Mad Detective [Masters of Cinema] (Blu Ray) [Blu-ray] [2007]

 

 

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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.

Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai's directorial collaborations are often less satisfying than their solo efforts, and Mad Detective is no exception. One of those films that's both a lot smarter than it initially appears and at the same time not nearly as satisfying as you'd like, at times its intriguing premise doesn't feel quite as well thought through or smoothly delivered as it could be. In a riff on To's earlier (and rather better) Running On Karma, in which Andy Lau's pumped up bodybuilder could see the past lives that dictated people's fate in this life, Lau Ching Wan's disturbed cop has the ability to see people's inner personalities, be they male, female, fat, thin or, in the case of one suspect, all that or more. Not that that's his only quirk: he solves crimes by putting himself in the place of either killer or victim, which can mean slashing a pig carcass with a craving knife, being buried alive or thrown down several flights of stairs in a suitcase. Not that he's an Asian version of Monk - Tony Shaloub never cut off his own ear and gave it to his boss as a leaving present. Literally damaged goods, he may have a unique gift for solving crimes but it's one that leaves him unable to cope with a normal life, as his deceptively complex relationship with his wife - who may or may not be dead or a figment of his imagination - underlines. Called back in by his one-time protégé to solve a series of robberies carried out with a missing cop's gun, he finds out that the chief suspect (and his conflicting seven inner personalities) is even more mixed up than he is...

With his bad haircut and face that's not only lived in but condemned for demolition as soon as they can get the squatters out, Johnnie To regular Lau Ching Wan's hangdog expression does a lot of the work for him in the title role (think Hong Kong's answer to Randall and Hopkirk: Deceased's Mike Pratt), which is just as well considering how much of the film his character spends in a state of denial. He doesn't overtly play for sympathy either, which helps the film avoid some of the more clinging sentimentality or stereotyping that Hong Kong films often overdo when dealing with mental illness, making his character as maddening one minute as he is empathetic the next. The film's structure mirrors his psyche perfectly, which can be a problem. Moving between his impressions and what those around him see, the film is built on constantly shifting sands and can certainly be tricky to keep track of at times - this is one film that definitely benefits from a second viewing or at the very least a substantial use of the rewind button to catch your bearings. But if it's not always as accessible as you'd like on a first viewing, there are still plenty of striking moments to keep you hooked, be it a conversation with the lost personality of a killer in the woods, a double date at a restaurant that only involves three `real' people and one character's subtle confusion at how to cover up the evidence after the final shootout that takes place, appropriately enough, in a room filled with mirrors that reveal both cop and killer's true personalities.

As with their DVD release, Eureka's first Blu-ray title is a rather impressive package with a good 2.35:1 widescreen transfer, though both the sound mixes are a bit low, and plentiful extras, including lengthy French interviews with Johnnie To, Italian interviews with Lau Ching Wan and Lam Suet (the latter a permanent fixture in To's films), UK trailer and booklet.

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.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Was very disappointed with this movie. It didn't help that the Blu-Ray picture quality was just awful. Read more

Published 19 months ago by I. Parr

5.0 out of 5 stars 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. Read more

Published on 7 April 2009 by Reyes Gonzalez Hector

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more

Published on 3 Nov 2008 by Rowena Hoseason

5.0 out of 5 stars 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,... Read more

Published on 17 May 2008 by Brady Orme

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