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Studio:Eureka Entertainment

Director:Johnnie To;Wai Ka Fai

Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Andy On, Kelly Lin, Lam Ka Tung

Running Time:89 minutes

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Reviews

- Kooky, occasionally confused, but compelling

Mad Detective isn't an easy film to get to grips with. Throughout the investigation we aren't sure whose perspective is correct: whether the mad detective himself is simply having visions and he is wrong, or whether his insights form a true representation of what is going on in the world. You don't find out until the final shoot-out scene, and then it becomes horribly obvious which is true.

Without the 'I see inside people' supernatural/insane aspect, this film is a very straightforward Hong Kong police procedural. But the fact that it centres around an ex-policeman so bonkers he cut off his own ear makes it convoluted and intriguing. Just like the Sixth Sense, much of the Mad Detective makes much more sense on second viewing. But unlike the Sixth Sense it is devoid of Hollywood's flourishes and over-statement, so instead the beauty of the film comes across from the nuances of the actors' performances. The scenes with the mad detective's wife are especially heart-rending -- their final goodbye in particular.

There are parts of the Mad Detective which are bloody, startlingly violent, unspeakably sad, and just plain confused. The sub-titling isn't bad but we needed to pause now and then to work out what was happening. However, for the majority of the movie we were carried along with the plot, entranced by the possibility that the detective might not actually be as mad as he seems. In some ways I was reminded of Angel Heart; another dark detective story poised on the edge of the unknown.
The special features were about average; the Q&A with the director would make more sense if you'd seen his other movies. We gave up halfway through the cast interviews as they weren't adding much to the overall experience.

So a film well worth renting if you like oddball mysteries. Not one to go for if you prefer high-kicking shoot-em-up action films. Definitely one to absorb and mull over. It's definitely good enough to inspire me to seek out other films by the same director.
8/10

- dream vs reality

When you see this movie, please forget about the conventionalities of thrill movie making. Here you have to be open minded and expect no given solutions to the plot. This movie is a journey into a "mad" detectives mind, and the different levels of reality generated by that split mind.

- Eureka Go Blu-Ray? Hallelujah!

Although Eureka's Website has yet to announce this momentous news, it seems too good not to comment upon - The Masters Of Cinema goes Blu-ray near the end of the year, coincidentally around the same time the gargantuan Thinktank Criterion does the same thing (Still only Region 1! Still going strong!).

The movie itself is something myself and most others will have to research in order to acquire knowledge of it, but if this indeed the first release by Eureka in this format, then it must merit it in some way or other. But, don't they all? Here's hoping for that "Kwaidan" blu-ray. Stranger things have happened Folks.

- cop finds gun, cop loses gun, cop gets gun back

if you like this type of film you will have come across this story plenty of times. but this never seems familiar or boring. keeps you gripped all the way through. brilliantly story, brilliant direction. the ending will have you thinking long after the film is over.
only loses a star because although the cover goes on about how HD it is, besides the title menu, it didnt ever seem very HD to me.

- "Forget about logic! Apply emotions to investigate!"

Imagine 'Sixth Sense' directed by Takashi Miike (minus Miike's obligatory torture scenes) & we have Mad Detective - the years' largest grossing Hong Kong film. Rather than seeing 'dead people', Detective Bun can literally see everyone elses' 'inner personalities' which tell him things that their outer selves are trying to hide. As you can imagine, this makes hims seem mad to others but also makes him a very good detective.

As you'd expect from a Hong Kong film - especially one which has won numerous awards - Mad Detective is incredibly stylish. It also delivers the substance too, as some thought-provoking ideas about identity are gradually sneeked in, without detracting from the fun.

Funny, touching, unique & intruiging, Mad Detective is much more than the sum of its parts. Highly recommended.