Mad detective

Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai's Mad Detective is a film that turns the Hong Kong crime genre upon it's head. Based around the simple concept of a man that can see everyone's hidden persona's, Mad Detective is anything but formulaic and right from the very start dissuades any notion that this is just another flashy HK crime flick. Lau Ching-Wan stars as the eponymous Mad Detective, Inspector Chan Kwai-Bun, a brilliant detective forced into retirement when his methods and actions become a little too bizarre. Alongside him Andy On plays young Inspector Ho who tries to enlist the aid of retired Inspector Bun to solve a complex murder case involving a missing police officer and a suspect with multiple personalities.

What follows is a highly ingenious, highly inventive and above all, highly entertaining piece of cinema. Paced perfectly, this viewer sat on the edge of his seat, intrigued and enthralled in equal measure and delighting and the simple, unrestrained freshness of this film and it's premise. Lau Ching-Wan plays his part exceptionally well as the oddball Inspector Bun, throwing all semblance of logic out of the window as he investigates the case, but it's a straight faced performance; there's no comedy here as the plot and it's characters take themselves very seriously. However, despite this it's hard not to find humour in some of the scenes involving multiple personalities, and whether this was the directors intent or not, it does provide a handful of light hearted moments that help to break up this complex and down-right weird film into more palatable pieces.

Overall, if you're looking for a crime film that's as inventive and intriguing as it is enjoyable, you can't go wrong with Mad Detective. See it now before Hollywood does an inevitable remake.

This is one of those scarce movies that might seem erratic until you get to the ending, where everything just clicks and all the pieces form one remarkable narrative.

To say that the ending blew me away is an understatement; it retroactively gives so much more meaning to Inspector Ho's role in the movie. This is how you create subversion. Instead of you groaning at his foolishness for doubting Bun, you are shocked by how the ending complements the initial storyline of corrupt cops and their egos, who will do anything to protect themselves.

Bun's ability to see personalities is captivating both visually and narratively. There are so many bizarre and impulsive interactions, especially with the seven that Ko Chi-wai has. I wish more of them were highlighted; a couple of them don't even say a word. It really feels like they are supposed to represent the seven deadly sins, but alas, not enough time was given to them.

The story follows a somewhat not-so-sane Hongkong police detective Bun (Lau) who, after solving a crime in "his own way" during the opening sequence of the movie, cuts half his ear off, gets suspended from the force and has to lead on his miserable private life, mainly communicating with the creations of his own mind. As some years have passed, another cop in HK police gets missing in action and Ho (On), a former member of Bun's investigation unit, gets the case and decides to call Bun for help.

The flick is (as title refers) a bit on the side of madness. Though, it doesn't truly get deeply attached to the theme, offering a light view of one side of it. Seems that directors Johnny To and Ka-Fai Wai decided to rule out everything that would "ruin" the picture for audiences more on the side of police-thriller. Bun's tendency to descend to schizophrenia is opened to the viewer quite early in the film and also simply, making it clear that it's just a part of film we wouldn't miss. So everything is opened up for the viewer, just enjoy the story (which doesn't offer too much) and enjoy the acting. A bit of non-linear scene-switching, but that wouldn't bother anyone who doesn't still live in 60's.

Bun's character is the star of this film and Ching Wan Lau plays the role well. Comic at times (a super-cop with half an ear and - during most of the film - a bloody bandage wrapped around his head, looking like a bum after a weekly party) but mainly socializing with inner world of himself and - as he states he can see the 'inner personality' of people - those around him. Especially the lovely relationship with his imaginary wife: everything that's worthy to love in her, everything feminine, was hooked to the image of his mind, so when the real wife (now an ex) finally showed up, the only qualities left for her were those of a mean bitch's.

The film would've been quite Hitchcock's style, if the schizophrenic part of Bun had been left unveiled for a longer period of the movie (as the master hinted to play with the audience, not only caress them). What bothered the most - these god damn in fashion hair cuts - why do the characters have to look like the cover picture of some fashion magazine? It's one of the weakest links in almost all modern Asian movies.

3/5

Eighteen months before this movie begins, two cops pursued a suspect into a forest. The suspect got away. One cop came out. Since then, the missing man's gun has been used in a wide variety of robberies. Inspector Andy On is in charge of the case so far as the robberies and attendant murders are concerned. He has run out of leads. So he recruits Ching-Wan Lau, a disgraced former cop whose career ended in apparent madness in which he claimed supernatural powers.

There's no madness in the Chinese title; it means "Hard Boiled." The English title is supposed to clue the audience into the fact that there's at least one insane cop here, but as the story advances, the question of who is mad becomes murky. Is it On, whose efforts to close the case become increasingly unhinged? Is it Lau, who has ceased to take his prescribed anti-psychotic medicines, and who has constructed a fantasy world in which he is still with his ex-wife, Kelly Lin? Or is it the dead man's partner, who says he is investigating what he believes is his partner's murder? It all ends in a shoot-out in a hall of mirrors, but will anything really be resolved?

Directors Johnny To and Ka-Fai Wai have created another stylish crime drama in To's signature blue-lit world in the midst of blackness that constantly shifts the size and shape of the audience's frame. It's all very interesting to watch, but in the end there is no release from the nightmare world that is traditional for detective stories, even one as murky as this.

This movie is quirky, weird and everything else that can not be considered mainstream. But it's also fun, light, heavy, violent, romantic and many other things ... amongst others too: Original! Or maybe unique and refreshing are more accurate words.

If you are not familiar with the work of Johnnie To, maybe this isn't the first of his movies to watch. There is "Running out of Time", there is "Fulltime Killer", PTU and many others! If you like them, then you can try this movie too. But again, it's off-beat, it has a main character who is very ... strange to say the least and it has a very crazy idea (or many crazy ideas) behind it all ... I won't go into details, but this movie and how it was made (shot, edited etc.) is simply great! If you allow yourself to enjoy it's sheer craziness