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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:15
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.6/10
Theatrical Release:Jul 18, 2008 Limited
Starring: Ka Tung Lam, Lau Ching-Wan, Jay Lau, Kelly Lin
Director: Johnnie To, Wai Kar-Fai
Fleeting confusion and bizarre literalization aside, Mad Detective is an effective mystery story, with an oddball hero -- like TV's Monk, but far crazier -- and some moments of visceral violence that raise the stakes.
A stylishly funky Hong Kong thriller from cult director Johnnie To and co-writer/codirector Wai Ka Fai.
Director Johnny To’s previous flicks are slicker affairs, but there’s still plenty here to please the fans.
A freewheeling narrative that twists around its central themes with manic intensity.
too cluttered to be engrossing or even entertaining
Cleverly scripted, brilliantly acted and masterfully edited, Mad Detective explores the very human capacity to lose one's moral centre in a crisis.
Mad Detective doesn't always make sense, and you cannot always tell what is real and what is imaginary, but viewers will be having too much zonked-out fun to care.
It may make no sense to throw logic out the window, but that’s exactly what makes Detective such an unhinged blast.
If the insanely inventive and entertaining Mad Detective weren’t so weird -- and in Cantonese -- hordes of action geeks would be lining the block to see it.
More comical than compelling, but what do you expect of a chopsocky revolving around a head case of a hero begging to be buried alive in order to channel his psychic powers?
Expect an inferior American remake within five years.
Another very, very solid crime drama from Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai.
Interminable and pointless virtually from start to finish...
The prolific Johnny To and his occasional collaborator Wai Ka Fai here put a new twist on the standard police yarn.
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.
Every moment in Mad Detective seems engineered for maximum oddity; it almost becomes overwhelming...Yet the movie feels adventuresome, too, a new bridge to Asia’s soulful ghost canon. It’s a metaphysical mystery masquerading as a doodle.
Direction lacks the strong hand of To's solo efforts, and pic shows some signs of rush, with abrupt transitions and lack of flow in the editing.
Even if you lose track of who's shooting whom and why during the abstract climactic face-off, the clever last shot shows you're not alone.
Top Critic
July 18, 2008:
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