Mad Detective (DVDrip - 2007)

Back together at the helm of Mad Detective, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai have set incendiary cinematic material ablaze to create a fiery action drama. This film is both a thrilling adventure exposing the dark side of Hong Kong’s police force and a fascinating journey into the meanderings of a contorted mind. (Premiered at Venice Film Festival 2007.)


In one of his best performances to date, Lau Ching-wan plays the multi-dimensional role of Bun, an outcast detective whose psychotic personality and unorthodox investigative methods have cost him his job – even though he has always solved the cases entrusted to him.

After cutting off his own ear and offering it as a gift at a party in honour of one of his superiors, Bun is forced into retirement. He lives in seclusion, haunted by the ghosts of his vocation. But he has a special gift: he can see the personalities and inner demons of the people he meets. The visions appear in front of him, materializations of greed or gluttony, of violence and fears – fat, sweaty guys and sexy ladies alike. The images make him act strangely, but they also help him solve mysteries, exposing criminals’ real intentions, often in loud and explicit ways.

The only person who still believes in Bun is power-hungry inspector Ho (Andy On). Ho is determined to solve the complex case of a missing police gun and its vanished owner, Wong (Lee Kwok Lun), who disappeared while pursuing suspects in the mountains. Wong’s partner, Chi-wai (Lam Ka Tung), is also behaving oddly, appearing to have seven conflicting personalities.

The consummate skill of both To and Wai in scripting and directing a complex story of crime and madness carries the film from start to finish. Beginning with a quest for answers, Mad Detective becomes a breathtaking roller coaster of delightfully off-kilter events. The film audaciously twists truth and reality, taking schizophrenic turns when we least expect it. It surprises and satisfies, yet leaves the audience thirsty for more crimes to be solved in Bun’s special way. ~ Giovanna Fulvi; Toronto International Film Festival