Mad Detective

Almost like a Chinese version of "Monk," only the main character is paraniod, delusional, and downright insane. The unrelaiability keeps you guessing and entertained and the story keeps you engaged. It's definitely a unique take on the rookie + veteran situation. One not to miss.

MoC release looked spectacular. Pick and runs with the genre tropes all the while reflecting them back at the nature of cinema. Makes no effort to construct a separation between filmed fantasy and filmed reality. Final scene is also majestically put together.

A really well acted film that is at times confusing and boring though not at the same time. Ching Wan Lau's acting is superb as always, Andy On did Ok.

Starts out very promising but keeps knocking down everything it sets up and throwing in red herrings until you stop trying to figure it out or caring. Easy to say this is a masterpiece not appreciated by the masses, but if a movie isn't enjoyable enough the first time with the interpretations that the filmmakers know full well the majority of the audience is going to have, there won't be any second viewing to look at it in whatever complex or esoteric light the filmmakers were envisioning.

For once the multiple personality cliché is used in a refreshing way. Having the main character be an unpredictable weirdo makes it a bit hard to delve into his motivations and decision making process, but it makes for interesting viewing. Decent crime movie.

What the fuck are all of you fawning over?

Original, energetic and stylish.

Ching Wan Lau is fairly incredible as the lead, blurring the line between funny and disturbing. The highlight for me is when he solves a murder by tumbling down a flight of stairs in a suitcase. I also like that this film doesn't have the "OMG THIS is what everything has led up to!" ending that most films like this do.

My expectations of this crazy story proving out have been met.

Director to plays with the partner thing and some of its conventional. First and last minutes clearly seems to refers to Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs".

Yeah, this was really good. Ching Wan Lau is excellent, as is the style.

Gets a bit caught up in being weird, but on the whole it's an entertaining detective thriller.

At first I was blown away by a brilliant concept of a main character, amazing acting vastly above HK standards and superb direction. Unfortunately as the story progresses it just failed to impress me as much as in the beginning. It had potential to be a masterpiece, but ends up being "only" very good. What a shame, but still a recommended viewing.

Based around the simple concept of a bizarre, unconventional police detective with the mysterious abillity to see peoples hidden personas, Mad Detective is anything but formulaic and right from the start disuades any notion that this is just another flashy HK crime film. What follows is a highly ingenious, highly inventive and above all, highly entertaining piece of cinema. If you're after a crime film that's as inventive and intriguing as it is enjoyable, you can't go wrong with Mad Detective.

The film looks great, and has some interesting aspects, but ultimately relies a little heavily on the twist.

remarkable.

Lau Ching-Wan burns down the screen, the twists keep coming and the style is wholly original and great. Best movie to come out of HK in ages...

The story may be a bit weak, but the concept is well done and there is some thought and good direction behind this. I had a wonderful time.

watching master To's Films are always entertaining and enjoyable. his courage and creativity are impressive.

The psychological elements of Mad Detective would benefit greatly from more of a mystery at the core of the story. The crime-solving methods are fun to watch, but there isn't quite enough complexity or intrigue to the crime itself to be as gripping of a thriller as it could be. The climactic act goes a long way in terms of redeeming any missteps throughout the middle act. The finale is great and has the best prolonged Mexican standoff I've seen in a movie in a long time.

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"To and Ka-fai's widescreen lensing is both elegant and sharp, its distorted angles and flaring white lights generating a sense of unease that complements Bun's instability and Chi-Wai's fractured self." - Nick Schager

Normally, I try to be understanding when it comes to low budget movies, but Jesus Christ this is pretty much unwatchable. The sound design sounds like everything was recorded on a secondhand tapedeck, the subs are riddled with grammatical errors, and the "noir" photography is so amateurish that it can only be watched on an old vaccuum tube TV. Add to that, the choppiest editting I've seen in ages and you have a movie where half the time you can barely keep up with what's going on.