Mad Detective certainly lives up to it’s name in the bizarre and confusing opening scenes, where the movies title character cuts off his ear and hands it to his boss as a retirement present! This pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the movie as we enter the twilight zone where one man has the ability to see other peoples personalities, and even goes as far as to invent a very real, imaginary friend to keep him company.
Trippy stuff indeed, and once you get into it, and start figuring out what is going on, Mad Detective draws you into it’s brilliantly conceived madness. It’s akin to watching a police drama through a shattered mirror, with each shard of glass reflecting a seemingly contradictory story. But as the mirror slowly comes back together, those seemingly opposite pieces start to make sense and lead you to a stunning climax.
Mad Detective is brilliantly acted, with Ching Wan Lau delivering a mesmerising performance as the slightly out of Kilter mad detective Bun. Johnnie To keeps the pace running and trims off any waste keeping the whole affair to a tidy 90 minutes.
Possibly not a movie for people unfamiliar with Hong Kong cinema, but certainly well worth watching if you’re brave enough for a fan of the genre.
Food for thought: If someone could see your real personality, would you be worried?
Reviewed by: Jonathan Read. Rating: R16 – Contains Violence. Duration: 90 mins. Genre: Foreign, Hong Kong. Director: Johnnie To. Actors: Andy On, Lau Ching Wan, Lam Ka Tung, Kelly Lin. Distributor: Vendetta. Release Date: Out Now.
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