robert-temple-1
This film is certainly the opposite of the usual detective film. Instead of the detective catching the bad guys as a result of being logical, analytical, and clever, the lead character in this film solves crimes by psychic and irrational means. That in itself is a fascinating premise, and if this film had not gone so over the top in places, and had been more subtle, it could have been a very profound film which explored all sorts of interesting implications for the detection of crime. However, the psychic cop is just too bonkers, and extremely annoying. The intention seems to have been to portray him as disturbingly autistic, and to go for some laughs as well. I absolutely hated the Swedish TV series THE BRIDGE (2011) because the lead detective was a woman who was so extremely autistic that the series was intensely annoying and watching it became pointless. This film suffers from the same syndrome, though to a lesser extent. I also think of A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001) in which a genius is portrayed as an annoying autistic person. Why is it that today so many movies can only portray people who are more intelligent than others by grovelling with apology to the audience for daring to show the mental superiority of character by saying: 'but don't worry, everyone, they are really crazy, and their genius is a pathological aberration, so you don't need to feel inferior.' We certainly do live in an age which could well be called The Triumph of the Lowest Common Denominator. (I say that despite the fact that, education having long since collapsed, there are probably few people left alive apart from professional mathematicians who even know what a denominator is.) In a moronic age, the only genius which is permissible is truly that which is apologetically portrayed as being outrageously insane. Then we can all feel better, can't we? Relaxing in a hot bath of ignorance can be blissful, as we drift into decline as a civilization.
Ben Larson
If you are familiar with Monk, then you won't find this to be much different, even though it is Chinese.Inspector Bun (Ching Wan Lau) is mad. Not mad, as in angry, but certifiably insane. Nevertheless, he has a gift, and is called out of retirement to solve a case.Johnnie To and Ka-Fai Wai have delivered a film that is unique. It will have you questioning what you see and trying to make sense out of it, but, if you persist, you will be rewarded.Andy On is Inspector Ho, who calls on him for help to solve the disappearance of Officer Wong (Kwok-Lun Lee). He is excellent in the role.Riveting.
Yaaatoob
Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai's Mad Detective is a film that turns the Hong Kong crime genre upon it's head. Based around the simple concept of a man that can see everyone's hidden persona's, Mad Detective is anything but formulaic and right from the very start dissuades any notion that this is just another flashy HK crime flick. Lau Ching-Wan stars as the eponymous Mad Detective, Inspector Chan Kwai-Bun, a brilliant detective forced into retirement when his methods and actions become a little too bizarre. Alongside him Andy On plays young Inspector Ho who tries to enlist the aid of retired Inspector Bun to solve a complex murder case involving a missing police officer and a suspect with multiple personalities.What follows is a highly ingenious, highly inventive and above all, highly entertaining piece of cinema. Paced perfectly, this viewer sat on the edge of his seat, intrigued and enthralled in equal measure and delighting and the simple, unrestrained freshness of this film and it's premise. Lau Ching-Wan plays his part exceptionally well as the oddball Inspector Bun, throwing all semblance of logic out of the window as he investigates the case, but it's a straight faced performance; there's no comedy here as the plot and it's characters take themselves very seriously. However, despite this it's hard not to find humour in some of the scenes involving multiple personalities, and whether this was the directors intent or not, it does provide a handful of light hearted moments that help to break up this complex and down-right weird film into more palatable pieces.Overall, if you're looking for a crime film that's as inventive and intriguing as it is enjoyable, you can't go wrong with Mad Detective. See it now before Hollywood does an inevitable remake.
dbborroughs
Johnnie To and Ka-Fai Wai have reinvented the detective genre and things will probably never be the same.Inspector Ho is stumped by the disappearance of a detective 18 months earlier.Desperate for a break he looks to Bun, a genius profiler with whom he briefly worked years before...when Bun went crazy and was thrown off the force. A funny, tense un-nerving cop drama where nothing is certain. Is Bun a genius or crazy? Has Ho lost his mind? Where will it all end? Its a trip. I'd tell you more but I'm still trying to process what I saw since things shift from our reality to Bun's, often so its not clear. Its a trip and then some. Actually I'd be very surprised if this film doesn't end up with a cult following, an American remake and lots of articles written about it. Its just a nifty little thriller.Definitely worth a viewing or two.
AD
