Rosa Maria Velasco as Miss Yan, a client who wishes to embalm her son's body;[1] Michael Ning as Lai, a client and businessman whose wife dies from an illness;[4] Rachel Leung as Soso, the same-sex lover of Lai's deceased wife;[4] and Thor Lok as On, Yuet's paramedic colleague.

[8][9] Director-screenwriter Anselm Chan conceived the idea of creating a film to explore life and death ten years before the project began, but he felt he "wasn't ready technically or mentally".

[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he revisited the concept after witnessing numerous deaths around him,[11] and he conducted field research for one and a half year by interviewing various workers in the funeral industry, incorporating real-life events they encountered into the story.

[8][13] Chan intended to cast comedic actors during the scriptwriting phase, believing that they possess the highest acting skills and would be most suited to handle the film's solemn themes, and he selected Dayo Wong and Michael Hui due to the commercial success of Wong's A Guilty Conscience (2023) and Hui's performance in the drama film Godspeed (2016).

[14] Since Chan's career has primarily focused on writing comedies, he initially expected rejections when pitching the screenplay and his intended casting choices to Emperor Motion Pictures, but the proposal was unexpectedly accepted on the spot by producer Jason Siu.

[12] The film was officially announced to be in production with Dayo Wong and Michael Hui as the lead cast on 2 January 2024, under the Chinese working title "度脫之舞" (lit.

[8] Michelle Wai, Catherine Chau, Chu Pak Hong, Paul Chun, Elaine Jin, and Kaki Sham were revealed to be the rest of the main cast in the same month.

[20] To prepare for their roles, Chu and Wai learned Break Hell's Gate for nine months before filming,[21] with their training starting prior to receiving the full script.

[76][77] It accumulated a total gross of HKD$122 million on 7 December, outdoing A Guilty Conscience to become the highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Hong Kong.

[93] Richard Kuipers of Variety described The Last Dance as "lovely, life-affirming", highlighting its poignant exploration of life and death through the unlikely partnership of a former wedding planner and a traditional Taoist priest, strengthened by the chemistry between Dayo Wong and Michael Hui, while also praising Michelle Wai as a "particular standout", along with the "polished cinematography" and "terrific production design", and noting the film's insightful commentary on gender roles and personal growth within the context of Hong Kong's deeply rooted Taoist funeral customs.

[1] Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film 4/5 stars, describing it as a "well-constructed and punchy melodrama" that effectively balances themes of death, tradition, and sexism through its "confident dramatic patterning" and "breezy universality", while also acknowledging the complementary relationship between the characters portrayed by Dayo Wong and Michael Hui.

[96] In Joanne Soh's 4/5 star review for The Straits Times, she described highlighted the "strong performances" from Dayo Wong and Michael Hui and "fascinating glimpses into Hong Kong's funeral traditions".

[3] David West of Sight and Sound described the film as "moving, serious, and yet stubbornly celebratory," effectively showcasing the talents of the "unlikely choice" of casting comedy legends Dayo Wong and Michael Hui in a serious context, highlighting their unexpectedly profound performances while capturing the "clash of generations and values" and "Hong Kong's unique funeral culture".

[99] Keith Ho, writing for HK01, praised the screenplay as "masterful" for redefining the concept of "Break Hell's Gate" and highlighting its poignant exploration of life, death, and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society, while also commending the female ensemble's performances and specifically acknowledging Chu Pak Hong and Michelle Wai for their memorable portrayals of complex characters.

[4] In his Esquire review, Kwok Ching-yin praised the film as a significant achievement in Hong Kong cinema for its box office success, commending its strong script and character development, particularly highlighting the performances of Dayo Wong and Michael Hui for their successful transition from comedic roles to exploring serious themes, which ultimately showcases the film's depth and emotional resonance in a challenging market.