loading...
Mad Detective
2008
A missing police pistol is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner Wong vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner Chi-Wai miraculously returned unharmed. Hotshot Regional Crime Unit inspector Ho is in charge of the serial murder investigation. He knows the only chance he has .. Read more
| Starring | Lau Ching-wan, Lau Ching-Wan, Andy On, Gordon Lam |
|---|---|
| Director | Wai Ka-fai, Johnnie To |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
loading...
Mad Detective
A missing police pistol is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner Wong vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner Chi-Wai miraculously returned unharmed. Hotshot Regional Crime Unit inspector Ho is in charge of the serial murder investigation. He knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss Bun. Bun was recognized as a gifted criminal profiler until he went mad several years ago. Bun has the gift to see into a person's inner personality. This is where the subconscious desires, emotions and mental state are laid bare. For Bun, they are the key to unlocking a killer's identity. Bun comes to the conclusion Chi-wai has a total of seven personalities. The cop's alternate identities are responsible for his murderous behavior. However, Ho feels betrayed when Bun's investigation went beyond his imagination. What begins as a quest for answers has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine.
| Starring | Lau Ching-wan, Lau Ching-Wan, Andy On, Gordon Lam, Kelly Lin |
|---|---|
| Director | Wai Ka-fai, Johnnie To |
| Studio | EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 26 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Cantonese Blu-ray: Cantonese |
| Subtitles | Blu-ray: English |
| Released | DVD: 03 Nov 2008 Blu-ray: 03 Nov 2008 Production year: 2008 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews
View all -
A good cop requires intuition, or so you learn when you watch cop movies. Facts get you only so far. But does intuition... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Cinematically great, dramatically a bit turgid.
You would think a film about a detective who can see peoples inner personalities or alter ego's would be a fascinating and compelling experience. And Mad Detective does indeed prove to be so. But it is made so more by the skill of the true cinematic arts of cinematography and use of sound rather than through the machinations of the plot or any of the performances.
Inspector Chan Kwai-Bun ( Lau Ching-Wan) is forced to retire when he presents his own severed ear as a retirement present ( Allusions to Vincent Van Gogh here as well with the tortured genius thing) Bun believes fervently in understanding a case through empirical means even if this means being buried alive or pushed down the stairs in a suitcase.
He is called back into action when Inspector Ho Ka-On ( Andy On) is investigating the disappearance of a colleague whose gun has since been used in a series of armed ( obviously) robberies. It turns out the suspect is a collective of seven spirits( alluding to the seven deadly sins this time) which means Bun has plenty to chew on.
Mad Detective takes these elements and contrives to make a film that for all it's intense performances ( Bun looks like he is suffering from perpetual constipation) and kinetic action somehow drags along ponderously . The real joy of watching this film is to be found in the composition of some of the shots- an audacious high overhead shot of a man running down a street bathed in yellow lights or the way the camera prowls through a moonlight lit wood . This and the use of sound on the 5:1 ( the menu gives the option of this or the standard 2.0 ) option is terrific adding real punch to some of the set pieces .
With plenty of extras and a comprehensive but fawning booklet this Masters of cinema DVD offers a thorough examination of this multi award winning( In Hong Kong and Asia anyway) film. Hardcore fans of Hong Kong cinema will love it. Others like me will find it a bit of a slog while simultaneously admiring much of what is on show. Not enough to watch it again in a hurry though.
-
- Northernsky from Halifax
- Posted 27 Oct 2008 20:26
-
Most recent members' review
View all -
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Cinematically great, dramatically a bit turgid.
You would think a film about a detective who can see peoples inner personalities or alter ego's would be a fascinating and compelling experience. And Mad Detective does indeed prove to be so. But it is made so more by the skill of the true cinematic arts of cinematography and use of sound rather than through the machinations of the plot or any of the performances.
Inspector Chan Kwai-Bun ( Lau Ching-Wan) is forced to retire when he presents his own severed ear as a retirement present ( Allusions to Vincent Van Gogh here as well with the tortured genius thing) Bun believes fervently in understanding a case through empirical means even if this means being buried alive or pushed down the stairs in a suitcase.
He is called back into action when Inspector Ho Ka-On ( Andy On) is investigating the disappearance of a colleague whose gun has since been used in a series of armed ( obviously) robberies. It turns out the suspect is a collective of seven spirits( alluding to the seven deadly sins this time) which means Bun has plenty to chew on.
Mad Detective takes these elements and contrives to make a film that for all it's intense performances ( Bun looks like he is suffering from perpetual constipation) and kinetic action somehow drags along ponderously . The real joy of watching this film is to be found in the composition of some of the shots- an audacious high overhead shot of a man running down a street bathed in yellow lights or the way the camera prowls through a moonlight lit wood . This and the use of sound on the 5:1 ( the menu gives the option of this or the standard 2.0 ) option is terrific adding real punch to some of the set pieces .
With plenty of extras and a comprehensive but fawning booklet this Masters of cinema DVD offers a thorough examination of this multi award winning( In Hong Kong and Asia anyway) film. Hardcore fans of Hong Kong cinema will love it. Others like me will find it a bit of a slog while simultaneously admiring much of what is on show. Not enough to watch it again in a hurry though.-
- Northernsky from Halifax
- Posted 27 Oct 2008 20:26
-
News and features
View all
Mad Detective
- 15 Jul 2008
You know those signs, “You don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps”? That should be the motto for the Hong Kong police department, if this exhilaratingly daffy thriller is anything to go by. The first time we see Inspector Bun (Ching Wan Lau) he’s giving multiple-stab wounds to a hanging slab of meat. The second time, he crawls up inside a suitcase and instructs a junior colleague to kick him down several flights of stairs. When he reemerges he announces the... Read more
-
Image gallery
View all -
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
Judas' British, American and Asian Thug Most Wanted (150)
80.6% from 35 members
