Review of Mad Detective (2007) by Marc L — 06 May 2008

I have just seen 4 superior Chinese films consecutively. This one is maddeningly entertaining. With the volume of films Johnny To makes year in year out at modest budgets, it's amazing he can still churn out such original intoxicating fare.

This is the work of a film lover and you can feel the manic passion and the energy in each cinematic frame. If I have one complaint, it is with the screenplay, which piles on one ludicrous superpower on the Lau Ching Wan character after another.

To a certain point, the movie takes a quasi philosophical dimension as it explores a man's ability to see hidden demons and multiple personalities in others. When it crosses the line and inflicts psychic intuitive abilities plus signs of dementia on him, it simply became ludicrous and illogical.

The lead actor did WONDERS to the part by making him believable & compelling, alternately farcical & tragic, in spite of the script's schizophrenic requirements. This could have been a great movie - Instead, it is merely very very good.