Mad Detective

It's been a while since To and Wai's last collaboration, but apparently the time apart did them a whole lot of good. Mad Detective (or Sun Taam, if you wish) is another shining star on To's ever-growing list of first class titles. Stylishly executed, cleverly scripted and dare I say quite original. HK genre cinema doesn't get any better than this.

To's been on a winning streak these last couple of years and with Mad Detective he's really at the top of his game. The film is filled with typical To elements, but also benefits a lot from Wai's creative writing. Mad Detective is one of these rare films that makes you feel like you're watching something novel and original.

Ching Wan Lau, a To regular, is taking on one of the best roles of his career. Lau plays Bun, a detective who's equally brilliant as he is insane. While his methods of investigation are irregular, his behavior is condoned as he's able to solve case upon case. The key to Bun's success is his ability to see behind people's masks. He sees every aspects of a single person as a separate individual. All goes well until Bun's retirement, when his genius is quickly degraded to simple madness.

In Mad Detective, we see Bun chasing after a guy with no less than 7 personalities (though only three of them are dominant). The film is often changing perspectives which keeps the viewer well on its toes. One character is actually played by 8 different actors and To doesn't give too many warnings. But looking back, the film isn't that hard to follow or figure out and the concept never sits in the way of the basic storyline.

Visually To only seems to improve. There are plenty of awesomely framed shots, neatly lit and even though the film has an overall dark overtone, colors really jump of the screen. And while To keeps on making films at a staggering rate, it's impressive to see how visually accomplished each and every one of his later films are.

Another definite plus is the soundtrack. Though often light in tone it doesn't hurt the atmosphere one bit, but only underlines the sad but dark overtones of Bun's madness. Strange sounds are brought together to form music, sometimes quirky melodies are used, but the music never feels out of place. More so, it does an excellent job at defining To's style and helps to shape his films. Not as in your face as the soundtrack of Sparrow, but once you start listing you'll notice how weird it really is.

It would've been quite easy to push the film into one direction, but To manages to keep a healthy balance. One moment Bun's actions can be rather amusing, a couple of minutes later there's a definite sadness to his character. And even though it's actually a dark and personal tale of a sick individual, the film is also able to keep its soft and creative edge, never choosing sides between being a character portrait or purely story-driven film making.

Mad Detective is a film where everything works out. Excellent cast, creative and original perspective, a solid storyline, stylishly visualized and magnificently scored. The film has no weak points, unless you prefer film making to stay in more familiar territory. if so, I suggest you wait for one of the big Hollywood directors to turn it into a lifeless, soulless and old-fashioned crime/drama. If that doesn't sound too appealing, be sure to check out To's Mad Detective. If anything, it's one of the best recent examples there's still plenty of life and creativity left in sculpting stories.

Together with Sparrow, To proves himself to be one of the most interesting directors in cinema today. His genre films are strong, original and seamlessly executed and seem to lack any weak points. Mad Detective is a definite recommend. 4.5*/5.0*

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.

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

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.

Not a masterpiece, but an interesting angle on a police drama with a lot of atmosphere, and definitely entertaining. This cop pulled out of retirement is like a comic book character - he has the power to see people's inner selves/personalities (sometimes multiple), and he can also instantly ascertain who's committed a crime if he immerses himself into some aspect of it. For example, during the opening credits he figures a crime out by having himself put into a suitcase and tossed down several flights of stairs, and he learns more in the main story by digging a grave out in the woods and burying himself. He's formidable but he's off the force for a reason - he's a little unhinged (hence the title), having sliced off an ear ala Van Gogh when his boss retires, and seeing an imaginary version of his wife from the past who's left him. The character allows for a film that's filled with shifting points of view, where we see what's in his mind's eye and then reality as he tries to prove the crimes of a dirty cop, which was pretty fun. There was also a nice little dark tinge in the ending, with the hint that the pattern recurs, something I also liked.