The Bullet Vanishes (2012)

The Bullet Vanishes caught my attention because of it interesting title and one my favorite actor, Nicholas Tse, was in it. The Bullet Vanishes is a stylish whodunit mystery film that is well acted with a smart plot to keep you engage throughout its run.

The Bullet Vanishes is set in 1930s Shanghai, as two detectives, Song (Lau Ching Wan) and Guo (Nicholas Tse), investigate a series of mysterious shooting deaths in a bullet factory. This mystery film gets things right by keeping the audience guessing on who's behind the crime with character who might or not be involve in the crime. Another plus in the writing is that it delve into our main detectives developing their back stories and giving us an idea on how they work. You'll get the usual autopsies, hypotheses, and other investigating methods one would expect from these kind of films but also get to explore the psychology of a criminal. A theme the film focus on the plausibility of a "perfect crime" and how a criminal is made to good effect. The film plot is not without some notable flaws. Without giving anything away the plot this mystery film, it has one two many twists toward the end. The pacing is uneven at times and a under develop romance that goes nowhere. In spite of the film having great usage for it many characters some of them just don't add anything significant to the overall film. It's bares some resemblance to Guy Ritchie's 'Sherlock Holmes', but it is largely its own creation with notable differences. The Bullet Vanishes has a plot that contains an intriguing mystery that you will want to see towards the end that helps it overcome it flaws.

The cast is top notch for this mystery film. Lau Ching-Wan brings an memorable and enjoyable performance that is reminiscent of his portrayal in Mad Detective (2007). Lau Ching-Wan just has a natural talent of playing detectives with usual methods very well. Nicholas Tse reigns supreme in the acting department. He's charismatic and has great chemistry with every actor he shares a scene with. Wouldn't be surprise if Nicholas Tse wins an award for his excellent performance here. The supporting cast is put to good use, though some of them go underused. Especially actress Mini Yang who appears to be eye candy and a underdeveloped love interest. It's a shame Yang didn't have a more developed character since her acting is pretty good. Director Law Chi Leung is a director I'm not well know with, but his vision for the film was perfect. The film is filled with beautiful sets, great costumes, rightful use of CGI to recreate Old Tiancheng, and maintains a good narrative structure. Law Chi Leung will pull you into the world he created.

The Bullet Vanishes might appear to be China version of Sherlock Holmes to western audiences at fist glances, but it has an identity of its own. It contains an mystery you will want to see till the end and top notch cast filled with actors that are fun to watch on screen. The Bullet Vanishes is a film that is easily recommendable for any fans of good mystery and should a film you should see if you have not already had a chance to see it.