Detective Chinatown 1900

While Detective Chinatown 1900 tries to blend comedy with a dark chapter of history, its tonal imbalance weakens the overall experience. The film relies too much on exposition rather than strong storytelling, making its mystery feel contrived and overly reliant on coincidences. Comedy feels misplaced given the heavy subject matter, and while the cast delivers solid performances, the writing struggles to treat its audience with intelligence. A more serious approach, with only minimal humor, would have made for a much stronger film. Ultimately, it's a forgettable entry that fails to leave a lasting impact.

It only seems right to address the elephant in the room when setting a movie in a California Chinatown in the 1900s. Chinese Exclusion Act, working conditions for Chinese labourers who built the transcontinental, etc. All seem relevant and could create a very interesting background if done correctly. Detective Chinatown 1900 beats these over the heads of the audience to the point it's out of place. I think it's more effective to give the audience room to ponder these topics.

When the movie isn't focusing on those travesties or diving into more modern day nationalistic propaganda, it's still weaker as a buddy cop movie than any of the trilogy save a few action scenes.

Honestly, considering Chen Sicheng's usual... performance, this movie is way better than the third one.

A miracle, really.

(He's tortured my expectations so low, it's kinda sad.)

But you gotta admit - dude knows how to make a Chinese New Year blockbuster.

He single-handedly invented "Spring Festival Gala: The Movie."

Whatever's trending on Douyin?

He throws it in.

Musical numbers? Check.

Plot twists? Check.

Stand-up comedy vibes? Yup.

Magic tricks?? Bro, even those.

A big happy ending with a cheesy group song? You bet.

Chen Sicheng really took the recent Spring Festival Gala vibes to heart: "Teach a lesson first, then let people have fun." Man's getting older - just wants that iron rice bowl now.

When it comes to cashing in on patriotism, even Wu Jing would have to bow and call him the godfather.

Honestly, if it weren't for Chow Yun-fat's acting saving those cringy lines, I would've been rolling my eyes halfway through.

Yesterday in the Chinese cinemas there was a real frenzy, so we arrived 30 minutes earlier and settled into our seats, expecting the same -according to the cinema app every ticket was gone for shows until 11:30 p.m. But to our surprise, it was pretty chill. Cinema 1 at He Ping in Wuxi was actually only half full, and after watching the film, I totally get why!

"Detective Chinatown 1900" (2025), directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, is a total flop that brings the once-promising franchise to a new low. What was supposed to be a clever blend of comedy and murder mystery ends up being a cringe-worthy display of poor filmmaking that might even make you feel a bit dumber after watching it.

Set in 1900 San Francisco, the story centers around the murder of a white woman in Chinatown, with a Chinese man as the main suspect. This intriguing setup had the potential for sharp social commentary and gripping storytelling. Unfortunately, the execution is so terrible that it completely wastes any potential the plot had.

Chen Sicheng's direction is all over the place, resulting in a jumbled mess of scenes where Chinese characters face abuse from white racists, justice is obstructed with assumptions of guilt, and white families would rather see their daughters dead than have a Chinese grandchild! The humor misses the mark, often feeling forced and awkward against the serious backdrop of a murder case. The characters are flat and underdeveloped, and the performances are equally disappointing, with actors struggling to deliver their lines or add any real depth to their roles.

It's really sad to see a franchise that started with so much potential fall apart like this. "Detective Chinatown 1900" is a weak attempt that fails to hit the mark on any level, leaving viewers frustrated and let down. This latest entry is a textbook example of how not to make a film that is a complete waste of time for everyone involved. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this cinematic disaster!

This is a film released on the first day of Chinese New Year 2025. I have watch none of the Chinatown Detective series, nor other films in the same time period. I find it an okay one.

This movie is characterized as comedy. In fact, I do not find such scenes particularly cleverly developed, and am not amused by these. However, it does entertain the majority of the audience.

What makes it okay is the plot. It is, of course, not a very surprising story, and some people may say it is boring. But the movie tells the story to the audience completely and well. Forgetting about the technologies nowadays, telling a story is a film does, and this one does it fine.