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Mad Detective

post #1 of 5
4/22/08 at 1:01am
Thread Starter 
What a terrific film. It starts out like Detective Monk goes to HK but then really comes into it's own, it's so good to see Lau Ching Wan in a milkyway film again and he really gives a great performance as a man completely broken down from reality.
The idea of someone being able to see inner personalities is incredibly inventive and To and Wai Ka Fai explore this idea quite effectively.
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post #2 of 5
8/19/10 at 1:01pm
Really surprised that this thread didn't get more replies. Loved this film when I saw it in the cinema last year, although it took me far too long to get my head around the multiple personalities stuff. Watched it again on Blu-Ray today and all I could was admire the visual brilliance of the thing, there are so many great moments and touches but it's all done so effortlessly.

I kind of like the lead performance because it's a nicely handled middleground between the 'jaunty insanity' of something like a Jean Pierre-Jeunet movie and something far darker and scarier. There are moments in the film where the Inspector Bun seems genuinely threatening.

Love the bit with the glass towards the end and the ridiculously violent stand off. The head shot which caps off the movie is one of the most brutal I've seen and I kind of love the last shot of Inspector Ho wandering around trying to work out which gun should belong to which person.
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post #3 of 5
8/19/10 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Along with Sparrow, it's one of To's best films, Bun's relationship with his ex is really quite heartbreaking, the reveal that his mind essentially broke down and created two versions of his girlfriend, the real one he couldn't deal with and the fake one who was more compliant is just sad.
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post #4 of 5
11/7/10 at 2:07pm
I haven't seen many Johnnie To films, but this one's got me thinking I should dig further into his filmography. Such a beautifully shot, well told character study that comes really close to being a great crime film as well. In fact, if there was anything that could've been remedied it's the structure of the film, since it begins to lag once Bun's solved the case and the focus switches to Ho. Still I enjoyed it immensely - and that last shot is absolutely fantastic.
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post #5 of 5
11/7/10 at 8:41pm
Thread Starter 
It goes without saying The Mission is terrific, one of To's best, so make sure you see that one.
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